I really enjoyed the direct and sometimes humorous approach of the puppy kindergarten. At a very young age our pup was learning some good behaviors and we (his people) were learning how our approaches effect our pooch. read more

The instructor was not for us. It seemed like pit bulls were not a breed she'd want to work with (which we have a pit bull). She scared me when she said my chihuahua and scottie will absolutely never get along with our newly adopted pittie Koa. She also said Pittie's were hard to train and that she would need at least 6 sessions at almost $1k to train our pittie when Chris had him trained in 2 weeks. She also mentioned about him "hurting" our toddler and even offered to "re-home" our Ko It's six months since we've adopted our Pittie and they're BFFs. Anyone with pitties PLEASE DO NOT go here! read more

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A life saver for our dog thoughout his whole adolescence. Our pup has been coming here since he was a baby, and Deborah was kind enough to work with us to get him in and starting daycare (the week of the February snowpocalypse) Django has gone through puppy classes here, and even the reactive dog class for his stranger danger issues. The girls: Kirsten, Amber, Joy, Kristen, etc. have all been incredible with the training and raising of our boy. You can tell they genuniely care about him (even though he can be a little S***) We trust them 100%, and know that if he is misbehaving they will work on correcting his issues. We love Good Citizen! read more

I am a disabled veteran who recently purchased a puppy with the goal of him eventually being my service dog. When Sparky was 5 months old I began looking for a "Board and Train" situation where he could learn the fundamentals. I called probably 15 different places looking for one that was affordable and would meet my needs. I talked with several trainers, and most of them seemed to lack the patience to help or were cost prohibitive. I came across Good Citizen, and I cannot say enough good things about Deborah. She had me come in for a consultation where she spent about 2 hours with me showing me techniques and tricks that would aid in Sparky's training. The expertise and patience she showed not just with Sparky, but with me as well had me sold. Sparky spent three weeks with Deborah and came home a different dog. He was well behaved, a little more mellow, and had the fundamentals needed to continue with training. Deborah spent a few extra hours with me as well, training me how to work with him. I am grateful for her patience with me too, because I know I am difficult. Deborah continues to address all of my concerns as we continue training at Good Citizen. I can tell that Sparky has a real love for her, which tells me about her love for him as well. If you are looking for a board and train program, training, boarding or daycare I highly recommend Deborah and Good Citizen. read more

Deborah's trainings, both private and group classes, have been life-changing for our rescue pup! Indigo is showing new strength in her skills every day and has made huge improvements in curbing the bad behaviors. Being new pup parents had us googling 24/7, but Deborah made everything simple and accessible. Totally worth it and recommend 100%! read more

I left my dog here and when I returned he had an infection in all four of his paws and his eye was swollen shut. He required expensive veterinary treatment. At the time I was a full time student and my wife was a newly enlisted Army soldier. So, needless to say money was tight. They have you sign a contract when you drop off your dog... The owner threatened us with the non-disparagement agreement when I complained about the treatment of my dog. With the little money we had, and all of the expense from the veterinarian, her threats worked. We had to pay all the bills out of pocket and find a new daycare. Thank God for The Consumer Review Fairness Act. I only recently found out that it had become law. Now I can warn other people about this. And anyone else out there who this has happened to is now free to post it as a consumer review. Who knows how many times this has happened before? read more

I originally came to Good CitiZEN after HORRIFIC experience with another local dog trainer that I feel "broke" my 12 week old pup. My dog Is a husky with a very stubborn mind. It's been such a blessing to have Good CitiZEN dog training work with him. In only 4 sessions it's like I have a new dog! I still have plenty of work to do with my dog but I will do all of the work with Good CitiZEN. The training is ALL positive and my husky gets SO excited to come to his weekly trainings. I even signed him up for doggie daycare and found that after a day of fun supervised play that my pup is more focused to work at home on his training. I HIGHLY recommend training and daycare at Good CitiZEN. Don't go anywhere else!! read more

We adopted two Golden Retrievers in Feb 2020. By May, we had realized that these two country dogs had some anxieties, specifically around kids and loud noises. We spend a lot of time with my nieces and having anxious or aggressive dogs around them was not going to work. We took Deborah's group class for proximity and leash training and have been very happy with the results. She provides you with the tools and resources to help YOU work with your dog to help change behavior. Don't expect change if you aren't willing to do the work at home. We worked with our dogs every day for 6 weeks with a one hour class and saw huge improvements. We will continue to do so even though the class has completed, because they continue to improve. They are literally eating out of my nieces' hands now! read more

