Art is amazing he connects with your dog immediately. You will see immediately from your first session. He will show your dog what to do and show you as well! In 2-3 sessions you and your dog will learn a lot. All my babies are always excited to see him and they are happy and smiling the whole time read more

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We highly recommend Arthur for dog training. The 3 sessions helped Storm to be obedient in our home, friendly with other dogs and behaved in public. We did a bonus session to desensitize her to kids. Arthur responds to texts quickly when I need advice. We've even boarded Storm with Arthur and it was a great experience. Arthur is a believer in no bad dogs, just bad owners. If you can't handle a little tough love and constructive criticism, he may not be your guy. I seriously almost gave up with Storm multiple times, and Arthur was there to help and encourage me through it. If you're really looking to understand your dog's behavior and become a better owner yourself, Arthur is here to help. read more

Zen Your Dog - Pet Training Near Me

I would like to highly recommend Zen Your Dog for your dog training needs. After Odin passed away Zeus developed a scary aggression towards other dogs. With a 170lbs. Dog I was in fear I was going to have to put my baby down. I was recommended to contact Art before putting him down to see if he could fix the behavior issues. After 3 sessions I have my amazing dog back!!!! Yesterday we spent 2.5 hours at Broadway Plaza working him around other dogs and again today he spent about 4 hours around other dogs with no reaction. Art us a miracle worker and absolutely loves animals and will educate you to better communicate with your pup. He is amazing can't say enough good things about him. read more

I'm doing an early review as I noticed a bad one and felt the need to support him. I received Arthur's company from someone at the dog park when a friend and I were just chatting about how great her dog was. He apparently had a lot of issues and now he is great and is so good off leash. After looking around my bf and I decided to move forward with Arthur and training our girl Mochi. Honestly she is amazing and my bf and I realized it was really us that needed to understand how to work with her. 1. He was on vacation and talked to me - didn't rush and helped me over the phone with some general guidance before I even committed. I couldn't until I had the final convo with my bf to see if it worked for us both. 2. He works around your schedule - I started a new role at my company and it's been crazy. Week days. We're not an option so he came in the evening to our place. We learned so much and omg, Mochi just clicked with him. It was really cool to watch. We took lots of notes and practiced for 2 days. He even stayed longer on our session to make sure we were comfortable and answered all of our questions. He never once looked at his watch or phone - he was so focused on helping us. He also was never pushy about money. 3. We went to Point Isabel. This spot is amazing - it was the big heat wave of Labor Day weekend and we are in Livermore so that location was perfect to get us all outside in the best weather! My mom and stepson came along to this session to learn and it was more than we could have asked for. mochi was sooo happy and it was amazing for my bf and I to walk along with her off leash and not be tense. He also told us of Mudd Puppies a wash and mail service there so we got there early to get her nails trimmed - she is not a fan. She was so awesome and they were dog whispers! Not even 5 min and they were done! During this session my 6 yo was very talkative and Arthur's gf who join us with a dog they were watching was so nice helping chat with him. Arthur also included him in a few training opportunities and gave us a few places that all of us could really enjoy together. My mom also felt she learned so much and was amazed! We have always been a dog family, but this was magical. We have one more meet up - honestly I'm super excited! It will be downtown Walnut Creek and teaching us how to work with her in stores..this is a hard one for her. For the comment regarding him not good with woman, I personally have never felt uncomfortable. My mom is an older Asian lady and the last 5 years has honestly become more nervous around strangers. She felt Arthur was amazing and was uncomfortable around him either. He never made my bf concerned for myself or his son. He has always been respectful. Honestly different personalities don't always mix and that's okay. Arthur so far has shown a love and passion for the dogs and you can tell. He helps foster animals before they go their forever home. Trust he has showed us to be zen so our dog will be zen. This guy gets nothing but love from my family! read more

Zen Your Dog - Photo of my family and Mochi at our Point Isabel training day! Does Mochi look happy or what?! - Pet Training Near Me

