We signed up for a novice group dog training class through the city of long beach & Dog Services Unlimited was who the city went through.. We were extremely disappointed & dropped the class right away. Our small chihuahua was harshly yanked from the lead by the trainer Rose & note this was after she recommended putting a choke collar on him.. After talking with our vet we were advised to find a more positive training & that choke collars or pulling at a small dogs neck should never be done.. This training organization relies on negative reinforcement by recommending choke chains and by popping collars, and jerking leads.. There are other ways to train your dog.. other more positive & humane ways.. please consider another route.. we are One of our dogs is a rescue & installing more fear into him is the last thing we want to do.. We love our dogs and want to help them not hurt them.. this place needs to modernize there methods & get rid of old tactics that are proven harmful & not necessary We would never recommend this organization as an answer to anyone! read more

My review is based on the Canine Games agility class for beginners. We took the class in Long Beach. As long as you don't harbor any delusions that your pup is destined to be a medal-winning dog agility star, this class is great. I've heard others in the LB dog community complain that the class isn't serious enough or that they don't teach you how to make your dog fast and competitive. My response: READ THE CLASS DESCRIPTION (and I hope you never have children). The class is for beginners. No obedience training is required to participate. In our class we had freaky militant pet parents with submissively perfect dogs right alongside lazy pet parents whose dogs usually escaped three to four times an evening. The instructors coach from a distance and coach to the middle. As a result, those competitive pet parents might be a little disappointed. At the same time, the lazy pet parents still can't figure out why their dogs are running from them at the end of tunnel. In large social groups of people and animals, I've often found that it's best to not be too uptight. My husband and I enjoyed trotting out collie through the agility obstacles, even if she'll never break any land speed records or learn to read our minds. Those seeking more advanced handling techniques in agility should sign up for the advanced class (usually held an hour later). We're about to take the beginning class for a second time, and not because our dog wasn't awesome at it. As far as I'm concerned, watching the other people act stupid and freak out with their dogs was 65% of the draw. If everyone took the same fun, laid back approach that me and the instructors do...well, then agility class really wouldn't be that fun. read more

My dog just completed her first agility class for beginners. This review is for the Canine Novice Agility class. We took the class in Mission Viejo and our instructfor was April. We absolutely enjoyed this class and have had a lot of fun with it! April was extremely helpful and gave some good tips/advice as my dog and I started with a new obstacle each week. It helped build a better bond and communication between me and my dog and I'm thrilled to have had this experience. I wasn't sure how well my dog would do with the obstacles but I have to agree with Quinn M's review...this class is just a beginner course and should be fine for your pup if you need to mentally challenge/stimulate your active dog. You have to have some level of control with your dog though. I recommend an obedience class first if your relationship with your dog isn't quite developed... you would enjoy the experience a lot more this way. My dog is a shelter dog and has been fearful of new people and certain types of dogs. I've been working on socializing her a lot more and she's done a lot better with classes. I think she enjoyed the dog interaction going through this class and learning from watching the other dogs as well. Many of the dogs/handlers in my group were extremely patient with their dog and some were advanced (having taken the class a few times before). This is a great class. Fun for both you and your pet! I would recommend it to other dogs/handlers that want to work and build on their bond together and get some exercise too. The handlers get a workout keeping up with their active dogs, but also the older dogs get just as good of a workout too...with just a bit more patience. Needless to say in a matter of 6 hours (6 sessions, excluding introduction and graduation day), my dog was able to navigate an agility course with minor assistance and complete her class in first place! I was super happy and excited to see her growth and progress through the classes since day 1. My dog is almost 4 years old. This was an awesome experience! I look forward to doing more activities and classes like this with my dog. I've already started looking into the other classes offered through Dog Services. Extremely happy customer! read more

Dog Services Unlimited is the organization that many of the OC Cities use for their Recreation Services. Dog has taken at least five 5-week sessions of the "Drill and Obedience Workshop" with Teresa on Tuesday nights in Costa Mesa, across from the fairgrounds. Teresa is a wonderful teacher and spends a great deal of time on dog psychology. She is a firm believer in a "Calm, Submissive" dog. She does a great job explaining to us humans how dogs think, what causes reactions, and how to tell your dog to do something to get the result that you'd want. Drill and Obedience Workshop is not a class for people looking for dog training. It is meant to be "Study Hall" for you and your dog. It is putting aside time for you to spend with other like minded individuals working with your dog. We, along with many others, have taken Teresa's class over, and over, and over again as firm believers in "training the human." We've just started K9 Work and Play with Catherine in Huntington Beach. I am very happy with both Catherine and the class. Whereas Drill and Obedience Workshop is a study hall, K9 Work and Play is helping us learn new things. Dogs should be proficient in basic commands (sit, stay, down, heel). This class incorporates those skills and adds difficulty. Leave your dog, walk 10 feet away, and then ask them to lay down. Then ask them to stand. We also do fun stuff like teaching them to retrieve, jumping over barriers, and learning the "find it" command. Catherine does a great job explaining how you teach your dog the different steps, then also how you would go about reinforcing the command during the week. She emails us a list of things that we went over in class as well as things to work on during the week to prepare us for the next class. I'm very happy with the classes that I've taken through Dog Services Unlimited. I'll continue taking both classes and perhaps also try the Intermediate Dog Training through Mission Viejo as well. Try it. A tired, active, obedient dog is a dog that doesn't chew your shoes! read more