Good CitiZEN Dog - Kids doing "Zen" with our dogs - Pet Training Near Me

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If I could give ZERO stars I would. The owner, Deb, is neither an animal or people person. She is abrupt, condescending and lacks the ability to see past herself let alone her despicable customer service skills. I suspect some people stop going to Good Citizen because they don't want to deal with her, some still go and simply avoid her and the rest praise her because they are intimidated by her. I, personally, will not expose my animal to a mean spirited person and therefore have fired her and she no longer has the privilege of working with my dog. read more

Continuing from the first review: We were DEVASTATED by what Kori had said to us. We absolutely love our two dogs, spend lots of time and money to help them be the best that they can be. I am curious to know how many people they've said this to?? Again feeling sad and hopeless, my husband almost put Loki down...but I refused and found a trainer that ending up saving his life. This trainer was the best thing that had happened to our dogs!!! Here's the thing. We listened, tried everything they told us. They gave us bad advice, did not teach us how to work our dogs and put us and our dogs in a bad situation at the dog park. It gives me a terrible stomach ache just thinking about what we all went through with this place and all the money wasted. -Deborah talks the talk, but does not walk the walk -Does not have experienced training staff -Uses only harnesses -They did not teach us the tools to be successful on our own -Found ourselves asking what we're supposed to do when we weren't at lessons, even when we asked for answers -Told us to put our dog down and to give the other away -Deborah only cares about getting paid. Loki did not get his third private lesson that we paid for.. And did not complete the full board & train If you have a dog who really needs help, especially with obedience or behavioral problems, message me and I'll tell you where we got real help and real results. I promise that you will not be disappointed. Don't make the same mistake we did. read more

Deborah and the staff are excellent. This is a clean facility, run by individuals who understand dogs. I have a Vizsla puppy who is a typical bird dog... Hyperactive and stubborn. Deborah has provided us with a private in home session and we have begun puppy Kindergarten. All of our interactions have been nothing short of professional and ZEN-ful. All the services are reasonably priced, especially the daycare. I can't speak for the negative experiences of previous customers, but I believe they were fluke situations. read more

I have been so impressed with Deborah (the owner) and Good Citizen Dog Training! I wanted to break down a bit our experience and how it's helped us as first-time dog owners. New Puppy Consultation: Deborah offers a 90-minute new puppy consultation which I totally recommend if you are getting a new puppy or are completely new to owning a dog! She actually came to our house which was awesome because we had a lot of questions on housebreaking and our set up. I was shocked that in a matter of minutes, she had our 8-week old Shih Tzu starting with commands such as "sit" and "down." This consultation was invaluable to building our confidence as new dog owners. Puppy Kindergarten: We actually just completed the 6-week beginner puppy kindergarten class and I couldn't have been more delighted with the training! A lot of the training is giving you the tools you need to live peacefully with your dog. The other benefit of the class is letting your puppy socialize with other puppies in a clean, controlled environment. Dog Daycare: I've brought our puppy a few times now to the dog daycare to give him a chance to socialize with all other breeds. It's AMAZING how he went from being sooo afraid to wanting to play with "bigger" dogs! Folks, getting your dogs socialized is so important, and it's nice to know that it's happening at a place that's safe, supervised and where the staff truly will love on your dogs. I bring our Shih Tzu home completely worn out and happy every time. Good Citizen Dog was recommended two me by a couple of my friends and I can see why. It has so built my confidence in being a new dog owner and I feel like we've got our puppy off on the right "paw." Recommend, recommend! read more

This place is fantastic! We brought our puppy Hiccup at 8 weeks to the beginner class and he learned so much. Deborah was very happy to help us with all our questions and special attention since Hiccup was still a baby. He did well in the class and we have continued to work on his skills at home until the next class when he is a bit older. One of the highlights was at the beginning of each class Deborah would ask if anyone had any questions and problems and help them through if they did. The dogs got a little playtime in the beginning as well which was great for socialization. We've taken Hiccup to the daycare a few times as well and he loves it! I really appreciate that they have staff to keep an eye on him around bigger dogs so he doesn't get scared. We can't wait to come back! read more

I have left my 6 month old lab/collie puppy here for doggy daycare twice, and have been so impressed. It is obvious to me that they socialize him well with the other dogs, as he is exhausted when he comes home. I appreciate that they chat with you about your pups behavior and day when you pick him up, and it is obvious that the staff here are both knowledgeable on dog care and have a watchful eye and connection with each dog. I greatly recommend doggy day care, especially if you have an energetic puppy. read more

