Continuing from 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

My experience with Deborah has been very mixed. My dog is very well behaved with one exception - she barks at the door. I scheduled a private session at my home with Deborah since this is the only place where my dog barks. She called ten minutes past our appointment time, asking if we were supposed to be meeting (we had scheduled this two days prior). Deborah and her trainees finally arrived, the training did go relatively well. My dog responded well to the techniques used, but I was very surprised that I was not involved in the training. I did not practice with my dog at all during the session. Also, the only thing my dog learned during the $150 session was to make eye contact when her name is called in order to earn a treat. A majority of the time was spent with Deborah and the two gentlemen she was training giving my dog treats in order to warm her up to them. In total the session was a little over an hour. While I was impressed that my dog stayed engaged for that long (usually during training she gets bored after about 20 minutes), I did not feel that the amount of improvement was worth $150. I emailed Deborah for advice the next day. My dog sleeps with me and was running to the front door to bark before I could command her to calm. This lead to a good amount of barking before I was able to get to her. It took two weeks to get a response and I was told that I was the problem and I needed to crate my dog at night. Crating is not an option because 1. I need my dog to sleep with me and 2. when we tried crating her originally she multiple times hurt herself trying to get out. The response was that I needed to spend more money on more training. I understand that one session can only do so much, but I really feel more could have been taught to me and that for the amount I paid there should be some more advice via email/phone to follow up. read more

I love this doggy day care!!! I should have written this review months ago. I have 2 dogs, retriever/lab and a mini Aussie. They both love coming here. As soon as I pull onto the street they both get super excited in the back seat. They pull me up the stairs and go right into the play area. They never look back at me, which makes me feel confident that they are truly comfortable here. Both of my dogs have separation anxiety, but show no signs when going to Good Citizen. Stephanie and Toby are wonderful. They limit the amount of dogs allowed per day, as they run this place by quality, not quantity. I appreciate that they are attentive to the dogs. Moving here last March, we were in search of a new doggy day care. Our pups previously went to Pampered Pooch in Bellevue and we love Sandy there. We had tried another doggy daycare before Good Citizen. It was a horrible experience. Read my review for Dawg Town of Tacoma. I highly recommend Good Citizen. Toby and Stephanie are always there, so there is familiarity and person-ability. My dogs love them! I also love that Toby tells me the little cute or funny things that the girls do while at daycare. read more

I am a rather impulsive person. I went to the gym and three hours later I came home with a rescued Jack Russell mix I named Rusty. The first two weeks were great. I had him trained to walk on a leash and he would sit...sometimes.He did not bark! As he got used to the neighborhood he started to exhibit aggressive behaviors towards other dogs and people. I had the cable guy to the house and he turned into a "demon dog." He started barking, which startled me, and attacking the man's feet as he came into the house. The next day I began looking for dog training facilities through YELP. After reading reviews, I decided to contact Deborah. It was the best thing that I ever did for Rusty, and for myself as the dog owner. I started with a private session at her facility in Fife. It was there that I witnessed her gentleness, not only with Rusty, but with my self doubt as a competent owner. I liked the fact that she provided readings for me that described what kind of behavior my dog was exhibiting and what my responsibilites would be when enrolling in the Advanced Meet and Greet class, which was the second best thing I did for Rusty and myself! The first day of the Advanced Meet and Greet was truly amazing! I was nervous about my own dog's behavior, and when I saw these 150 pound plus barking and growling dogs my anxiety tripled! After a few minutes of the "zen" technique we had been taught, the high value treats in hand (or pouch), and our happy voices we started the group training. By the end of the class, all dogs and owners were in the facility room (close proximity) and not one bark or stressed dog could be see. I was still on alert, but I was amazed by the change in ALL OF THE DOGS behaviors. By the end of the seven week class, our dogs were walking side by side, taking treats from other people, and being the good dogs we knew they could be! I am forever grateful for the knowledge and professionalism Deborah has shown throughout this process. I know that she will be the one I call if I have any concerns with Rusty's behavior. I HIGHLY recommend Deborah and the staff of Good CitiZEN Dog Training to assist you with your dog's behavior training. read more

I've had several dogs over the years, but some bad experiences with rescues pushed me to get some professional help with selection and basic training of a dog. Deborah provided exceptional help with selection, finding a perfectly warm and wonderful puppy for us. Additionally, we had her take Ray through "Boot Camp" and she shaped him into a little gentleman and us into good owners. I am also grateful for her ability to understand Ray and help us know what makes him unique and what makes him tick. He walks wonderfully on a leash, behaves in social situations, and is always by my side -- just the companion I wanted. Ray has become a family member in record time and my two teen boys are totally smitten, and my somewhat-reluctant husband is now Ray's #1 fan. Thanks Deborah and Good CitiZEN for our happy dog loving home!!! read more