A good obedience instructor teaches the owner how to train their dog. Rose has done a great job giving me the tools I need to know when training my three dogs. We still need a brush-up every once in a while (that's when the "Crash Course" comes in handy) I need further work on teaching my dogs "STAY" and "COME", so I'm taking the youngest canine to obedience classes again this session. You get what you put into dog obedience training. It involves commitment. It involves homework. It involves consistency. Sometimes it involves using a strong, firm voice when you need to ("NO!") I need my dogs to "drop it" or "leave it" when I tell them to, or the consequences could be disastrous. I need to feel confident my dogs have a solid recall (when I say "come" they need to "come") or, again, the consequences could be deadly. If you want your dog to perform only when you have a treat, take your dog through a treat-based obedience course. If you think a choke chain or pinch collar is mean, ask your vet what type of training collar is most humane for a dog that pulls and which type of collar does the least damage to the trachea. If you are still wary of a pinch collar, try it on your own neck (I'm serious) and pull gently, and try to tell me it's cruel. If you want to learn how to train your dog, take classes from DSUnlimited. read more

I signed up two dogs for Crash Course Manners and I handled one dog and my granddaughter my other dog. The instructor approached training in a more military manner. As with training kids, not the same approach works with each dog. That didn't seem to be taken into consideration as the instructor was going to have your dog heel whether the dog was dragged yelping around in the training circle. But my biggest problem with the instructor seemed to be lack of integrity and safety when it came to all of the dogs in the group. At the first meeting, my dog was lunged at and attacked by another dog. The instructor stood there and when I finally was able to pull my dog away, the instructor did not inquire as to whether any blood was drawn, was my dog hurt, etc. Only statement was to the other dog owner...maybe you should consider private dog training. At the second meeting, we were instructed to heel our dogs and walk in a circle turning when told. I was trying to be aware of the dog that attacked my dog's location; but out of the blue the dog lunged and attacked my dog again. Again, the instructor stood there and said nothing. Later on the instructor showed the attack dog's owner how to walk into the leash when your dog is attacking another dog. I contacted two other dog training companies and asked general questions. One was their policy on dogs attacking during training. Both companies said the dog provoking the attack and the owner would be asked to leave IMMEDIATELY and not allowed back into the class. This situation was/is totally unacceptable. My granddaughter wouldn't move because she was afraid of the dog attacking the dog she was training. I was upset and I'm sure this was transferred to my dog. I'm not sure why the City parks don't have stricter guidelines for the contract companies to adhere to as this type of behavior not only opens the dog trainers and company to liability but the City as well. read more