Pros: Operated by an experienced dog-trainer. Cons: Separation of dogs of different sizes not handled well - my small dog was attacked by a big dog. At the I Street location's open house, we toured the "small dog" and "large dog" areas. We were pleased that dogs of different sizes were being kept separate. Our dogs are less than 10 pounds each. The large dog area is down a long flight of stairs in the back of the property, which is also where the play yard is. Small dogs are housed in a small room next to the office upstairs. Depending on who was working, our dogs were either taken out on leashes for walks down the street, or taken downstairs to the play yard for short periods under supervision. During one of these trips to the play yard, Mabel was attacked by a large dog. A deep bite had narrowly missed her jugular vein, and she had 6 broken ribs as well. We were later told that the other dog had twice attended the owner, Deborah's, "Growly Dog" class for dogs with aggression issues. The emergency vet at Blue Pearl told us she was very lucky to be alive. Even though dogs are unpredictable, you expect a dog daycare to always be on top of things. We trusted Good CitiZEN as professionals to eliminate potential conflicts and protect our dogs. Our dogs were allowed near a big dog with "history". Victoria, the facility manager, told us that taking the dogs into the play yard went against her better judgement. Sadly they were taken there anyway. When my husband and I met with Victoria and Deborah a week after the attack, I asked Victoria if the little puppies that had been there the week before had stayed home that day. She responded that they were down in the play yard with the big dogs. After my dog's incident, I was horrified to hear that. Deborah did offer to pay the vet bills, but also reminded us that she was under no obligation to do so. As a condition of payment, we would be expected to sign a release, which included a paragraph that dictated some high monetary damages to us if any "disparagement" occurred. The incident was already common knowledge among the vets, our family and some of our neighbors, and we can't take responsibility for people talking. In order to be able to provide a fair review, and allow other owners to know what they might be facing, we did not sign the release. read more

Deborah at Good CitiZEN Dog Training is a magician with her training techniques. Our rescue whippet had issues that had kept her cycling back into the foster system. Deborah was able to give us techniques to use with her that has allowed us to integrate her into our household. She's even helped us when our dog needed a tune-up. I have called her for advice on many occasions. I wholeheartedly recommend Deborah and Good CitiZEN Dog Training. read more

We are such a fan of Good Citizen - and were thrilled when they opened their Tacoma location! We have been using the daycare and training for about one year. We have a pup that can be a bit difficult at times but the team at Good Citizen is very understanding and helpful. They understand that all dogs are a bit different - and actually give you feedback about how your dog does each day. They seem to truly care about the dogs - and the people who own them. Deborah, Victoria, and the whole team are truly wonderful. We also use them for boarding - and have been very happy. I love that they send texts and pictures when we are away from our pup. I know he is getting great care when he is away from us - which puts me at ease. read more

Ou dogs Roxy and Thora love going to daycare here. We also board them here when we are on vacation and they absolutely love it here. I really like all the staff too, such sweet and caring people that truly love dogs. read more

Deborah works magic with dogs--and with their owners. Our dog is a rescue with some bad early-life experiences, and Deborah not only trained him, she trained *us* to help create a stable, loving, organized environment for him. He's now a much more relaxed and confident dog, and has become comfortable with other dogs (he used to be a bit aggressive in new or exciting situations). I'm amazed by how Deborah's calm, loving method works--and lasts. We've had our dog for years now, and even though I slack off sometimes, he has retained all the good habits Deborah helped him learn. And did I mention that she's equally effective at calming and training stressed out humans, as well? read more

I first called Deborah about our dog situation in January 2015-- our three dogs and my live-in brothers two dogs weren't getting along. She's been invaluable since then! My previously mauled and reactive Shiba Inu took the Adv Meet and Greet class (LIFESAVER, that one!), our two new puppies did daycare and Puppy Classes 1, 2, and Advanced, and I plan on bringing one or more of them back for refresher courses should they (or I! Let's be honest, training is about educating the owner!) need it. Daycare especially was invaluable with two puppies-- when I picked them up, they were exhausted! It provided valuable socialization, curbed pent-up energy destructive tendencies, and I knew my puppies were safely supervised, fed, watered, and exercised while I was at work. I also use their grooming services (Mindi is INCREDIBLE!) at least once a month, more in prime Shiba shedding season! I couldn't have made it through the past year and half without Good Citizen. My dogs are well-behaved, happy, healthy and most importantly, happily coexisting! read more