Arthur is fantastic! From our very first phone call and when he came to our house. I knew Arthur was going to be able to help our pups. We had one rescue bulldog and a frenchie (who needed most of the work). He was incredibly patient with us as we navigated getting a prong collar on our sensitive bulldog. We met at three locations, our house, point Isabel, and the shops in Walnut Creek. Each time we got a little better with our commands and he helped us be great paw parents, teaching our pups, especially our frenchie how to interact in stores, off leash, and in public. I cannot recommend Arthur enough. He has many years of training experience and he is passionate. If you need help with your pups, call Arthur! read more

I wish I had hopped on Yelp to read the reviews before booking sessions with Art. I had a very similar experience as the others giving 1 star reviews. He was aggressive with my dog as well as with me. He consistently made inappropriate comments about his sex life, touched me repeatedly on one outing, and used force with my dog to the point that she was yelping and screaming. When I reacted to his behavior (winced, but did not say a single word) he began yelling and cursing at me. He introduced a prong collar to my dog the first time we ever stepped foot at a dog park. She was terrified. I've since learned from a good trainer that his method was completely irresponsible and has likely left a lasting affect on her. In addition to his inappropriate behavior, he's also completely obnoxious to work with. He rattles on and on about nonsense and repeats himself ad nauseam without letting you get a word in. He made many racist, sexist, and derogatory comments through the two sessions we had. He is volatile and I would never recommend working with him. read more

My husband and I were just reminiscing that it's been 4 years since we got our lovable and high energy goldendoodle Ziggy. This was my first time ever having a puppy and first time ever my husband had a dog as an adult. To prepare we watched so many YouTube videos, read all the books, but when Ziggy arrived we found ourselves not fully equipped. Sleepless nights, nipping, hard time building trust with our new pup....in a moment of desperation I went on the next door App and found glowing recommendations for Arthur, from Zen your dog. Arthur was an absolute game-changer for us and Ziggy. He helped us more than I can put into words and his initial training sessions have set us up for success. He's an incredible trainer and person. read more

Arthur is hands down the best and most caring dog trainer there is. Zeus, my dog, passed away years ago at an old age, yet I still am so thankful for everything I learned from him. My dog was not okay in public prior to training with him. He truly has a passion for what he does and is helping so many people. Forever grateful for his knowledge and support. read more

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Our dog Bodie has thrived with his training we received from Arthur. I cannot recommend him enough for training your puppy or grown dog. He held our hand through the whole process of bringing our 8 week old puppy home, bringing him to an off leash park, learning how to behave himself in public settings, etc. We would recommend him to anyone and have sent him many clients who are also thrilled with his work. His love of dogs and gentle caring nature when it comes to helping first time dog parents were all above and beyond. Thank you!!! read more

A friend recommended Art to us a few years ago as we were struggling to train our high energy Vizsla puppy, Addie. He is extremely knowledgeable, professional and passionate about his training methodology. He was able to give us some really valuable coaching on what we as owners could do to help Addie be successful. He gave us practical tools and techniques for working with her and taught us the importance of consistency. We still go back to Art for training tune ups and have referred multiple people to him who have also seen great results from his training. Thank you Art for all your advice and guidance. You'll be proud to know Addie recently passed her canine good citizen test - in large part thanks to your training tips! We appreciate you and clearly Addie does too read more

Zen Your Dog - Addie's recent training session with Art - Pet Training Near Me

Art is the best dog trainer there is! He spends quality time with you and your dog and makes you feel confident to properly handle your dog in public and private. I can't stress enough how awesome Art is! He helped us with our German Shepard Max. We get compliments every where we go on how well behaved and mannered Max is. He gets along with people, children, other dogs, and we owe it all to Art. read more

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Enthusiastic trainer. Not the most patient guy and definitely arrogant. I found another trainer and had a great experience! The 5 sessions were with him were marginally helpful and we had to travel to a Richmond dog park read more

I wouldn't recommend Arthur Deak at all. His website says that he is force-free, but that wasn't the case in person. He did a lot of yanking and forcing my dog to comply, which I was not okay with and was not at all what I had signed up for. My dog was showing signs of distress and was seeking her bed (a great self-soothing technique!) and Arthur forced her to continue training, not allowing her to take a break when she clearly needed it. When I disclosed that my pup has a history of neck pain, he dismissed me and continued yanking/popping her leash by the neck. If you're looking for someone who is actually force-free, will take your concerns seriously, and will act in the best interest of you and your dog, I would look for a professionally certified dog trainer who uses Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) approach to behavior modification and training. You can find them here: http://apdt.com He also used incredibly inappropriate / derogatory language when speaking and generally made me feel super uncomfortable. The opposite of "zen." Super disappointing. read more

