A wonderful socializing experience for our puppy. I only wish there had been a couple of more puppies closer to our dog's age (3 months)

Literally the best dog trainer I have ever seen. Susi is so sweet and INSANELY helpful. I have never had a pet in my life, let alone a timid puppy. Luka (puppy) has done SO much better ever since I have started training with Susi and implemented consistently at home. THANK YOU, SUSI!!! YOU ARE THE BEST!! read more

Dog Soul - Cutie Luka being close to me now that he has been trained and we created a bond thanks to Susi's advice!! - Pet Training Near Me - Pleasanton, California

I highly recommend Dog Soul! We've noticed a big change in our puppy's social skills. She started off timid but now loves to socialize, thanks to the great tips from Susi. Not only does our puppy love the classes, but my husband and I enjoy them as well. We are so happy to have found Susi--she is an excellent trainer, and we love her training style! This class has been a great support, helping us with any questions we had, and the sessions are always fun to attend. We've even signed up for another four weeks. It's been a fantastic experience! read more

Very good dog training class, designed more for young dogs or puppies, but also appropriate for more grownup dogs. We brought our recently adopted adult dog to Dog Soul after signing up for a set of 6 classes, and by our fourth class (which was earlier today), many of her "issues" have been resolved. The owner and trainer of Dog Soul - Suzi - is clearly a dog lover, and made me realize that dog training is as much about the human as it is about the canine. She taught us about the dogs point of view - like how to not let our anxieties stress out the dog, how to be loving and patient with her when we go for walks (it's her walk, not ours!) and how to be consistent and prompt in our commands and feedback. Two more classes and we will graduate. And I deliberately mean "we" - as in both the humans in our family, and our dog! read more

Dog Soul - Our dog was anxious the first couple of classes, but by class 4, she was chilling out! - Pet Training Near Me - Pleasanton, California

Susi is a rockstar! She transformed our fearful, terrified Havanese puppy into a charismatic bubbly and friendly dog with good manners. The Dog Soul class setting worked wonders for our puppy, she was able to socialize with other dogs AND still received personalized mentorship that was integral in her development and training. We do not know what we'd do without Susi, this was the best decision we made as dog parents. Thank you so much, Susi, for your persistent hard work and loving nature. read more

Dog Soul - Left (puppy) and Right (teenager) same pillow in both! - Pet Training Near Me - Pleasanton, California

Susi is awesome! She is so helpful with everyone's concerns in class. It's well thought out with social distancing and giving each person their time to work on a specific skill. I really appreciate that she gives you 'homework' to complete as you will be the one living and training your dog long term. Just like anything dog training is a skill that takes practice, Susi gives you so many tricks and tools to help you and your pup along the way. read more

We recently started having puppy classes for our golden doodle. We liked Susi's classes so much that we also enrolled for a private class. She is not only a great dog trainer but also a life mentor. She teaches you how to live with your dog not for your dog. Highly recommended. read more

Excellent! Brought my corgi puppy here for puppy training and she did an amazing job . I plan To bring him back for an additional class as well . read more

Susi is amazing! She truly loves animals and you can see it with her enthusiasm and passion when she trains! We have three large Great Danes and she has helped me train each one of them! Not only has she helped with the individual dog training, but integrating a puppy into your house with other dogs, and how to have a calm home life with dogs in your home. I do not know what I would have done without her help and expertise. She is so prompt with email or text for those individuals she works with so she can cut out a new bad behavior right away. The other thing I love is her training that she teaches you helps you create a really special bond with your animal. She uses 100% positive reinforcement instead of other methods where you use fear and not appropriate tools! I cannot recommend her or her facility enough!!!!! read more

Dog Soul - The New Baby! Thank you Susi! - Pet Training Near Me - Pleasanton, California

Just finished our first round of Puppy Manners class with Susi and can't wait to sign up for another! Great location that is super clean and safe for pups and humans. Susi is so passionate about teaching how to get the best behavior out of your dogs. Her techniques are positive reinforcement, easy to incorporate into every day life and totally work! Susi goes out of her way to help not only in class but one on one. If your dog is having behavior issues or you just want to get your pup off on the right foot, Susi is the trainer to talk to. I highly recommend Dog Soul to anyone and everyone with a pup!!! read more