Had the best experience with Good citizen dog training and our rescue dog Tiny. Deborah had our dog doing basic skills within a half hr of the class. Our dog has never had any training in his life and it has made a huge difference in his well being. Have been back to further his and our new dog Gracie's skills. Make sure to use the day care it is a safe and comfortable environment for all dogs big and small and it is amazing how much fun the dogs have playing all day. read more

6 Month Old Bernese Mountain Dog in for Training: Pros: Knowledgeable Trainers Keen awareness about what certain dogs will respond to No more jumping on people at the door 1 week of bell training so far and it seems to work 50/50 (ringing a bell when he has to go out, instead of biting) Very attentive dog (as long as I have food in hand) Puppy Daycare was the socialization he needed to stop being a bully Puppy Daycare tired him out for DAYS Cons: Keenly aware they offer a wide variety of services and products, and if the answer isn't in classical conditioning, it's in one of their other services or products All in all, if you have a new puppy, or older dog that needs to break a bad habit, well worth it. read more

Owner was extremely rude on the phone and actually hung up on me. Didn't seem to know anything about my breed of dog or training needs. Dodged a bullet. read more

Personal, individualized training and education: My dog is one with "special needs." In other words, she's scared. She's scared a lot, so her anxiety level is through the roof. Deborah from GCD helped us from the get-go when Butter was only 12 weeks old. She not only assisted in beginning training exercises but she also helped us understand how our dog learned. Even though we will probably never conquer her anxiety, Deborah has taught us how to keep it to a minimum in situations that freak her out. In addition, GCD's "Advanced Meet and Greet" course has given me even more tools on how to help Butter with of her issues. Thank you, Deborah, for always being there! read more

In response to Deborah's comment, I am indeed an actual (former) client trying to help people who need a trainer. I posted my review in response to an email plea she sent out to vote for her for best trainer in the area. I simply could not let people think that is true. I tried hard to leave emotion and specifics out of the original review because I prefer not to be identified. I don't want to be contacted by Deborah. She has nothing I want (except a lot of my money, which I already know she won't return even though she did nothing but make my dog's situation worse). read more

This review is based on the daycare - not the training classes. I've only used the daycare twice. The first time was okay. It seemed to me there were a lot of dogs for one person to handle, but the dogs all seemed happy and occupied. The second, and last time, not so great. Way too many dogs to people ratio, and when I returned after three hours, my dog was soaking wet, and huddled against the fence, totally stressed out. The woman watching the dogs had a garden hose with a large spray nozzle attached, and had been dousing my dog because he was barking at the gate. She explained that he had been making a lot of noise, and that they had to keep the dogs quiet, because they're in a business area. I emailed the owner to discuss, and she explained that she was busy, but I could call her another day. Clearly, she wasn't very worried about my concerns, or I think she would have called me. She still hasn't called me. I will not be back. I actually think the puppy kindergarten is great. We learned a lot, and it really helped us get a good start with our sweet puppy. I would never leave him in the daycare, though. read more

I have had puppies and dogs my whole life. I worked with a behaviorist with my first Shiba Inu. I've been to countless generic PetSmart -type classes. And Deborah's classes IMMEDIATELY exceeded all of these! In the FIRST puppy kindergarten class, I learned more than all my years of experience and the store classes combined. This was NOT your basic sit-stay-come class. ONE home visit gave us practical, immediate things we could do to start changing our dogs' behavior. Within the first four classes of Advanced Meet & Greet, my super-sensitive, anxiety-ridden, traumatized Shiba Inu was a new, much happier, more confident dog. I actually had doubted he would ever reach this level, and we still have another 4 classes to go! Deborah's classes are worth every penny. They are packed with immediately useful, easily implemented strategies. This woman knows her stuff and knows it WELL. Working with her is the best investment I've ever made to the peacefulness of life with my dogs. "Peaceful living with your dog" is an understatement! Thank you Deborah! And an added note about the daycare-- hands-down fantastic! My puppy has learned to play (which makes all the difference, my other dog never really learned and it shows up in many antisocial ways now-- ones that are being addressed in the Adv Meet & Greet class) and comes home covered in dust, saliva and happy, sleepy puppy grins. It's fantastic! (Sidenote: Yes, Deborah can come off as brisk and arrogant, which is off-putting to us more sensitive types. She has reason to be; this woman knows her stuff. My advice: Don't take it personally! Do not let this keep you from working with such a talented, skilled trainer! I promise you, you will miss out if you do. Work with her a few times, and you will see that she genuinely does care about and love dogs, and her expertise is well-worth it!) read more

