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.

Our almost 6 month old Pitbull Terrier/Shepherd Mix/mutt puppy, Grayson, came to stay with Sierra…read moreand Shannon for a 2 week board and train while we were on vacation and it was a game changer. We toured their house prior to Grayson's stay and it's well kept, clean, with great big yards both front and back. Grayson came home more obedient, learned how to dress before going outside and "get naked" after going outside, load in and out of the car, ring a bell to let us know when to go potty, "touch," sit, down, and the biggest thing for us is he's more comfortable in the car and listening to music (he used to bark at music like crazy). He doesn't pull on his leash as much and walks are more comfortable and less stressful. Grayson even got socialized with other dogs and cats! He does not bark as much anymore, which has been great for my nervous system Grayson got a bath before he came home and came home with a wonderful goodie bag. They used primarily positive reinforcement training with Grayson with some other tools. It was very effective. Working with Shannon and Sierra, you can tell they really care about their furry clients and take a lot of pride in their work. We will definitely be using them for future boarding for our furbaby. Highly recommend!!

Shannon and Sierra's home board and train model offers security and a sense of relaxation where…read moreyour furry friend can be taught. They try to tailor their teaching to the individual pet, will take notes ahead of time on what you hope to accomplish, and do their best to ensure that progress is made for you and your furry family! My puppy came back crate trained and less timid around other dogs which is a blessing.

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!

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!

I can't say enough about Sam. My Lab, Maui, goes on Pack Walks and gets to interact with other…read moredogs, which I believe is crucial for her socialization. While Maui and I take long walks together, I feel it's important for her to be part of a pack. When Maui goes off with Sam, I know she's with an experienced dog handler who creates a well-balanced pack. My other dog, Ester, isn't ready for Pack Walks yet, but I've needed boarding for both her and Maui. Sam's knowledge of training and understanding of dogs has helped integrate Ester into the pack. Every time Ester comes home with Maui, she's more balanced and better off. Sam's expertise and dedication have made a significant difference for both of my dogs. Highly recommended!

We absolutely love Sam! Our very active Husky/Shepard mix, River, first fell in love with Sam…read morealmost two years ago. We knew we had to keep her engaged and entertained during the day to supplement her regular morning workouts. What we got when we entrusted her to Sam was so much more than we could have dreamed at the time. Sam not only kept River active and entertained, but she taught River, and us, the importance of boundaries. The owner/pet relationship is so crucial and built upon trust and respect. Sam helped us with instruction and tips on how we could foster these within our own relationship and tailored it our girl because she had the direct experience handling River. Each time that River goes out on adventures with Sam she comes home exhausted. We know she's had a good time and it's clear how much she trusts and loves Sam. We are regularly provided access to their adventures via photos posted to Instagram. Sam puts personal touches on all the posts, it really means a lot. We could not ask for a better person to trust the care of our very special family member to. We've referred Sam to friends and strangers alike. You will not be disappointed and will receive far more than you pay for. River gives her 5 stars and two paws up!

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!

Christine has been both our trainer and support system during this overwhelming and chaotic new…read morepuppy phase. As someone who had fostered puppies, I assumed I would only need a few sessions when we adopted our GSD/Pyrenees puppy, Betty. However, now I wish I had bought Christine's infinity package, so we could train with her forever and ever. Primarily, Christine is a highly knowledgeable and passionate dog trainer. She has provided an in-depth understanding of dog behavior and the psychology of dog training. This foundation has been invaluable in helping us develop a successful ongoing training relationship, and in helping Betty become a loving member of our family. Secondly, she has also served as an unofficial puppy doula and mentor. She has always been happy to get on the phone and talk us through problems in between sessions, and even guide us in choosing a vet and groomer. I don't know how we would have managed without her during those sleepless nights and feelings of sadness and regret. Lastly, she is a gentle and calming presence--the type of person that was born to work with animals. She has taught us how to be effective dog parents using only positive reinforcement and kindness. Working with Christine has been a gift that will continue to provide value for many years to come!

Two words: Call Christine…read more No words can truly capture how much Christine helped us in our journey with our dog, Poppy. We got Poppy when she was about 3 months old, and she was a very anxious puppy. As brand-new dog parents, we really wanted to do everything right. Unfortunately, early on we enrolled her in a daycare/train-style program that was very discipline-focused, and it ended up making things worse. Poppy regressed a lot and became even more anxious. That's when we found Christine. From the start, Christine was patient, knowledgeable, and incredibly supportive. She helped us undo a lot of the stress and fear that had developed and guided us step by step toward building Poppy's confidence again. What stood out most was that Christine didn't just train our dog -- she helped us grow as dog parents too. Her passion for animals is so obvious in the way she works. She regularly checked in, sent helpful podcasts and articles, and made sure we had the tools we needed between sessions. I also really appreciated that she spaced out the training sessions so we had time to practice and actually see progress. The transformation has been amazing. Poppy went from being too anxious to even get out of the car at a park to confidently walking around Carlsbad Village. Even more importantly, the bond between Poppy and me has grown so much through this process. I truly couldn't have done this without Christine, and I'm so grateful we found her. If you're struggling with your dog or just want to set them up for success, she is the person to call.

I could not be more grateful for all the knowledge that Pilar has shared over the course of…read moretraining my ACD mix. Piper can be a frustrated greeter and is strong enough to really pull while on the leash, but both behaviors have been minimized with the right tools under our belt. Walks went from being stressful to being a fun experience for us both! We learn new games and training exercises - time spent with Pilar is always rewarding! Her experience time and time again has helped me communicate more clearly to my dog as well as understand her behaviors. Pilar's positive reinforcement training has helped me build a strong bond with Piper built on trust, and I'm so grateful!

Pilar treats your dog as if it were her own. You will be thankful you called her for your dog or…read morepuppy training because she a certified trainer and knows the proper techniques so you don't have to worry about your dog being mistreated or doing further damage as some "dog trainers." Your dog will love you for calling her!