I have been looking to adopt a second fur baby for a while now, and finally found a dog that seemed like it would be a good match for my 8 year old yellow Lab. I knew I wanted help to make sure these two got off on the best foot possible. Looking online, I saw many trainers with packages but I was looking for help with this specific situation and didn't feel any package was specific to what I needed. I reached out to 5+ Bay Area dog trainers explaining what I needed, and half an hour later Susie reached back out to me. Today over a week later, I haven't heard back from any other trainer, and it makes me appreciate Susi even more for evaluating my situation and wanting to help, in contrast to the other trainers who never responded, likely because it didn't fit their standard packages and wasn't worth their trouble. The first time we talked on the phone, I knew this was the right person to help me and my fur babies. It was really apparent that she really cared about the happiness of my dogs as well as the demand it would put on me and my partner to provide a positive experience for them. The first time we talked, we didn't talk about prices or plans at all-- She gave me a lot of heartfelt advice and her honest perception, and asked me to let her know when I made a decision. It was obvious to me that Susie's priority was not selling me a package or signing me up for sessions, but making sure the best interests of the dogs and myself were met. After I made up my mind and contacted her, Susi had so much genuine positivity and passion for making this work for my family. She customized a plan for me, typed it all up and sent it to me in an email, and charged a super reasonable fee for our phone session. She made it really clear that I could text or email her updates any time without additional costs and it really gave me peace of mind knowing I had a professional in my back pocket. I love Susi's approach with positive training and her ability to explain situations to you that make you really "get it" from your fur baby's point of view. She has checked in with me frequently and always made herself available to connect when I needed it. I feel like I have my dog's psychic on speed dial to tell me how they're feeling and what they need from me! If you have a situation you're unsure about, I guarantee you'll feel much better with Susi in your corner :) read more

Incredible service, expertise, and passion! My wife and I recently convinced ourselves that a new puppy was what would fill the void in our lives left by our 14yr old daughter who recently forgot we exist (except to hail us for a ride, like some kind of Kid Uber). We figured that because we had successfully raised a rescue dog, that we somehow possessed the skills to effectively train a 10 week old puppy. After all, how much work would it really be to train something as cute and lovable as a Cockapoo pup? Holy shit we were wrong! Within two days of bringing home this 5lb Tasmanian devil hidden inside an adorable cockapoo body, we knew we were in over our heads. But with age comes wisdom (and exhaustion), so we knew not to continue to kid ourselves that we were somehow secret Dog Whisperers, and I immediately came to Yelp...for help. After reviewing the list of options, I called two trainers. Susi, thank God, called me back first and that was the beginning of The Day We Got Our Lives Back. On the first call Susi must have sensed my panic and fear, because she spent 30 minutes on the phone just giving me tip after tip after tip on how to deal with Bear (our pup's name). She was sooooo incredibly gracious with her time and knowledge, that I immediately felt bad, like i might be taking advantage of this woman. Before our call concluded, we made an appointment for an in-home consultation later that week. During our in-home visit, Susi continued to display the same expertise, authority, and incredible bed side manner that I experienced on our initial call. She evaluated our home, told us everything would be ok, let me cry on her shoulders (not my finest moment), and left us feeling empowered and ready to take on this little beast with compassion and care. If you've noticed, I don't leave reviews just to leave reviews. I take time for the ones that matter and Susi matters. Do yourself a favor and stop your Yelp search right now, pick up the phone and call her. You won't regret it. read more

Given the COVID circumstances, it's been difficult to find our puppy the training he needs to be a well-rounded dog but we got lucky and found Suzie. She's super knowledgeable about dogs and understands how to look through a dog's perspective and set your dog up for success. Thankful for all the tips she gave us! read more

What an incredible experience! Our 4 month old Standard Poodle's transformation in just 6 weeks is amazing to see. He learned the commands "leave it", "wait", "let's go" and many others. The class is heavy on positive reinforcement, which is a plus. Gone are the days of training with an iron fist. Instead, training by reward and love and attention is emphasized. Which I believe works better and our puppy learned fast! The puppy socialization is also such a great experience for our puppy as he learned to play, run around and be himself--a playful lovable pup. The way our puppy is now is proof that Susi's methods are effective. read more