Awesome dog training skills and my dogs love the daycare there!!! The growly class really helped my reactive dog a lot and I have referred several friends to Deborah's facility. I can hardly wait to start puppy class saturday with my newest member!! read more

We started our 12 week old English Bulldog at the Good Citizen Puppy Kindergarten. Attending this training was the best thing we could of done for us as owners of a new puppy. We also started sending her to doggie day care there a few days a week. Taking her doggie daycare continues to be the best thing we do for her. read more

My dog was very skittish around strangers from the day we adopted her at 12 weeks of age. Deborah Rosen came to my home and taught my family what kind of training would work for her personality. We went through Puppy Kindergarten and now daycare is exactly what my dog needed! I can't thank GCDT enough for their patience with her. read more

Deborah is AMAZING! My coonhound, Wolfgang and I had some private lessens with her, then we had Puppy Kindergarten and Puppy First Grade. An excellent teacher, she's great with all dogs, even the growly ones. The puppy daycare is a great time for all as well. I heartily recommend her services to anyone that needs a dog trainer. read more

This past summer my wife and I adopted A rescue puppy, knowing how important those first months are, we sought out A trainer that fit our lifestyle and mindset. After searching the web and sending a few emails back and forth, we set an appointment with Deb at good citizen to assess our girl and see her potential, shortly after we enrolled in puppy one and learned a lot! The class was fun and involved and we were reassured that we were on the right path and re enforcing the behaviors that we were taught. After that we signed up for puppy 2 and we came away with a good feeling but felt unsure about a few things and good citizen went the extra mile to make sure we were on the same page. We are awaiting our 3rd class to begin and know that it will help us to live in harmony with our canine counterpart! We also use the daycare, and have never come away disappointed. Our girl comes home tuckered out and with some work on her manners and skills as well. The staff is wonderful,attentive and friendly, I won't be taking my pup any where else. Thank you guys! read more

Deborah is awesome!! I've worked with her over the course of four years, with four dogs (two of my own and two family dogs). She is able to work effectively with a huge range of doggy personalities, and she is always met with waggy tails. Dogs love her. I think that's important. She helped one of my dogs earn his Therapy Dog certification, and she helped us work with our other dog who needed some basic socialization and obedience. She is friendly, patient, and truly passionate about training. Her methods really work and are research-based (unlike some other popular training methods which I will not name), and most importantly, help her clients build a nurturing bond with their dogs. I happily recommend her to all my friends. read more

We have a 1 yr old German Shepherd. He is full of energy. Thanks to Deb and the Zen she taught us we are able to get him to focus and listen. He loves Good Citizen and now he "knows" he is at school when we are there. The place is clean, the staff is great and Deb is a real Dog Whisperer! All with positive re-enforcement!! Thanks! read more

My dogs and I love Deborah! Sophie and Ozzie have VERY different personalities with different needs, and Deb has always been extremely versatile to what each of them respond to best. We've taken most of her classes and been to a couple of daycare sessions, and I always leave with happy dogs. Deb knows her stuff and doesn't hesitate to explain it to you like you're five. We love her and recommend her every chance we get! read more

I like the puppy training classes, i have learned a lot in a short time and really enjoy listening to Deborah's Dog Dish show on Saturdays. I recommend the puppy classes and private lessons. Well worth the money spent. read more

We have used Deb and Good Citizen for both dog training and dog daycare - and have been very pleased with both services. I reached out to Deb when I really needed help with my dog's socialization and behavior. She returned my call immediately and we chatted extensively about my dog and his needs. She was able to give our dog a trial run at daycare - and was willing to work with him to reach a comfort level there. Deb, as well as Kate, Emily, and Josh at the daycare - are patient, understanding, and just really good with dogs. It is a small daycare (in terms of numbers) - so they are able to keep a close eye on the dogs and play with them directly. Our dog craves human contact so he loves it here! I cannot thank these folks enough for the work they have done with him. As far as dog training, we signed up for the Advanced Meet & Greet Class (our dog is 2 year old that we adopted from the pound a few months ago and he is socially awkward). The class was very helpful. As an owner, it was encouraging to realize that you are not alone. For our dog, it was several weeks of learning how to behave when surrounded by other dogs and new sights and sounds. He did very well and was able to be non-reactive around the other dogs and people in the class. Overall, we are very happy and thankful that we found Good Citizen Dog Training and Daycare. read more

