I cannot recommend Kathy at Cause and Effect Dog Training enough! When we first reached out, our…read moreSpringer Spaniel, Checkers, was fearful, anxious, and often growled at my spouse and sometimes even at our kids. We had already tried multiple trainers, different techniques, and even followed our vet's suggestion to try antidepressants--but nothing was helping (in fact, the medication only made things worse). The moment I spoke to Kathy on the phone, I felt confident she truly understood the problem and could guide us in the right direction. And she absolutely has. Over the past year, Checkers has made tremendous progress thanks to Kathy's knowledge, patience, and the clear guidance she gave us. We followed her suggestions carefully--even switching vets based on her recommendation--and the results have been life-changing. Earlier this year, we had to travel out of the country and trusted Kathy to board Checkers. During that time, he developed a beautiful bond with her partner Dan. This was nothing short of amazing, as Checkers has always been fearful of men. Watching their relationship grow has been such a gift. With Kathy's help (and the influence of her own two balanced dogs), Checkers has learned how to be a dog--something I once thought might never happen. He now participates in pack walks and can even run off-leash in the fields, something I couldn't have imagined a year ago. If you're struggling with your dog's behavior and feel like nothing is working, do yourself and your dog a favor and call Kathy. She and Dan have changed our lives, and I am endlessly grateful for the care and dedication they've shown to Checkers and to us.

Kathy had great techniques and homework for me and my husband. She was punctual in every session…read moreand gave us constructive feedback. I really think having the training sessions with Kathy helped us bond with our dog more. It was a really rewarding experience. I absolutely feel more confident about my communication skills towards our girl Cub. Thank you for helping us work with her Kathy!!

I came to the Berkeley Humane Society after being told they were providing a free health clinic on…read moreSaturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7. This included free spay and neuter services with advanced sign-up. The staff and volunteers were absolutely amazing--so kind, organized, and genuinely helpful throughout the entire experience. One of the sponsors was Tony LaRussa and LaRussa Rescue, along with other rescue organizations. Tony and his wife were there during our visit, taking time to chat with people and personally thanking everyone for coming, which was incredibly touching. I've been wanting to visit this shelter for a long time, and I'm so glad I finally had the opportunity. The dedication and compassion of everyone here truly shows. An amazing place filled with amazing people.

Phenomenal Shelter!!!…read more My partner and I started off fostering dogs and ultimately foster failed. We worked closely with Ian who was phenomenal, supportive and so responsive. They gave us all the supplies (food, toys, advice, leashes, etc.) we needed to give our foster pooches what they needed. We fostered a sweet girl for nearly 4 months until she found her forever home, which was difficult for us but so rewarding to be a part of her journey to a home and family who could give her everything she needed. We fostered a bit more and ultimately foster-failed and have had our boy Rickey (formerly Kona) for nearly a year! Rickey has been the most perfect pooch we could've asked for. I am so appreciative of Berkeley Humane, Ian, and the whole team. Cannot recommend this shelter enough! Foster and/or adopt from Berkeley!!

Their 'training' is entirely anchored on fear-inducing techniques. We were given a contraption that…read moregenerates a harsh noise, and my dog was visibly terrified every time the trainer used it on her. All this while they constantly reassured us all their techniques are based on positive reinforcement - what kind of positive reinforcement is centered around fear?! It gnaws at us that we ever decided to go with this service. My dog - and every dog - deserves better.

We are so incredibly grateful for Gusty and the help she gave our family. We have two miniature…read moreAustralian Shepherds, one of whom is just over a year old and had recently developed reactive aggression. Over the last few weeks, things escalated to the point where she began attacking our other dog whenever someone came to the door or a package was delivered. During one of these incidents, my husband was accidentally bitten while trying to break up a fight. That's when we realized we needed professional help -- fast. It had gotten so serious that we had even begun discussing the heartbreaking possibility of rehoming her, simply for the safety of everyone involved. That fear, and the emotional pain that came with it, weighed heavily on our hearts. But after just one session with Gusty, that painful thought is now firmly in the past. Enter Gusty. In just one session, our lives changed. The nuisance barking stopped entirely. Our dog no longer jumps up on us when we walk through the door, even when she's excited. Her nipping and playfully aggressive behavior has been replaced by belly-up submissiveness and endless kisses. She's calmer, more docile, and truly feels like a different dog. What impressed me most was that all of this happened while my four-year-old son was in the background, constantly needing my attention. Gusty was incredibly patient, understanding, and focused throughout. She clearly cares deeply about what she does and wants nothing more than to help dogs and their human family. During our next sessions, we'll work on leash training and eventually help our dog learn that she doesn't need to be so protective of our son. Based on what we've already seen, I have no doubt that training will go just as smoothly. I can't recommend Gusty enough. She's a life-changer -- compassionate, professional, and absolutely amazing at what she does.