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The training she recommended did not work for my puppy. I needed control of my puppy and the discipline she recommended did not work. It was the biting and barking and fear of other dogs that was happening constant. I now can walk her without any barking. She loves the dog park which helped a lot with her social behavior with people and other dogs. She is doing awesome now. I'm glad I realized it early and stopped the classes before it was too late. read more

The last two months I've been taking my dog to different puppy socials (not at Dog Soul) and the trainers there told me that he seemed to have issues with resource guarding, and it wouldn't hurt to reach out to a behaviorist for help. I found Susi and Dog Soul through Yelp and decided to reach out based on all the amazing reviews. I must say I had the exact same experience as the other 5-star reviewers. Susi called me and spoke to me about my dog - she gave me so much advice and made me feel better about why he may be acting the way he is. She gave me a new perspective on his behavior, and toward the end of our chat she even told me that she thinks a private session wouldn't be necessary. It was so different from the other places I reached out to - they all got back to me with packages, plans, and prices. Susi was the only one who seemed to personally care for my dog's wellbeing - and she doesn't even know me! After my call I definitely felt like I trust her and I know without a doubt that if my dog were to ever need any behavioral training in the future, I would go to Susi right away. Thank you Susi for being such an amazing and kindhearted person :) read more

Susi is fabulous!!!! Shes been an amazing help and support to us new dog moms and we are proud to say she completed her puppy manner course with flying colors! We see her 2x a week and love the Thursday play class as well as the Sunday classes where we can socialize our dog and socialize with other dog moms / dads in a safe and informative setting. Highly recommended and we will definitely be in touch with susi forever !!! Were grateful for all her support and help and advice when we needed it most! :)! read more

Susie is Sensational!!! I will be bringing all future dogs here! I love seeing how she interacts, understands and teaches dogs, you can definitely tell she was meant to work with dogs. The other important part is working with owners, Susie is very patient and kind. You can tell she takes pride in her passion, helping with any issue that may arise. I love the environment...definitely highly recommend! read more

Conan became the dog everyone wanted to be around after he got his training from Susie! The way she handles our four legged babies is unique and truly a gift! I never understood the impact of positive training until I took my baby to this group! One four legged baby down and now, I've rescued a pit bull who's aggressive and been neglected. No dog gets turned away, he's finally getting the chance at the led every dog deserves. With continued guidance from Dog Soul I know that Rolo will be rehabilitated and able to get a great home with a loving family! I'm so excited to see where my second time around takes me with this particular baby! Susie is the best and gave me tools that I will take with me for a lifetime! Thank you for giving my two dogs a second chance at life, since they got a "ruff" start! read more

We loved Susie's dog training classes! We took our 11 week old puppy to the beginning puppy classes. It's a 6 week class where you don't have to go consecutively which was great if you have some things that come up on the weekends. We loved her sense of humor and all of her pointers. She's easy to reach on a daily basis ( text, email, phone call). Puppies can be overwhelming but she really gave us a peace of mind with all of her helpful pointers. Would highly recommend her! read more

I did a lot of research on puppy classes around my area before I committed to any. I'm very glad I chose Susi and Dog Soul. Location: Susi has two locations. One is the Dog Soul facility in Pleasanton and then Pet food Express San Leandro. I'm 10 min away from Pet food Express, so convenient much? Since the class in the store, it's easy to just grab a bag of treat mid-class if I run out. Time: Pet food express location Puppy Manners Sunday's 10am Puppy Socials Thursdays 7pm Worked very well with my schedule! Some of them are also drop in too, just in case you wanted to try one class before committing to a whole round. Very flexible just in case I couldn't make a week. Price: Very reasonable! Susi also offers a deal for the PFE location like the everyday PFE Deal, Buy 3, get the 4th free. Now onto the class, Susi/Awesome trainer: She focuses/puts emphasis on positive reinforcement training with high value treats. Susi takes the time to get to know each pup in the class so that the class or socialization is individualized based on their strengths/weaknesses. She also has a way with the puppies and doges, almost like a dog whisperer. You can easily get in contact with her with any behavioral questions or concerns. She is there for you and your pup in and outside of class. Great to have support like her in your life. Pet Parents: Every pup parent is given a packet with tons of information. You learn to be a better parent here, I know I did. Susi helps you build a loving/friendly relationship with your pup. She helped me be more observant, more patient, and help adjust my expectations as he was starting to go through adolescence. You also get your various breed puppy fix from coming to class. Puppies: Every pup loves Susi. My Corny absolutely loves her. He has made it known when he wants Susi's undivided love and attention. When I first brought my pup to class, he was the typical high energy hyper pup. Now, he's still high energy, but does very well taking direction. He's improved a lot, but I've also seen huge improvements in a lot of the pups that come to class. Corny has gone through several rounds of classes so we've been around awhile. Shy timid pups build so much confidence here. Energetic/overly friendly pups (like mine) start to learn boundaries. Your pup may even find their best friend(s) here. Corny has made some really good buddies from class. He also got himself a "girlfriend" and they have a lot of dates. Final thoughts: It has been a great investment bringing the little dude here. I highly recommend Susi and Dog Soul. Go check out her website and see if it is right for you. Although I can't compare her classes to other training classes, I know she was the best choice for me and Corny. She also has an Instagram @susisdogsoul . Corny has made a few appearances over the last few months lol read more

