Six months ago we adopted Archer, a feral German Shepherd who was completely shut down and afraid…read moreof absolutely everything new. We've had German Shepherds before, but nothing could have prepared us for this. Erin at Tug Dogs has been a true blessing. Her knowledge of dog behavior goes beyond any trainer we've encountered. She helped us understand that for a dog like Archer, the key was learning from other dogs. She structured our sessions so Archer could train alongside other dogs on the property and the difference has been incredible. Erin didn't just train our dog, she guided us and gave us the right tools. We cannot recommend her enough, especially for fearful dogs or any behavioral work. She is awesome.

Best dog trainers in our area. Your best friend has needs, wants, and opinions. Learn how to be…read moreclear in your expectations with your dog. Thoughtful, experienced, caring trainers who speak dog. You have come to the right place. Highly recommend!

After trying out different local trainers and self-teaching myself with internet materials, I was…read moreeager to see if I could learn more from Animal Minds Behavior & Training. I wanted to work on getting better engagement with my two year old German Shepherd Kona and I wasn't sure what I was missing. After filling out the contact form, I got in contact with Terra and ended up scheduling our first session soon after. What I loved most about my session with Terra was that she met me where I was at in my training journey. She told me to show her what I typically do and then she offered me suggestions to adjust for better responses. When we attended Terra's group walk classes, the experience was similar. On one group walk, my dog was at his worst and Terra just kindly gave suggestions on what to adjust and he did amazing by the end. Terra is awesome and I appreciate her approach. She's exactly what I needed at this point in our journey.

We worked with Susan! We chose the off-leash board and train option for our rambunctious and spunky…read more10 month old corgi. Roux lacked a lot of manners, was pushy when it came towards other dogs in play time, and lacked impulse control. He was your stereotypical, overly-friendly dog who was too smart for his own good. Working with Susan has been such a pleasure and my pup came back to me with better manners and impulse control. He also plays very well with others dogs and loves to play tug with them now! Yay! Walking him is a dream. I especially love working and training with him in public because he is a rockstar and does sooooo well now! We get so many compliments on our daily walks or when I take him out for lunch on how well-behaved he is... all thanks to Susan! I loved the transition lessons as we prepared for him to come back home. It helped a lot with teaching me what I needed to know to set my boy up for success once he came back. My relationship with Roux is stronger than ever now! So happy we chose Animal Minds and I would highly recommend Susan if you are having similar problems that Roux was having!

f you're looking for a dog trainer who will teach your dog solid foundational skills...and you're…read morewilling to put in the work...Alexia is our girl!! Before adopting my rescue Cane Corso, I knew she would need professional training. I put my trust in Alexia, and I can honestly say she exceeded every expectation. In just two weeks, my dog learned so much more than I ever imagined possible. Alexia is not only incredibly knowledgeable, but she's also kind, patient, and genuinely cares about both the dogs and their owners. She doesn't just train your dog, she takes the time to teach you how to continue the training at home so you can be successful together. I have three kids, and when she brought my dog home after her first two-week stay, she spent time showing my children how to safely and confidently work with our dog too. That meant so much me and my kids! I can't thank you enough, Alexia, for everything you've done for us. We're so grateful for your dedication, and we can't wait to continue working with you!

We love PotreroK9! We first met Alexia about two years ago when she stepped in to board our dog…read moreafter we had a last minute cancellation. While our dog has come a long way with her reactivity, having a trainer who isn't going to put her in unsafe situations while still giving her proper enrichment was important to us and PotreroK9 always hits the mark. Since then we've boarded & trained with PotreroK9 numerous times and have had a great experience every time! We also now have an adolescent working malinois and PotreroK9 is one of the few places we're able to entrust him to when we're out of town. Both of our dogs absolutely love Alexia and we would recommend to anyone!

Just felt the need to share my experience from 2023/2024…read more Brought my 12 week old puppy for puppy classes and was hopeful to advance into more specific training and she got older. Puppy classes (basically an hour of playtime with other dogs of similar age) are on the main field and they all have a blast running around playing. Being puppies they're learning how to play and at one point my pup played a little too hard and for whatever reason the owner of the facility picked up my pup and dropped her into a troth of water (in my opinion too aggressively) as a punishment which has now left her with a huge fear of water. The trainers never seemed nice to my dog or gave her any attention like the other dogs in the same class. I ended I having to do the course again (had to pay twice) because she wasn't "advancing" quick enough. On-top of the puppy classes I tried the day training to which I found out my dog was put into a kennel for 5+ hours or tied up to a wall most of the time (dropped off at 7a and picked her up around 12:30-1) instead of receiving training or playtime with the other dogs. I will NEVER recommend this facility, they broke my dogs spirit which I've been trying to rebuild for over a year now and she's slowing coming around but anytime we're in the car headed that way she STILL flips out until we pass the exit and knows we're not going back there.

UPDATE for BECKY who told us after 5 weeks of board with NO result that we should keep boarding her…read moreagain and if we cant accept her the way she is we should give her to a new home that will accept her for being leash aggressive. 4 months later we didnt take any of their advice and got her to be where k9 training solution had no faith in her to be at, interacting with other dogs and playing at the dog park. Trusting dogs and being confident. (With updated pictures)

