Cara is excellent training your dog. She is very knowledgeable and very patient. Has great methods…read morethat does not include a shock dog collar. I would highly recommend her!

I can't recommend Cara enough! From the very first session, it was clear that she truly understand…read moredogs and their behavior. Cara took the time to assess my puppy's individual needs and developed a training plan with the goal of forming a strong relationship with my dalmatian, Ruth. Cara was incredibly patient, calm, and encouraging. Check out her YouTube videos to get Cara's vibe for traning and see if her apporach works for you. Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances, we were not able to complete our eight-week training plan, but Cara was completely understanding and refunded me for the remaining sessions. I was beyond grateful that she was so understanding of situation. Cara has a genuine love for animals, and it shows in every interaction. If you're looking for a knowledgeable, kind, and results-driven dog trainer, look no further. I'm so grateful for the transformation in my dog's behavior (even in the short time we spent training together) and I would recommend Cara for anyone struggling to train their dog basic obedience, or develop a relationship with their new puppy, and much more!

I'm really disappointed in how this business handles communication and customer service. I enrolled…read morein a 4-week group training class for my 9 month old puppy. I reached out nine days before the first session to ask about moving to the following 4 week session since I would be missing two out of four classes. I wasn't asking for a refund--just to switch sessions. My email went unanswered, and I had to call the facility to leave a message before the owner finally texted me back. I was told there are no changes or cancellations allowed, and to simply watch videos for the weeks I'd miss. One of the main reasons I chose this trainer was for the in-person group training and socialization, which can't be replaced by videos. I can find plenty of training videos online. This 4 week training was expensive, but I was very much so excited to grow with a training facility nearby. As a Carlsbad local, I love supporting small businesses, but this experience has been very disappointing. A little flexibility and better communication would have gone a long way.

I have taken classes with Laura since 2004, and just graduated my third dog/student with her... I…read morereally can't say enough good things about her thoughtful, positive reinforcement common sense approach to training, dogs and their humans! She really understands dogs and is a gifted trainer. Highly recommend her, and we will be back again and again!

We adopted a 7-month-old, 45-pound Husky mix, and after my wife was pulled to the ground while…read morewalking her, we knew it was time to get some professional training. After reviewing all of the referrals provided by SPOT Rescue, we chose Kindred Spirits, and we're so glad we did. The experience was absolutely worth it. They didn't just train our teenage pup--they taught us how to work with her, communicate with her, and reinforce the right behaviors at home. Each week, we were given homework that helped us practice what we learned and prepare for the next class. In just six weeks, we've seen a huge difference in her behavior and in our confidence handling her. The best part is that they gave us the tools and knowledge to continue working with her long after the classes ended. We would highly recommend Kindred Spirits to anyone looking for dog training that really involves and educates the owners, too. Look at that eye contact.

We had a wonderful experience at Kindred Spirits Canine Education Center. Tanner made so much…read moreprogress over the six weeks of training, and we are so grateful for the support and guidance we received. Kate was an invaluable asset throughout the program. She gave clear examples, helped us understand the challenges that came up, and always approached training with such positivity and patience. She made it easy to ease into the process by providing supplemental reading and exercises that gave us the fundamental tools we needed to keep building Tanner's training at home. Every class was truly a joy. I loved watching the other dogs and owners succeed, and it was so encouraging to see major progress from each dog and their family. Tanner will absolutely be continuing his training with Kate. Karin was also such a pleasure to have in class, and we loved the adorable photos she took of all the pups. Everyone we met at Kindred Spirits was kind, understanding, and patient. Their ability to problem-solve, adjust, and customize each dog's training based on where they were at was incredible. We cannot recommend Kindred Spirits enough!

Sarah is an awesome teacher, very knowledgeable, articulate, and patient. She is passionate about…read moredog training. She keeps her classes small for lots of individual attention. We highly recommend her class! Steve and Brenda

Patti was such a great help when it came to training our puppy Winnie! She tailored every session…read moreto our dog's needs and how we can better support/train her. She also took the time to send us a recap after every session with resources so we always had something to refer back to. We enjoyed every session and have nothing but Pawsitive things to say :)

Pam and her entire crew at Woofingham Palace are amazing. There is no doubt how much passion they…read morehave for the pets in their care, providing training and guidance to pet parents, and providing a safe facility for the fur kids and her staff. I got a new boxer puppy that was in desperate need of some socialization and proper etiquette when playing with other dogs. I signed up for the puppy socialization classes and within a matter of a few sessions I noticed a dramatic improvement. I'd give Pam 100 stars if I could.

Pam Chandler, of Dog Sense Training is truly amazing! I've been using her classes, pack walks, and…read moreprivate sessions for two dogs over about 2 1/2 years. She truly knows dogs and makes it fun and interesting for the humans too. She recently expanded by purchasing Woofingham Palace, so her new business name is rebranding to Woof Academy. Still amazing and just added a great location for classes, socialization sessions, and boarding.

We took our 8-month-old lab, Charlie, there this past week. We picked the 24/7 puppy boot camp and…read moreit was worth every penny! It is well organized. The trainer's Cliff and Randy were great. Cliff had our dog 24/7, we were heartbroken to leave him for the week as we never had. They encouraged us to come anytime and visit, or train with them. Our previous experience had been to leave our pups for 30 days without being able to see them. Well, to our surprise our dog loved Cliff! If fact our visit was 2 days later and he did not even care when we left. That was not our pup...LOL! In 7 days our dog had really matured, calmed down, and learned all basic commands. They were great at sending us videos of his training. Truthfully, the rest is up to us and we are staying up with the training. We live in Oregon and we will drive back to their Carlsbad facility for further training. That's how much we appreciate and respect their training. FYI, our son and his wife have since put their 13-week old puppy in and are so grateful for the changes in him. Charlie learned in 7 days what previous pups learned in 30...