Always a good sign when another dog trainer referred me to Susi! With a new baby in the house, I was desperately looking for some help to curb my dogs barking. Those of you with babies know what I'm talking about! Susi took the time to evaluate and understand our situation and provided invaluable guidance to how we can best managed her barking vs making our 5YO dog going through an extensive training that she could have made a pretty penny on..... I called another dog trainer that quoted me $100 to come out to evaluate her and $795 for 6 weeks of training. More importantly, based on her approach and the suggestion she made, I can tell she has a wealth of experience to draw on as well as a great approach to dog training. Thank you Susi! read more

I should have came here first than go Sirus! I told Susi about my jack Russell puppy's experience with them and she gave me so many great advice. She placed Leo in a separate gate, this will allows him to feel protected from other puppies who wants to jump over him (which he really hates). We did the drop off social ($10!) and let Leo take his time to adjust himself to the environment. When he's ready to play, we can slowly open the gate. Definitely like this idea. She provided us feedbacks on what we should and shouldn't do. It was great! First visit was amazing. Definitely recommend and will go again! read more

My husband and I have been doing drop-ins with our pup to see Susi in the Pet Food Express in San Leandro. Susi was been really great working with Korra and with us. She has been good with balancing lecturing us with active training during her sessions, and she gave us some great handouts for homework. I love that her sessions are drop-in because it's hard with our schedules to be able to commit for a long-term basis. We will continue doing drop-in training with Susi through the tough adolescent pup period we're expecting just around the corner... :) read more

If you have a puppy, this class is a must. Susi covers all important areas to put your puppy on a path for success. She keeps the class light and funny while covering all important topics. She's also one of the very few trainers that has a puppy class just requiring 2 vaccines to start the class. This means you can have a safe environment for your young puppy so he/she can get an early start at socializing and training. To me, this was very important. She also has a puppy play session which adds to the puppy's growth and confidence. She also makes the class flexible so if you miss a week, you can come at another time. Other trainers are typically a use it or lose it scenario. read more

Normally I do not write a review until I complete the full experience. But there is so much to say that I am afraid I may forget. First of all, it's only been a week. So I've been to the Sunday obedience class and the Thursday socialization class for my 4 month old pup. Susi has a larger location in Pleasanton as I see in the photos, but I attend her class in San Leandro which is located inside Pet Express. She has a little area at the back within the store itself. Its quite small but it works out! Besides, it's a great time to do your dog groceries while you're there so personally I dont mind. Its convenient. The first thing you need to know is that you should not expect for Susi to train your dog, Susi will train you how to train your dog. Also, remember, this is only a 1 hour group session, not a private session, you as a group will have to learn together. Do not expect to get all of Susi's time. With that said, $20 a week (or the discounted $60 a month) is well worth it! I am a first time pet owner, and I need all the knowledge I can get, so any knowledge Susi shares (not just towards me and my pup, but also to others) is very beneficial for me. If you are beyond the intermediate stage, and have a good sense of knowledge already, and would prefer to have more personal time for yourself and your dog, then you may want to inquire about a private session. Although Susi does have group intermediate classes, I am afraid an hour may not be enough for you. I recommend Susi's beginner class for the following reasons: 1) If you are under a strict budget (though I believe she is just as great as the other expensive instructors) 2) If you are a new pet owner like myself and need to know the very basics, 3) If you want your dog to gain friends and socialization skills. Now again, I havent attended Susi's intermediate classes but I can vouch for her, shes very knowledgable, patient, and kind; so I have no doubts that the class would also be a great investment. Best bang for the buck I've spent all year. read more