A few things that went wrong with our board and train:…read more 1. Shauna gave me the wrong Venmo handle which resulted in me sending the deposit to the wrong person. Luckily, they were decent enough to send me back the entire amount ($500) after I tracked them down and sent them a message on Facebook. 2. A one month contract turned into two months. Weekly check-ins and picture updates turned into biweekly, and then none at all. I checked in after month one to see how my dog was doing. Shauna told me she was still "working on confidence." 3. Near the end of her stay, Shauna called to let me know my dog had gotten injured (foxtail) from roaming around their fenced dog area and was at a nearby vet. Fortunately, she paid for the vet fees. I got my dog back with a fresh haircut, a cone of shame, antibiotics, and a foot wound that took a while to heal. 4. My dog was pretty much the same when I got her back. She was still having accidents in the house. She was not able to stay in a crate. At. All. It's been a couple years since training and I yet to see see her more hungry than her first days back from Shauna. New things she learned were how to lay down, sit (we were already working on this though), and how to walk on a leash (without other dogs around). She was still reactive to the same degree. 5. No follow up for the 1:1 session. I knew immediately after getting my dog back that I did not want to continue training with Shauna. It seems like the feeling was mutual as she never reached out to me to do the 1:1 session promised in the boarding package. Considering what I paid ($2300), I expected more. Two stars for transporting my dog and how she handled the foxtail fiasco. My dog was only 9 months old and needed basic training with some minor behavior modification. I did my part as an owner to exercise and train her at home for months before sending her off. I was really optimistic about her training potential in Shauna's hands, especially at a young age for an intelligent breed (poodle mix). Lesson learned. Albeit, a very expensive one.

My 3 dogs are a handful- and they love Shauna. I never feel guilty leaving them with her because…read morethey are so happy in her care. She keeps a very clean indoor temperature controlled kennel room and the out area is always picked up with room to run and play. Shauna is very knowledgeable, regarding all things dog related, health issues, training, diet, aggression issues ect. I am grateful for her service. Sincerely Ellie

Michelle at The Pet Agency was such a blessing. She responded immediately when I reached out. Her…read morefear free implementation was so calming and she helped when I needed it most. After unsuccessful crate training attempts she helped my pup, myself, and my son work through a very difficult time. She helped with my son being included in the training and helped foster a positive bond that has only grown since our training session. Michelle was able to help with training ideas, practiced the skills with us and followed up as well. I am appreciative of her calming sensibility with effective strategies when I was overwhelmed and needed professional help. I'm grateful to Michelle and The Pet Agency and if I am in need of additional support I wouldn't hesitate to reach out or recommend for others in need.

Michelle is fun, energetic and extremely knowledgable. We couldn't believe how much progress we…read moremade in one session. So glad we found her!

I have never experienced such kindness and compassion. Our…read morefamily was in the middle of turmoil when we turned to Buster's for help. My grandmother had fallen very ill, very quickly and we needed to rehome her two sheep-doodles. Sadly (unbeknownst to us due to her illness) the pups were not being cared for properly... they were matted, dry skin, potty stuck to their fur... we needed same day help because these poor dogs couldn't live this way. The crew at Buster's DELIVERED!!!! By the time they were done my grandmothers dogs were unrecognizable in the best way. You can trust this company, they will do right by you! I cannot thank them enough... Bring your babies here!!! You won't regret it.

Great staff! Silver has been amazing to Rio (my lab), posts pictures and keeps me updated on how…read moremuch fun he is having if I'm out of town and I board him. When I had difficulty getting him to my ca after the surgery she helped walk Rio to the car and got him in. Few times that we were not able to come to daycare for few weeks, upon return Silver would get on her knees to greet and hug Rio (her velcro dog). It is telling to see him love her so much and her so excited to see her too. Similarly Abby has been fantastic at the front desk, greeting dog parents as they come in, remembering dogs names. When there are additional charges for grooming she calls before processing payment. Their love for pets is clearly shown as Rio gets so excited few miles before we arrive and even though he is not supposed to pull he is very eager to get to see his friends and the staff.

Blair was absolutely awesome with our dog Lexi. Lexi is an Aussie who is always on alert, and we…read morehad struggled to comfortably take her places outside the house. We were honestly a little apprehensive when we signed up for the virtual program, but Blair quickly put those concerns to rest. He was incredibly responsive through texts and video feedback, and he was always willing to hop on a call to talk through any questions or concerns we had. Within just a few days, we were already seeing a noticeable change in Lexi's behavior. By the time we completed the program, we were able to take Lexi to a winery with us, where she stayed in her "chill" place command the entire time. That would have felt impossible before working with Blair. We can't recommend Blair enough! His guidance, responsiveness, and practical approach made a huge difference for our family and for Lexi.

We rescued a wild and rambunctious husky/shepherd mix named Amber that was about a year old,…read moreaccording to the pet shelter. Although both of us have had dogs before, we didn't think things through, and the new dog quickly turned our life upside down. The biggest problem was that she was chasing our cats everywhere around the house and had terrible manners. We were worried that we would have to return her to the shelter if she couldn't cohabitate with our 4 cats. I scoured reviews on Google and Yelp and came across Primal Needs Behavioral Solutions. I reached out and Blair was willing to hop on a call right away. He patiently listened and answered several questions, then explained he offers two programs; a month board and train or virtual training with Zoom session checkpoints. Although it was an investment, we opted for the board and train for Amber. At the same time, we did the virtual training for our other dog Ginger, a golden retriever. While Blair worked one on one with Amber at his house, we went through the online modules in the virtual program. The program is very detailed, including videos and narratives for each section. Blair was readily available for any questions or concerns we had along the way. The program does use an e-collar and we were initially apprehensive, but once we understood this was simply a tool to get our dog's attention and tried it on ourselves, it was not an issue. Like most programs, you get out what you put in. We did the work, learned a ton from Blair, and made a friend for life, but most importantly, Amber came back behaving like a different dog and the training worked! She is still a sweetheart, but now listens and behaves well. Blair has taught us how to communicate, correct, and redirect our dogs when needed. The transfer training sets Blair and Primal Needs Behavioral Solutions apart from the rest. We couldn't have done it without Blair and highly recommend his training. Jenn & Astin