I purchased a 10 week program and paid up front. I was told the only option for payments was…read morebasically to pay half as a down payment and the rest before the first day. Heather was great with my dog and is a great trainer, however she overcommits to programs that she clearly does not have time in her schedule for, as evidenced by 22 same day last minute cancellations that stretched out our training sessions from 10 weeks to 10 months. I expressed my concerns to her a few times throughout the program as well as beyond the 10 weeks and she was very good at reassuring me with long paragraphs that she was committed to Rocky and promised to do better but then continued to cancel and not provide the services listed on the program contract. Please see attached as I feel 22 last minute cancellations is a claim that needs backing. Ultimately, it took 3 attempts asking for a refund, trying to utilize a boarding credit instead, me citing the program contract that clearly states she does not charge for cancels and then finally, 10 months out from the program with a little over half the promised services rendered, I said my next step was small claims court and she finally decided she would agree refund me. Again, she is a great trainer, i had even recommended her to friends but then had to go back to them to let them know that I actually hadn't even seen her for months because she seemed too busy to fulfill the program I had prepaid for (at that point we were 6 months from the start of the program and we went a full 2 months with no training, just a last minute cancel every time and multiple empty assurances). I'm writing this review as her programs cost thousands of dollars and I don't want someone else seeking help to get their hopes up for good training, as I did, and then not get what was agreed to, paid for and written up in a signed contract. I just wouldn't recommend paying for anything up front and hope that in the future the services promised do come to fruition!

Many years ago, my husband and I paid for a package of lessons. We had the first two lessons and…read moreafter that were unable to reach John to schedule the rest. Similar story to others on here. Be weary of paying. The first two lessons included showing the use of the prong collar and introducing his dog to ours. However, after that he suggested to pay for additional sessions. After that didn't hear back from again.

Our 5 year old dog, Nala, had a rough past before we adopted her (2 different homes, neglected,…read morevery anxious). We had already gone through 1 basic training class through Petco to socialize her, and then another private trainer who just sucked the money out of us with no result. We did not want to give up on our sweet girl, so I did my research and felt optimistic starting with John. Our first session showed how anxious she was and her lack of confidence. As we progressed, she loved being a part of the pack with his 2 sweet, large German shepherds who accompany John himself. Throughout our sessions, Nala learned better loose leash walking, more efficient sits, down, became more comfortable around other dogs, and developed confidence. We also learned which training collar works best in lieu of a harness, ALL without using treats. It's tried and true. Overall, we were able to have an ongoing dialogue about how to acclimate her to stressful situations and what not to do. She is a changed dog due to the consistent training methods we witnessed and learned. John is very understanding and wants the best for your furry friend, no matter their history. She will never be 100% in terms of her personality, but we got her dang near a 90% and you would never know her past. Give him a try!

Thought I would give a review since I've had Megan as my dog walker for roughly around 9 years now…read more Just goes to show how much we love her so much; we want to keep her as our own little secret! I found Megan when we had Flexo at the time. I looked everywhere for a specific type of walker. Our boy was a rescue with a rough background. He was reactive to dogs while on leash and took time to trust strangers. I definitely wanted a dog savvy walker! One who has a background in training and tough pups like ours. Since day one, I remember coming back from work and noticing our boy feeling a little more relaxed. Not as pent up or stressed. I quickly realized how much he needed this! Whatever his situation was before, I wanted to give him a better one, an upgrade. Megan helped me with that. She was very professional, confident, and worked with our boy during her walks. He eventually loosened up to her and her little girls and it was so great to hear how much he improved over time. Flexo has since passed, but we adopted another rescue, Brody. We had him at 7 months old and, although was the complete opposite of Flexo, his puppy stage proved to be quite the whirlwind, to say the least! While we did our part in training, Megan did her part with socializing and walking. He was a little ball of energy, but now at 3 yrs old, has since calmed down and is the best boy. He loves Megan and her pack (both humans and dogs)! She also does boarding and daycare. Another plus, she is very flexible! There are often times I've had to cancel last minute because I worked from home during the pandemic, and it was no issue. She also updates by leaving a message in a little notepad she provided. There are so many positives, I can't say enough how much we love having Megan as our walker. I only hope, if there comes a time when we have to move away, we can find someone just like her. She's definitely set the standard for who I want in a professional walker!

Megan and Marla are incredible! They are basically family at this point…read more After making a very late decision to visit family over the holidays, I desperately needed to find someone I could trust to take care of my dog, Wilson. I didn't want to leave him somewhere he would end up in a cage all night and most of the day. Fortunately, I found the Balanced Pack. Wilson stayed with Marla and her family during the 6 days I was gone. As any dog owner knows, a lot of stress accompanies leaving a dog with someone else for an extended period of time - even with friends. That was not the case with the Balanced Pack. I received regular updates and daily photos of a very happy Wilson. Further, it was so nice knowing that Wilson was with people who cared about him and had plenty of playtime with his canine buddies. The only concern was that I'd have to drag him back home ;-) Since then, I have used the Balanced Pack for day boarding on a regular basis. Megan picks him up every morning on time and then drops him off around 5:30pm and feeds him dinner. He is so excited when I tell him in the morning that Megan & Marla are coming. And it is amazing to come home from work and find your dog both exercised and fed. And I do mean it - Wilson has tons of energy and on days when Megan has him, he is worn out when I get home! That says something. The bottom line is that Megan and Marla are awesome. They will treat your dogs with love and care. And you will notice an extra gleam in your pet's eyes after a fun day with the Balanced Pack.