I brought my 4 month old puppy here for both private and group training, and had very positive experiences. Tater learned so much in just a few weeks; she went from only knowing "sit" to learning how to walk properly on a leash, how to stay down, leave it, and so much more, and her recall improved greatly. The private classes were focused on what tater needed to work on individually, such as jumping, and we walked away from every session with tips on how to keep training her at home. Special shout out to Sydney (who trained tater privately) for being so creative and informative. She explained why she did what she was doing, and was very thorough in ensuring that tater was making the right associations and learning correctly. I cannot recommend her and this place enough! read more

We have a 5 month old Labradoodle. We did the private in home consultation training session early on in our puppyhood. This set the stage for puppy daycare to provide Lucy with some exercise and puppy camaraderie. Being around the other dogs has mellowed her into a very nice little pup. We have also been through 2 sets of Saturday training classes with Lucy. These are invaluable and a must do! So much hands on training and take home practice ideas. Very affordable prices! We plan to stay the course and do all the lessons offered so as to have a dog that is socialized, comes when you call her, and respects your commands. I have raised two other dogs and tried other area trainers and have never had this kind of success. Deborah is a keeper! read more

We have a puppy named Norman who is going to dog daycare two days a week and we have also taken him to the puppy kindergarten class with Deborah. We first met Deborah when she came to our house to do an assessment of Norman to see how he was integrating into our family and how we were doing with basic training for him. She was respectful and receptive to our kids who are also learning how to be puppy kids and was very interactive and supportive to me. She had the attention of Norman very quickly, and was great at telling us how we can best train him to be a well behaved puppy. We enrolled in the puppy kindergarten class and the techniques used to train are not like any I have seen (we have had dogs in the past). The techniques work well and are super effective. Norman is doing great in the classes and becoming a well behaved dog! At the shop, the staff is wonderful! Victoria the office manager is amazing. She welcomes you each and every time you arrive. You can tell she enjoys seeing each dog who comes through the door. The other staff at the shop are equally wonderful! I know when I drop off Norman for daycare he will be well taken care of and be worn out when he gets home! The facility is very clean and has a lot of great supplies you can purchase for your dog. I highly recommend Good CitiZen Dog for any of your training/boarding/dog daycare/ dog supply needs. We plan on going here for a long time. I am so happy they moved into the neighborhood! Thank you to Deborah and her staff! We and Norman appreciate all you do!! The Ball family read more

Debora has trained all or dogs and they are now all stars! Terrified of people and jerks to dogs my rescue dogs had some major issues. She worked really hard with each and every one (including us) to help us now live a zen life. read more

We took my dog to daycare there 3 times. They reported he got along with everyone and was great. I called, not aggressively but just inquiring what had happened when my dog came home with a blood crusted ear. This was the 2nd time he came home with blood of the three visits and after the other visit he came home yelping from some muscle or other pain. I think he was having a good time there and I am sure these might have been the result of simply vigorous play but they did not know about any of these. I wanted to let them know and see if something else was going on besides vigorous play or what to expect if we moved forward with continuing to take our dog there based. The response? I was told this was not the right place for us if "you are going to call about every little thing." Sorry. The two legged companions that come with the dogs are part of this business too. read more

I did not have a good experience with this trainer. Picked my dog up by the scruff of the neck when she got impatient. Not a good sign in my book. read more

My wife and I have a super energetic one year old Golden Retriever that has been transformed after just 4/6 lessons. He seems to be an overall happier and fulfilled dog now that we have learned how to train and communicate with him better. Moreover, he loves his time in their daycare. We have fallen in love with this place and these people. read more

Love love love Good CitiZEN. We have taken our beloved puppy there for training, doggy day care, and grooming. They are all wonderful people who love our Hiro as much as we do. We've been so impressed with their knowledge and professionalism. Deborah, the owner is a master in all things Zen, and really taught us so much about what works best when it comes to dog training. I recommend without reservation! read more

Deborah and the folks at Good CitiZen have helped keep us sane during our transition to becoming "dog people." We've always had cats so this has been a completely new experience. Without daycare and lots and lots of training (both one on one and group class) I think I may have lost my mind. Five stars for sure. read more

I had a problem pup - a purebred Havanese. He hadn't been handled at all by his breeder so when I got him at 12 weeks he didn't want to be touched, was not friendly to other dogs and had zero social skills. I had taken him to a class at a local pet store that was poorly ran by one of their "clerks". So I found Debra! He took two classes with Debra and his progress was nothing short of amazing. He has recently just received his Therapy Dog certification and it all is because he got a great start at Good CitiZEN Dog training. So I recently got a yorkie that had a bad start in life and had no self confidence. She just completed her Good Citizen Dog Certificate with Debra and the 6 week class has increased her confidence and her behavior has greatly improved. Debra is HIGHLY recommended. read more