(I moved the PS to the beginning so you know why I typed so much) PS: This review is lengthy, I know. But when I was looking for a dog trainer there was never enough information from people who actually used the services. So I decided to say everything I thought was important. Review of the organization and the group classes: This is a great organization. I've been with them since January of 2011, and now January of 2015 I continue to endorse them. I got my dog "Simon" for Christmas in 2010. He was a 9 month old Pitbull who was on death row at the OC shelter. I was planning to adopt a dog, so my sister and kids got him for me. He was a crazy 60+ lbs puppy. He would bark, pull while walking, and go crazy with other dogs. He obviously wasn't socialized and didn't have manners. He wasn't even potty trained. He was very loving and intelligent, but whoever abandoned him didn't work with him AT ALL. Being such a strong breed, I decided to enroll us in obedience classes ASAP. I found Dog Services Unlimited through the HB city magazine. We started in January of 2011, graduated first of his class in March. He got a little trophy and a certificate, and a review of his score. Later that year we signed up for the AKC Canine Good Citizen test (through Dog Services Unlimited as well) , we passed and got Simon's certificate. Having the AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate helped me in an occasion where someone wanted to get us in trouble with the homeowners association. We have taken Basic Obedience, Intermediate Obedience, K9 Work and Play (twice), Frisbee workshop (twice since I wanted to bring my sister's dog as well), and this past year (2014) Simon and my fiance took the Basic Obedience class again (my fiance never had a dog, so this class was more for him than the dog). We have taken classes in HB, Costa Mesa, and even in Yorba Linda, they have classes everywhere. I have to say, our lives would be different if Simon, my dog, didn't get trained. This goes beyond learning to sit, or stay. My dog learned to listen to me, he learned to trust me, to accept my lead, and to communicate with me. He looks right at my face looking for guidance in most situations. My dog is very strong willed, he has a strong personality, he is not a submissive dog at all. Having a powerful, active, 76 pounds dog who doesn't destroy anything living in a townhome without a backyard, who is happy, active, and loved, is PRICELESS! However, Dog Services Unlimited is the most affordable training (real, certified training) that you will find around. Now, if you are one of those owners who goes to the class, but doesn't work at home, it won't work for you. Dog Services Unlimited trainers teach YOU how to work with your dog. YOU have to do the job, so your success will be based on your effort, The tools and knowledge they provide are great, but YOU must do YOUR part. If there is no magic pill for parenting, what makes you think there is a magic pill for dog training? The trainers I've met have been very nice, knowledgeable, firm, always available to answer questions, give you feedback, or anything you need. They advice you from the proper training collar to the best toys and exercise items for your dog. Anything you need, they try to give you. They train your dog according to what your dog needs, since some dogs need less correction or prizes than others, they adjust it to your dog. Patty, the owner is the sweetest, nicest person. Simon and I love her. She is very professional, she calls you back, looks for convenient classes and locations for you (even if everything is on their website), and keeps you updated on new things that could be interesting for you and your dog. She truly cares for the dogs and their owners. I've seen that through the years. I feel very lucky to have found them. At first I looked at other places and trainers, and I never went away from Dog Services Unlimited. Nobody offered me the quality (and even the price!) that Dog Services Unlimited does. I try to take (at least) one class a year, either for fun or as a refresher, or both. I always recommend them to my friends, and I strongly recommend them to whoever is reading this. A well behaved dog and a human who knows how to interact with him/her is a gift that keeps on giving. My soul is grateful for all the wonderful times I spend with my Simon. And I know training was the key point that made it happen. read more

My elderly dog, Jose Marti, and I just finished a Novice Obedience class held in Long Beach, beginning on my birthday, June 16, 2015, taught by Rose Healey , from Dog Services Unlimited. Earlier this year I had taken Marti to another obedience class held deep in Orange County. Despite spending many hours of training in class and out, Marti did nothing well, and never looked at me when we were working. The instructor assured me that he really was looking at me. Perhaps he was looking at my feet, but I didn't get the feeling he exactly cared what I wanted. In an attempt to give Marti more structure and fun in his life I enrolled in a class given in Long Beach. By the 2nd class with Rose, Marti's little eyes were surgically attached to my face. He still needed work to do the behaviors Rose required, but he was looking at me: he cared what I did and said. When I had difficulty getting Marti to understand 'return' Rose showed me how to achieve the result I wanted. It worked. By the end of the class, Marti even did some things, like come, stay, and return off leash. Rose also brought her own dogs to class. Gilda, her Australian Shepard, was an awesomely well behaved dog, who greeted everyone as they arrived for the class...well the ones who wanted to be greeted. Marti seems to have a little more joy in his life thanks to this class and Rose. read more

I just finished a 7 week program through the city of Fullerton. I have a 3 year old Australian Shepherd my little buddy is let's say different he's anxious and has dog ADD he is not hard to handle but he was not learning from me so I decided to get professional help. We enjoyed the classes so much our instructor was Rose and she was very nice to us she has aussies and understands that they can be quirky. He walks in the leash no pulling, sits and stays when told, lays down and stays when told, comes when told. Basic commands but they are need to know commands the class was $107.00 I'm a full time college student and I thought that was a fair price for what we learned. Very happy with my overall experience. read more

I'd been meaning to write this review for a while after my poor experiences with this organization. I was desperately searching for some help with my then-one-year-old pup Lola, who was showing some signs of aggression with strangers. I signed up for a 3-session package of private training and Rose came to my home. After two sessions, I was very disappointed with her methods, not to mention total lack of results. She seemed to operate using only fear-based methods, like jerking on my little girl's collar and generally being harsh. after the session would end, my dog would whine and come over to me for affection. I tried asking for a different trainer for my third session, but the person on the phone insisted that Rose was the right person. I wish I had saved my money since I didn't even bother using my third session. I'll continue to look for an affordable trainer for my girl, but don't waste your money on this company. read more

Signed up for a beginning Agility class in Mission Viejo. Class was cancelled due to fewer enrolled students than teacher wanted in order to make her money. This demonstrates low commitment and very poor customer service by this organization's sponsored events. (It would've been nice to know ahead of time that there was a minimum.... that way, I wouldn't waited rather than blocking our the class time for the next 8 weeks) read more

Awful training services. They sent someone to our house and all we wanted to work on was basic obedience. She makes my dog deathly afraid of her. So the trainer spends 45 minutes trying to get her comfortable which never happened. This was August 2013. Now our dog is afraid of any woman who walks in our home. She runs and hides. I emailed the company and never got a response. read more