We have been taking both of our dogs to Good Citizen Dog Training for over a year now. We started with puppy kindergarten with our 8 week old lab puppy. After completing that course, we continued training with Puppy 2, Advanced Puppy and Slick Tricks. Our 1 year old lab puppy is now a well trained dog. She not only is well trained but has learned some pretty cool tricks. With our second dog, we took her to Growly Class because of some challenging leash behavior. She is now a joy to walk and socialize with other dogs. Deborah is such an amazing trainer. She is engaging and compassionate in her training. Most trainers that I have been to are extremely clinical and focus only on the dog resulting in a stressful experience for everyone. Not Deborah. She teaches people and trains dogs. I can honestly say that the experience of learning with her has changed the lives of both my family and my dogs. I will continue to train my dogs with her for years to come. read more

This place is awesome!! I got a Golden Retriever puppy (Emyrie) in March and Debra was the first place I called to get her into training. She was willing to take me and my puppy in during the middle of their puppy 1 session. Emyrie became a new dog every time we left class. The techniques Debra uses are great and easy for the owner and puppy to learn and more importantly, be successful at. Emyrie is a wonderful puppy and I thank Debra for that. We are starting Puppy 2 class today and i couldn't be more excited to begin a new session and see what else we can learn. I also take Emyrie to doggy day care once or twice a week. Emyrie comes home after day care and goes right to bed and allows me time to relax for the evening after a long day of work. Tobi (day care staff) and Debra truly care about the dogs and their owners. I enjoy going to Good Citizen and would recommend it to anyone. I have tried another dog obedience class in the Fife area and I was not impressed. I signed up for a 6 week class and ended up asking for a refund after week 3. During the 3 sessions that I went to, Emyrie and I sat there for about 45 minutes each session and just listened to the trainer talk while Emyrie got bored and developed bad habits. Good Citizen provides a lot of interaction between puppy and owner and that is what I want. Emyrie develops great habits at Good Citizen and is becoming the Golden Retriever that I have always wanted!! read more

I had my first one on one class with my 3 year old rescue dog, Rusty. Deborah was GREAT!! He can be timid and she told me what we need to do to address this. She was very patient with him and me :). We are also dealing with house training and she has us on a routine. I now know how to work with him and he as FINALLY learned "down"! That was a huge accomplishment!! She is willing to answer my questions anytime and gives me hope :). I am looking forward to our next session with my husband and children. Thank you Deborah!!!! read more

I am so excited to have Deborah train my new dog. I have only had her for 2 months and as sweet as she is off leash, she is really loud and lunging onl eash. With Deborah's training class Advanced Meet and Greet formerly Growly Class, my new girl Bree-z has learned how to greet as nicely on leash as she does off leash. Deborah's positive training methods and fun personality makes it easy to learn how to pay attention to my dogs behavior so I know when I can interrupt her bad behavior and introduce the good behaviors. Thanks Deborah! And shame on P.C. Tacoma. Why would you be so mean and inaccurate? Sounds to me like a jealous competitor. read more

We took both our dogs to Good Citizen for Puppy Kindergarten and and Puppy II classes and our YorkiePoo did the obedience class and received his AKC Good Citizen certificate. We enjoyed the classes, the dogs had a great time, and we all learned a lot. Our daughter was a 1st grader when the older dog was in the class and she was a 7th grader with the second dog. Deborah made her welcome and involved her in the training of our dogs. The YorkiePoo has also gone to the day care at Good Citizen. We have had only positive experiences with the training and the day care. read more

Deborah works miracles with dogs, period. Whether they are skittish, headstrong, or aggressive, she works her zen magic on them, and helps you learn how to do the same. She not only rescued our lovable pit-mix, but she helped us socialize him around other dogs and around my then-3-year-old daughter. She is great with both canines and their human owners who might learn a little more slowly than the dogs do, and her "Growly Class" is terrific. All this AND dog daycare...you and your dog will be happier for working with Good CitiZen Dog Training. read more

Deborah, the owner, and I have worked together on training my King Charles Cavalier, Charlie. Her knowledge of dog behavior is broad and deep. Her interaction with Charlie was always positive and nurturing. As a result,my dog responded in kind, making for successful training sessions. All the pet owners I met who brought their dogs to Good Citizen were very impressed with Deborah's skills and techniques. She runs a great business with great results. I highly recommend her to help you with any and all dog training issues read more