Art Deak is the consummate professional. He is highly skilled and knowledgable with dogs and dog psychology. He is one of the best trainers around. He is very nice and genuine and will help the owner know what to do to continue the training at home. He can pass down knowledge in an easy to understand way for owners. Art's passion for dogs and dog training is evident when you seem him train the dogs. I would highly recommend Art for obedience training, or behavior modification such as aggression and leash reactivity. Aside from being an awesome trainer, Art is a very likable and down to earth guy. read more

We are so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have Arthur work with our family including our fur baby! From the moment we connected with you over the phone and you generously shared a great amount of knowledge tips for training and creating the connection with our pup, we knew that you were the right person for us. You are not only invested in the pups you work with, but the families too. Your positive, encouraging approach with all of us, our boys and pup included could not have been better. We feel so lucky to have been under your guidance in raising our pup. Thank you for all of your help! Working with doggies and their families is truly your calling! read more

Omg goodness so greatfull for Art. I have 3 pups 1 is a cane Corso. Which is a difficult breed to socialize he has put a lot of heart and love into our pup. He saw we as owners were struggling and took her and personally worked with our dog (without charging extra) to get her out of her shell. And then he helped us at the dog park with all 3 pups he helps zen your dog. The CC now is able to meet other dogs go to dog parks be around new people, really socialize and remain calm. She used to drag me and my hubby on the leash now we don't need a leash she keeps pace halts. Sits wait. He taught us the commands to reinforce her training He did such a good job with my dog after a family get together 3 people asked for his number to help them out. read more

Zen Your Dog - All of us with the pups! - Pet Training Near Me

Art is a phenomenal dog trainer. When our under socialized, high energy, reactive, rescue pitbull started causing problems with other dogs walking on leash, another dog owner helped me out by giving me Art's contact information. Art gave us the training and the tools necessary to start taking our pup out on walks again and meeting other dogs. He is gentle, no nonsense, yet fun and energetic, and the pooches love him. I value his training and highly recommend him. read more

Zen Your Dog - Luna - Pet Training Near Me

His technique is military style. He was in my face & wouldn't let-up. He won't stop talking & wont let you get a word in. He was aggressive with me & got in my face. He said I was like all woman & would give-up on my dog. He started rambling on & on so I had to walk away because the yelling was getting bad. I find him abusive threatening. Woman don't go to him. read more

Arthur is amazing with all dogs! My dog is a different dog because of him! And he teaches you every step to achieving a calm balanced well behaved dog. You can tell he really has a passion for every dog he trains, and truly wants success for both the owner & the dog. I am so glad I found him, and hope to train all 3 of my dogs! He is definitely a dog whisperer. Fun to see someone who not only is good at their job but has so much passion for it! read more

Zen Your Dog - Pet Training Near Me

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Art is great! We hired him to help train our husky puppy, and I noticed immediate results after just the first session. We also have an older husky, and he included her in training sessions too! We take our dogs with us everywhere now, and get compliments all the time on how well behaved they are. If you want polite, friendly, happy dogs, you need to work with Art! Can't recommend this business enough! read more

This guy is a danger to the public. He will put your dog in unsafe situations and set them up for failure. Every time I've witnessed him working, he's doing something stupid at the expense of the dog. He does not acknowledge his mistakes, he laughs and walks away. He interjected himself into a session of mine and about broke my hand with his egotistical handshake. Stay away. read more

We are so thankful for Art and the work he did with our puppy Poppy! She spent a week with him and came back a much more confident and well behaved little girl! Looking forward to future sessions with him. read more