Jayne is amazing! I actually called Jayne bc I was worried abt my young pom bc he jumped on another…read moredog on one of our walks. I was so worried and embarrassed! I called my vet as soon as i got home! My vet suggested I call this particular behavioral trainer she knew and so I did. (It wasn't Jayne). This behavioral trainer told me I should return my dog to breeder. I should never fall asleep with this breed on my bed (Pomeranians) as they could bite my face off. She continued to tell me all these horrible stories abt poms. I was so confused and upset when I hung up. My husband insisted I get another opinion. I found Jayne's info online the next day and called her. She came over same day because she knew how upset I was and she wanted to meet my fur baby. Needless to say, she is amazing! I am so happy I made that call! My pom is now 5 yo and he is fabulous! Sweet, entertaining, and so well-behaved because of Jayne's training!

We found Jayne through Yelp, and from the moment she arrived for our consultation, She was…read moregenuinely excited to meet us and our dog, making the experience comfortable and enjoyable. Jayne was highly professional, easy to talk to, and went above and beyond by offering additional helpful information for our dog, which we truly appreciated. We highly recommend her program to anyone looking for quality care and expertise. Thank you, Jayne, for your amazing customer service!

I would give 500 stars instead of 5 stars if I could. My young, rambunctious Great Dane Otis and I…read moreLOVED the BravoPup class run by Anna Carlson. We took her Dog 1 and Dog 2 classes in Rockridge. Anna's methods are totally fun, totally force free - and they totally work! We had been having trouble with Otis's recall and after only our first 2 classes Otis had a super solid recall - seriously, wild horses couldn't keep him away when he hears his recall word. Anna later helped me with private sessions acclimating my older dog to a new rescue dog. It was miraculous how quickly and effectively Anna was able to diffuse the situation and get my older dog to be calm and relaxed in the presence of the new dog. Anna really knows what she's doing and it's obvious she has a special talent for reading dogs and figuring out stress free ways to guide them into the behavior we want. Updates to follow - I'm so impressed with Anna, we'll do more private sessions to help me continue to improve the behavior and happiness of my 3 Danes. PS: Check out this photo showing how happy Otis is with his off leash time now that he can be trusted to come back.

Out of all the dog trainers I have gone to with all my dogs, Bravopup is the best place! The owner,…read moreSandi is super informative and she can really tell you more about your dog and what struggles she sees while you're at the training. My dog Kaya has gone through many classes at Bravopup and has even completed her canine good citizenship class there! Sandi really ensures success with you and your pup. I would highly recommend trying this dog training out and see for yourself why everyone here on yelp gives this place 5 stars!

Yep, Jonathan knows his stuff. Highly recommend. Truth be told, my puppy (7 month Labrador) isn't…read moretoo difficult, but Jonathan got through to her quickly and made me feel like the pup wasn't such a menace.

We had adopted our Kody boy 8 months ago from a shelter. It was a very hard five months trying to…read moreget him settled with a routine. We all had different ways of how to train him and it was causing a rift in the family. I was turned down by some trainers until I came across Jonathan Wong's page. He was local, he was fast to get back to me and he was willing to give us a chance after everything I told him. Kody still has a long way to go and I will continue with Jonathan as his trainer, but it is night and day after three months of training with Jonathan. He was dog and people aggressive, to the point we had to avoid them entirely. We can now go for walks, albeit we move opposite of any dog and can keep walking without any barking or pulling. He was always actively pulling on the leash and bad at recall. He is loose leashed now and responds with recall with our daughter. In the end I had to get use to the idea that Kody was a crate or muzzle dog when it came to large crowds or people in our home. I felt awful but Jonathan was so supportive and positive as I came to terms with it. I hope as we continue to train with Jonathan and Kody builds his confidence that soon things might change for him. Jonathan has such a kind soul and so encouraging when it comes to both us and Kody. I cannot thank Jonathan enough for what he has done for us. He left solid foundations for us to grow on. Kody is such a sweet and smart boy, and we always want the best for him. Jonathan truly is the best.

Pat is fantastic! I…read moreenrolled Harley, my very reactive doxie puppy, in one-on-one sessions followed by a 2-week board and train program and it was the best decision I've ever made. Pat uses these awesome analogies to help you understand the way dogs think and react. You can tell he is extremely knowledgeable and breaks down the training process in a way where it's straightforward for both you and your pup. I can see how it may be awkward to meet a total stranger who is then teaching you how to train your "child", but it never felt that way with Pat. He is super down to earth, hilarious and extremeley personable. I continue to use his dog sitting services until this day and I can tell my Harley girl adores him!