Good Citizen Dog Training is the best ever. Deborah Rosen is clearly the best trainer around and is very pro-active in helping you. I had called and left Deborah a desperate call during the holidays a few years back. I had a dog that hat bitten my child's face twice, partly the child's fault, and she called me back from Hawaii. She truely wanted to help me and as soon as she got back, she was at my house. We went to Growly Class and although we had to eventually put the dog down, she found us great Labradoodle that we love. He loves to go to Day Care too and we can't even say the word around him! The classes are great!!!!! I would highly recommend this place. read more

Good CitiZEN really helped us with our first family dog. I had a dog as a kid and wanted our kids to have a good dog experience like I did. We have an older dog from our local animal shelter and wanted to help our kids be confident around dogs. Debra helped us learn what dogs need in owners, and gave us practical and useful advice on how to help our dog fit in to our family. We've had one-on-one consultations and have attended group classes and found both to be helpful, effective and worth our time. I have recommended Good CitiZEN dog training to several friends that became new dog owners, and would do the same to anyone I know that wanted to be more comfortable and confident dog owners. read more

My husband and I rescued an adorable, sweet, affectionate rat terrier/chihuahua franken-pup from a local rescue nonprofit, after months of looking and wanting to find a rescue dog that matched our temperament (ie, slightly low-key/lazy). Lucy Lemon fit the bill! Only problem -- while she was sweet as pie with other humans, she was extremely fearful/aggressive on leash towards other dogs. While we are a one dog household, we live in an apartment building and in the epicenter of Seattle dog activity, so every potty trip and walk around the block became an exercise in apologizing to other dog owners while trying to keep Lucy from completely flipping out on the leash in a major show of aggression. No one was happy about this! We knew we'd have to do some work with her, and we got a great recommendation from a friend about Deb "dog whisperer" Rosen at Good Citizen Dog. Since my husband works in Tacoma, we decided to give it a try, despite the logistical challenges (we live in Seattle). From the first phone contact with Deb, it was clear she was warm and cared very much about helping us work with Lucy using positive techniques. We had an initial consult, in which Deb taught us some basic "zen" tools that we continue to use with her. Deb grounds her work in behavior theory and doesn't just tell you what to do - she tells you why and how it works. Our Lucy instantly fell in love with Deb - she would do anything Deb said! Deb also helped us to have reasonable expectations for Lucy's progress along the way. We took her to 6 weeks of "growly class" - and in that time (with the help of Deb, and also skirt steak), she made significant strides. She went from barking her head off at every other dog in the class, to calmly walking parallel with several of them. She may never sniff a golden retriever calmly while on leash, but we now know how to work with her to keep her from "seeing red." Now when we go for walks, Lucy actively seeks out some dogs and engages in sniffs and some light play. We've even taken her to rat terrier meet-ups, and she's amazing! I highly recommend Deb's training and *especially* her "growly classes." read more

Love Good Citizen! Deb and Tobi take great care of the dogs in a safe, social environment. I take my 6-mo-old vizsla to the daycare multiple times per week and she comes home completely worn out. We also completed Puppy Kindergarten through GC. I have a happy, well-trained puppy at home and look forward to further training in the future. read more

Deborah is a wonderful dog trainer and knows her stuff! We have two dogs ages 2 and 4 who are very high energy. We came to Good Citizen because we felt like we could not take our dogs out in public without them growing and barking at other dogs and humans. After the class both of our dogs have improved significantly. I can now take them both out for walks without feeling very anxious that they will bark and make a scene. A friend of ours commented on the dogs saying that they seemed like new dogs after the Advanced meet and greet class. Thanks Deborah!! read more

Far superior training when compared to PetSmart, and I have done both. I took my puppy Golden Retriever to a puppy training class at PetSmart, and while it was ok it seemed very textbook for the group I attended with. I took my same puppy to a puppy Kindergarten class at Good Citizen Dog Training and the whole experience felt much more personal, and tailored for me and my puppy, although it was a group training. I learned several specific things about a dogs temperament and how to redirect my dog toward more positive behaviors such as "come" and "stay" which is a form of doggie zen taught in the class. I highly recommend Good Citizen Dog Training to anyone with a puppy, new to the world of dogs, or needing a refresher on the handling of dogs. If I lived closer I would utilize the daycare they offer, but I live over an hour away (which should speak volumes on the training alone since I am willing to travel that distance to attend even though I have a PetSmart less than 10 minutes away). read more