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My boyfriend and I are so incredibly thankful for Arthur! Our dog, Rylee, was found abandoned and we had no idea what her background was or what she went through. We hired Arthur to help train us and help us feel more confident with socializing her. He is incredibly attentive, genuinely loves what he does and goes above and beyond for his clients and for the pups. For the first two hour training session, Arthur came to our apartment and helped us learn treat training, leash training, and recall. He also spent an hour extra with us just chatting and talking to us and answering all of our questions that we are so grateful for. The second training session was a few weeks after and we went to the dog park, this was such an incredible experience for us and for our dog. He helped us feel more confident with recall and socializing at the dog park and it is a park we go to quite often now. We still use the collar he recommended, whistle and the leashes he provided us. We also are extremely consistent with the training he taught us and ensure we keep up with it on a daily basis. Our dog is extremely well behaved, we are able to bring her out to bars and restaurants with us, leave her home alone when needed (but we try and bring her everywhere), she is confident in herself and loves socializing and we have Arthur to thank for that. read more

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Horrible and unprofessional. Does not return phone calls and cancels last minute. I had a training session schedule for my dog and Arthur cancelled last minute and never responded to reschedule. read more

Art is such an amazing trainer. I highly recommend him. My Frenchie was having aggression towards other dogs and within 4 sessions he made leaps and bounds. I feel so much more comfortable bringing him everywhere with me again. He taught us behavioral corrections as well as leash training and socialization in good healthy ways. I went from tears of sadness to tears of joy watching the transformation thanks to Art! read more

Arthur has to be hands down one of the best dog trainers in the world . This is my first time training my dog and he has been so wonderful at doing great with my 10 week old GS pup. I get daily videos / pics / updates from him which helps when I'm missing my dog . So thankful for all the work that Arthur does , you can tell he trains dogs with such a passion it's hard not to think he isn't the greatest dog whisperer around . Highly recommend . read more

Zen Your Dog - Pet Training Near Me

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Art has changed our home! I felt super insecure about training our dog Quill and Art was so confident and sure that he could help us and boy did he! Q is a different dog now and I've told about a dozen people about Art and how he helped us. He's one on one which I appreciated so much, and super attentive to Q. Mostly, he trained me! Thanks Art! read more

Zen Your Dog - Pet Training Near Me

My dog Luna- a 9 month old husky mix rescue dog and I have had 2 sessions with Arthur. One at my house and neighborhood, and the other at Point Isabel. Both sessions were great-I got many tips on how to help Luna calm down and be able to listen and focus. I've been able to take Luna places on and off leash, and we are both happier and calmer. Thank you Arthur for bringing the zen! Looking forward to booking another session soon. read more

Zen Your Dog - Calm and attentive Luna - Pet Training Near Me

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I can't give enough praise for Art's training style. Our 4 year old mixed breed dog was starting to display aggressive towards other dogs, this was changing our behavior and limiting our ability to take them into public situations. I did NOT want a punishing style, shock collars, or similar type controls for our dogs and Art provided a safe environment and simple training methods that encourage positive reinforcement and allowing the dogs to trust us and themselves. Art is such a hard worker and responsive. When I reached out to some other trainers, they had months long wait lists. While Art is VERY busy, he works so hard to accommodate all requests and is willing to work weekend hours to accommodate work schedules. I am grateful for his patience and care. Highly recommend! read more

I am responding to the one negative review as well. Lucy and I have had two wonderful training classes and Lucy has improved tremendously. As one might expect, training time is a full focus activity. If Art was distracted with calls and messages he would not be effective with his job. I have recommended Art to others already and I will continue our training. Give Art a try with your pup- you will be amazed! read more

Art is just great with my GS that I adapted from Golden State German Shephard Rescue (one of the people who I dealt with recommended Art to me). Danny had a hard background he was found on the side of the highway with a broken leg and a possible gun shot wound. A short time after I adapted him he was attached by another dog and because of this was showing aggression towards other dogs. I have only had one secession with Art. He in parts a lot of information in a short time while showing great attention to my dog and to my interaction with him. Gave me a lot of tips on treat training to get the basics down. My next secession will be at Point Isabel to start resetting him as Art puts it so that we can start working on getting along with other dogs. "WE" being the main focus. Danny is a great and very loving dog for all that he has been through and he took right to Art with no problem. I was told that Art might love my dog more than I do. Not sure that that is possible but he certainly seems to try. read more