Susi is fantastic! She proved to us the benefits of relationship training even for our German Shepherd Pup! We thought we would need to attend expensive courses at specialized training facilities to handle the challenging breed, but Susi has shown us a different, more effective and affordable way to have the perfect dog! Our pup is only 6 months old but we plan to continue with Susi and follow her methodology to ensure we have a great relationship with a happy pup. read more

Found Susi & Dog Soul through Yelp! We just finished a 6 week puppy manners class & socialization for my lab. Susi is the best! She is so knowledgeable and explains things in a way that I had never heard before and shed light on tips that just come to life and make sense. It's nice to have different breeds of dogs and age groups that we would not ordinarily get to meet. She really focuses on teaching you how to read & listen to your dogs body language. All of the dogs love her and I appreciate that she responds quickly to any questions via cell or email. My puppy Bo and I had a great time and will be back for other classes! read more

Susi has been amazing. I started taking my bulldog to her Thursday and Sunday classes at Pet Food Express in San Leandro when he was a puppy, and it has been an awesome experience both for my dog and I. In the first class, he was very nervous/shy, so Susi separated the class by putting us in our own secluded area, and he was able to watch the other puppies. Once he became more comfortable, she let him come into the class and he loved it! Her classes provide great social opportunities for the pups, and she has taught me a great deal on training, reading body language, and much more. Her knowledge has definitely helped me become a better doggy owner, and she's always willing to help even if it's not a doggy class day. After having such a great experience, I'll be brining in my pit bull rescue (about 3 1/2 years old) to get some training since I'm confident that Susi will be able to help build her confidence as a dog (and mine as an owner). I'd highly recommend Susi! She'll help you learn, has experience with multiple dog breeds and personalities, and is very passionate! read more

I had a challenging time with my fearful 14 months old Beagle. Always anxious on walks and scanning his enviornment. It became worse after neutering. I came across Dogsoul through yelp and signed up with Susi for the "Scary time! Oh my!" private consultation. This was the best decision I made. She provided a great plan and education to boost my pupper's confidence and it has made a huge difference so far. She also logically explained why neutering could have made it worse and it all depends how the Vet staff desensitizes and prepares the dog for the surgery and I'm pretty sure my current vet is not upto those efforts. I regret I did not come across her classes when my pupper became our family member at the age of 6 months and probably missed his dose of socialization and enrichment during the first fear period. I definitely recommend Susi for the training needs for your pupper! read more

Susi has so much insight and she is a great trainer - not just for dogs, but for their people, too! She helps the two-legged animals see where the four-leggeds are coming from and why they do the things they do. Susi really helped us understand our puppy and her classes were great. I definitely recommend her! read more

My puppy Honey graduated from puppy class today and I must say these past 4 weeks have been life changing. I learned so much, Honey learned a lot as well as my two kids. Susi is so patient and kind with the pups and the owners. I will be back for play time and future classes! So happy I found Susi! My household thanks you! read more

Thank you Susi for taking the time to drive all the way to Mountain House to teach us on how be better dog owners to Chase.

I love Susi! I'm so glad we picked her training class when we got our new puppy. She is wonderful with the pups and full of useful knowledge and tips. I appreciate that she is not super ridged about exactly how to train. If you find a different technique than she uses and it is working for your dog, she is good with it! Susi is there to support you when you need her. Just pick up the phone and call or text her and she'll help you through whatever issue has come up. Now that our puppy graduated from his puppy manners class, I will absolutely be attending her adult manners class. I highly recommend her! read more

Dog Soul - Falkor at his first puppy class at Pet Food Express San Leandro. - Pet Training Near Me - Pleasanton, California