My wife and I took our puppy for her first of many puppy kindergarten classes. 10 dogs all about the same age. Ivy was quite overwhelmed. We did learn some good things to work on at home. We will try the puppy day care tomorrow. All in all a good day at school for all three of us. More to come. read more

We can't say enough about how wonderful Deborah and Good Citizen Dog have been with our dogs. We met Deborah many years ago when we adopted our first dog Barley. Barley was already almost a year old, and was a very lovable dog, but we struggled with recall and barking. Deborah came to our home and worked with Barley on both issues. Barley quit barking at the door, and showed great improvement with recall. We also attended classes with Barley. Deborah was great with him; he responded well to her, and we had lots of fun at class. Now we have adopted two new dogs. They have both attended puppy class and advanced puppy class. While we have attended all of the classes before, we continue to learn new things at each class, and our dogs are always growing and enjoying the experience. Our new dogs instantly connected with Deborah. We also appreciate how considerate and thoughtful Deborah is about how we are learning and connecting with our dogs as they learn. Deborah helped us teach the dogs to focus. We discuss day-to-day issues and concerns at each class and she gives us strategies and tips for solving those issues. We also have used the daycare periodically. We love how happy and relaxed our girls are when they come home. Thanks! read more

If you have a rescue dog that is a strong breed with behavior problems I do NOT recommend Deb from Good Citizen Dog Training. We have a pitbull/bulldog mix we rescued over a year ago and Deb was unable to help us. On our initial phone call I told her all of Quentin's problems in detail and we made an appointment to come to do a consultation with him. She came over to our home but was scared of our dog so she would not even come inside our gate and recommended we go to her facility. After two short private sessions with him (and after writing her a check for 300 bucks) she recommended her "growlie" class. I had concerns about this class because he is a strong, energetic dog and is very undersocialized so I was unsure that having him in a small room with 9 other dogs would be the best situation. Unfortunately I was correct - Quentin could not handle the stimulation of being around so many dogs in such close quarters and we were unable to make any progress whatsoever. Deb asked us to step out of the class several times because he was disrupting the class. I feel that Deb should have told us after the initial two private sessions that he may not be a good fit for the growlie class and recommend another behaviorist or at least another option. We went to four of the growlie sessions and after being told for the last time to "step outside for a few minutes and give him a break" we decided not to continue with the last 3 sessions. I am not saying that Deb is not a good trainer but I think our dogs breed, strength and behavior problems were too much for her to handle. In total, we spent almost 600 dollars on her classes for Quentin and we saw absolutely zero improvement in him in any capacity. I did email her and voice my frustration. She offered to do "free" sessions with Quentin but did not offer to refund our money. I chose not to take her up on the free sessions, my husband and I decided it would be a better use of our time and energy to find a behavior therapist who specializes in helping bully breed dogs. read more

I have to weigh in with a review. I have read PC's review and I have to say I also had a bad experience with Good CitiZEN Dog Training. We had a rescue dog about 5 years old and we were having problems with him being reactive with other dogs. We didn't want to give up on him, because he had already been through a lot of upheaval in his short life. We were really looking for a professional to help us, and knew there had to be a way to help him with enough patience and persistence. We wanted to give him a chance. We took him to see Deborah and after meeting with us/him for less than an hour, she determined that the best thing we could do for him would be to euthanize him. We were stunned that she offered up that sort of advice after a short meeting. I will admit we erred greatly in bring our other two dogs in with us. We had brought them with us because we always take them for a walk, but it was too hot out to leave them in the vehicle, so didn't have a choice but to bring them in. Not a good decision to bring them with to begin with, because it did distract from the meeting. I had a sense she was very impatient with the situation and she even picked our one dog up by the scruff of the neck. I really don't think she handled the situation well at all, and almost seemed to lose her temper. We vowed to never go back or refer anyone else we know to her. We have since worked with the dog we went to see her for, and shortly aftetr contacted another trainer the rescue group recommended. This particular trainer uses positive rewards based training and over time and without enough patience, we have been able to get this dog to come around. He still has minor issues, but what dog is 100% perfect? We've been able to get him to the point where he is a loving family companion. Yes, it took a whole lot of work, but it paid off in quality of life for him and for us. I gave her two stars because I don't doubt that she knows her stuff when it comes to dog behavior. I just don't care for the methods she uses to get from point A to point B. read more