Great improvement with Patrick's help!!…read more I have a 3 year old very reactive Maltese dog named Charlie & we did 3 sessions with Patrick and he is very knowledgeable in the dog world. Seen a great improvement after the 1st session as Patrick gives us homework's to help practice with our dog. Patrick makes training enjoyable & comfortable for both the pet and the owners. Would highly recommend training your pups with Patrick! Thank you!

Best experience for veterinary services in Berkeley. Calm,…read morecompetent and organized from the moment you enter. You can feel confident with the care, your pet will receive.

Kind staff, but a frustrating and disorganized urgent care experience…read more Our visit took about 1.5 hours. Even though we completed intake over the phone, we were asked to fill out the same information again on paper, and we weren't seen until ~15 minutes after our scheduled time. We also spent a long time waiting due to a lepto test. We were initially told results could take up to 30 minutes and that the assistant would check with Dr. Holliday to see if we could leave and come back. About 20 minutes later, we were told we only needed to wait 10-15 minutes total--by then, we had already waited most of that time unnecessarily. Follow-up was the most frustrating part. The front desk was responsive through the online portal, but not helpful--they repeatedly said they would "leave a note for the doctor" or were "waiting for the doctor to finalize their notes." We later found out test results were available on Tuesday but weren't released to us until Thursday. For an urgent care visit, this delay felt unacceptable. We requested SOAP notes and lab results on Monday for insurance purposes and had to follow up multiple times to get documentation that should have been readily available. The medical care itself seemed thorough, but the administrative side was lacking. Given the cost (urgent care exam alone was $147), I expected a more efficient and timely process. Overall: kind staff, but poor follow-through and delayed communication. For urgent care, I expected a much greater sense of urgency.

We cannot recommend Mutt and Tumble Dog Training enough. Bryan helped transform our two doodles…read morefrom reactive, poorly behaved dogs into calm, obedient companions who are now a pleasure to walk and have around others. Before training, we struggled with leash pulling, barking, lunging at other dogs, and nonstop chaos whenever someone came through the door. We were honestly at our wits' end. Everything changed after I saw Bryan in Jackson Square walking a calm, perfectly behaved pack of dogs. We started weekly family lessons in January 2026 with our dogs and our two 12-year-old daughters, and progress began almost immediately. Bryan quickly helped us realize the humans needed training too. With consistent coaching, support, and a board-and-train program, the transformation has been incredible. Our dogs are now well-behaved both at home and in public. We can comfortably walk them, take them to parks and outdoor restaurants, and genuinely enjoy being with them. Friends and family who knew our dogs before cannot believe the difference in their behavior. Thank you, Bryan. You really can teach old dogs new tricks.

Our dog, Maggie (2yrs - Cockapoo), is coming home tomorrow after a 2 week board and train and I…read morecouldn't wait until then to write a review for Bryan. Bit of background: Maggie has done 12 weekly group training sessions with another trainer and is generally well-behaved. However, she doesn't read the social signals from other dogs well (ex: when they want to be left alone), tends to jump on everyone at all times, doesn't respond to commands unless there's a treat involved, and lacks confidence. What I enjoyed about the program is that it includes several in person training sessions during the B&T. We got to see Maggie's progress as time went on and most importantly, we were trained on their behavior psychology and how to become the leaders of our pack. I will say I was nervous about implenting the ecollar but Bryan has demonstrated that it is a safe and effective training tool-- I got to see it used as a tool for correction that Maggie actually responded well to. Maggie is coming home tomorrow and hand-off includes an in-home training sessions to ensure her progress doesn't regress which I appreciate. From what I've seen, Maggie has become more confident, responds to recalls in distracting places (no treats involved), learned to self-soothe, and plays/greets other dogs/people with manners. Truly the best investment I've made in my dog and I'd highly recommend Mutt and Tumble to all dog parents!

I have brought my dog to Happy Hound for over twelve years, after we tried another doggie day care…read more The staff at Happy Hound knows and cares about all the dogs, they have a thoughtful system for placing every dog in the appropriate group based on the dogs' energy level and temperament (mine is cranky with other dogs and wary of people), and the staff (all great) really understand how to accommodate different dogs -- no matter the size, breed or personality. For years my dog was there five days a week as I commuted into the City, and I always knew she was safe and happy there. Really the best facility for boarding dogs. M.A.B.

We have been a part of the Happy Hound community for over 12 years. This is the most amazing…read moreplace. The management is exemplary and the staff takes care of your dog like you are family. The facilities are state of the art in cleanliness, training and day care. You will not be disappointed and the training programs are customized to you and your dog. We cannot say enough wonderful things about this place and I hope you try them out. They are worth every penny for the love and welfare of your dog.