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Susi is an excellent dog trainer! After only 5 group classes, our little (crazy) puppy knew how to sit, stay, leave it, ready?, go find, come and let's go! Since this is our first time visiting a dog trainer I was doubtful our pup could be trained since he was so wild, but Susi knows her way around dogs and training - she's a pro and the dogs (and humans) love her and listen to her! It feels like a therapy session (LOL), while our pup is patiently or impatiently waiting for training to start we are letting Susi know what worked for the week and what challenges we had that we want to address in class. It's then that we tell Susi our prepared list of challenges: barking nonstop, not calming down, wild right out of the gate, barking and lunging at other dogs across the street and in the park, etc, etc. Susi has a training solution for every one of these and reminds you it's ok your pup isn't 100% trained and perfect after the sessions. When I told her about 50% of training is working, she said that's great! It was a welcomed reminder that we should focus on what's working and the positives and not always focus on the challenges and negatives. She reminded us to praise our pup and give him treats when he's behaving and doing something we like (like patiently sitting). We are more tired after an hour of training than our puppy! It's a lot of mental work and your pup will be so tired after class that Susi encourages you to let him/her nap while you go out and enjoy the day. I wish Susi could come move in with us, so we can learn from her all the time! HA! But I will take the consolation prize and bring my pup to her puppy social nights so he can play in a safe environment off-leash and we can get some time with Susi. You will LOVE Susi, your pup/dog will LOVE Susi and her teachings will stay with you for the duration of the time you have with your pup/dog. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Susi as a puppy and adult dog trainer! read more

My one year old catahoula has some fear issues that cause him to be aggressive towards other dogs. I enrolled him in Susi's "Scary time! Oh My!" class and Oh My! what a difference! Susi kept all the dogs in the class well spaced and separated with fences, sheets over the fences when an additional barrier was necessary. Her goal was to make the dogs feel safe/secure/confident at all times. She never asked them to do anything outside their comfort zone and rained treats on the dogs whenever they did .. well... anything. She reinforced all of their efforts from a sit to jumping into a pool of noisy plastic bottles. My boy still has some work to do, we still have to keep practicing - but thanks to Susi we now have a solid place to start! Each day he makes more improvement now that he understands just because a dog is in close proximity - it doesn't mean certain death. I highly recommend Susi Hankins and Dog Soul! read more

I took my baby Chihuahua Chanel to train with Susi and our experience was fantastic! I was extremely anxious as Chanel was a little bully, and spoiled. What I loved the most about Dog Soul's experience was how she truly gave each dog the experience they needed during the training. For example: she kept my chihuahua separated at first to calm her anxiety. Although several dogs were training at once, she ensured each dog had the experience they needed based on the level of comfort the baby and the parent had. The other piece I felt was crucial was that she also trained us. You see, I think half the battle wasn't my chihuahua, it was us as parents and some of our behaviors and Susi was able to help us understand this and learn how to manage our little baby. The classes are fun, educational, professional and Susi is wonderful and her experience as well as love for dogs makes it worth every penny! read more

Susi is my "go-to" trainer when needing some great advice when it comes to my babies. Susi is genuinely a caring trainer and is always out for the best interest of my babies. Potty training has been the biggest challenge since we adopted our puppy. It was a frustrating process but with the advice of Susi, sure enough we over came it. Thank you Susi for always providing your support and advice. You truly are great a trainer and your passion shows it all! read more

Susi's dog training school is dog-a-riffic! She takes the time to not only train but to listen to questions you may have during the class. She also makes special accommodations for shy or fearful dogs by putting them behind an x-pen so they can still be part of the class. She also uses possitive training, something I would only consider when selecting a training class. Our black Lab/Pitbull mix learned a lot and also learned some self control. Making him wait for treats and doing a down-stay were 2 things we worked on with good success. Be sure to do your doggie homework and practice at home after the class as well. This will really help when you go to class the next time. Highly recommend Susi and her Dog Soul training school! read more

So, you may think that all dog schools and dog trainers are the same. They all teach the same things, right? Sit, stay, come and maybe heel. But Dog Soul and trainer Susi Hankins are totally different. Susi is focused on helping your dog be more confident, social and well adjusted. And she is instrumental in helping you be the best dog parent possible! My dog, an American Pit Bull Terrier, and I highly recommend the positive environment, personalized instruction and dedicated support of Susi and Dog Soul! read more