Love this place!! Everyone is so helpful and I will take more classes for my golden puppy

Took our last puppy here 5 years ago and loved it. So when we got a new one this March the first thing we did was sign up for puppy class. Still wonderful! They have a well organized curriculum and also work on socialization and appropriate play. Wonderful dedicated teachers. We tried several classes again to figure out where we wanted to continue our obedience training and have decided we will continue here! read more

Our dog is good in so many ways, but we figured that as non-previous dog owners, we could use a helping hand. Not to mention, our dog is a little hyper and we wanted to learn how to calm him down. I chose Hidden Valley for many, many reasons. First, there are many levels of group classes that you can take, depending on the type of obedience training you dog needs. Second, they offer a discounted enrollment fee for shelter/rescue dogs ($50 total for an 8 week class). Third, they offer a workbook of the training exercises, so you can do the tasks at home with your dog long after the class is over. The enrollment process is all online. You pick your class, you pay through Paypal and that secures your spot in the class. Space is limited so make sure you secure your spot early!!! Classes are constantly ongoing. They only take off during the winter months because it gets really cold. The training grounds are located next door to Mayflower Dog Park, way out on Bear Valley Road in Escondido. The grounds are all grass, well-lit, and huge. It is perfect for dog training. Along with the main trainer, there are volunteers that help out too. EVERYONE is so patient and great with handling all the dogs. There are lots of hyper ones, dogs that just won't listen, and some shy ones too. But this group believes that any dog can be trained and they really make a believer out of you! If you dog is a super star and you want to train him/her for show classes, they have that too. There is really nothing that this school can do! Sign your dog up and get your pooch on the road to being a civil and classy pup! read more

Hidden Valley Obedience Club - Pet Training Near Me

We've had nothing but good experiences at HVOC. We take both our dogs, a one yr old GSD and a 5 month old Dane. The instructors have been knowledgeable and they work well with dogs that may need more space. I've been impressed with what my pups are learning and plan to continue to get them ready to show. read more

Hidden Valley Obedience Club - Getting ready for obedience - Pet Training Near Me

I have been a member and trainer for many years. I have taught conformation handling and junior handling and now Beginner I. I have assisted in the puppy class, Beginner II and Novice Class. I have finished many champions, and trained several dogs to their CD's and UCD's. My youngest dog (a toy breed) received his Canine Good Citizenship degree last weekend. My dogs are very sensitive and would respond negatively to harsh correction. All training that I have been involved in is through inductive and/or clicker training. I do not know of any of our trainers who use harsh methods. There is an orientation class for Beginner I and Puppy Classes. I have found most of the trainers to be knowledgeable and helpful. It is important that we as students take the time to read the training manuals and to train. This is a private field and not open to the public for Restroom, or Fountain use or to exercise their dogs. That should be handled separately for the safety and health of all of our student's dogs and members. You should come to our Trial Oct 19/20 2013 to see many of the graduates in action and to see the helpful volunteers from our club. read more

I personally have taken multiple dogs through multiple classes over the years. I think the volunteer Instructors and assistants are great! Always positive, patient and helpful. I am currently enrolled in the motivational class. The two instructors are the best! Always upbeat, encouraging and This class is all about positive technics! I love the partnership that this class has helped me build with my dog!! read more

Staff was completely RUDE...I went there to check things out and while i was there i just so happened to need to use the rest room while I was there, a port a potty I mind you and an older woman who acted more like a female dog than her counterpart said I couldn't use the restroom or be there because it was members only, excuse me! I won't be training my dog there anytime soon read more

After going to class last night. I have to lower my review. I now have seen two assistant trainers kick their own dog. THAT IS HORRIBLE. One of the trainers almost got bite last night because she really has no clue about reading dog behavior. She was extremely luck she was not bite. The trainer skip to many steps for training at times. She also teach a very poor method for healing. The way she teaches it the dogs are not straight on the left and looking into you because you have food in the right hand. It's very bad.. I will say that some other people say that the training location typical is very good but this instructor is very poor and so are her assistance. I believe in postie training and kicking a dog should never happen for training. read more

Terrible, terrible, terrible training. I use to be a member and trained for years with HVOC (1990's). The trainers who are there now (2011) are only capable or use to working with dogs who do not assert themselves. If you have large dog, working breed, or dominate dog, they are NOT capable of working with dogs of this caliber, nor the owners. The techniques are archaic, chaotic and can provoke aggression which they are not prepared to deal with. Either due to lack of experience, exposure or capabilities on the part of the trainers. The quality of the training and structure of the classes has significantly dimished over the past 15 or so years; albeit, the prices seem to increase tremendously? While this should be a positive environment for all dogs and all owner/handlers, this is no longer holds true for HVOC. I am afraid that a significant part of the membership at HVOC has lost perspective. While they do focus on clicker and positive motivation only; they use physical aggression (yanking) for corrections instead of re-direction. For those who are not familiar, this will escalate aggressive tendancies, especially from confident dog(s) who won't accept strangers, let alone a stranger giving (them) a harsh leash correction without first teaching the dog what needs to be done. Don't get me wrong, marker/clicker training can be a very useful tool, and can be very useful for the right trainer, handler and dog, in the right environment. However, it isn't the only tool that should be in an accomplished trainers toolbox. While some instructors have man years of experience with handling or training a dog or dogs to a CGC, CD or CDX level many years ago, that does not automatically make that person a qualified trainer for all dogs, all breeds and at all levels or types of training in all venues. At the introduction/orientation, none of the trainers spoke about the learning phase, the correction phase or the distraction phase in dog training. Trainers or assistants deliberately set dogs up for failure and try physical corrections such as yanking the leash, kneeing dogs in the chest, or feebly attempting an alpha roll on young dogs. Then tell class members "this is what will happen" or "that dog is a liability" or "if you don't listen or do it my way, you can leave." Didn't we learn that we should always "praise in public and reprimand in private?" Has common decency and respect for other adults and animal lovers been replaced by ego and authoritative instructors? Should a novice owner/handler be subjugated in public because they don't have the necessary abilities or skill set yet? Afterall, isn't that why they are here in the first place, to learn? Dog training has evolved just like everything else, computers, cars, cell phones, methods of communication (texting, etc). The trainers have to be open to different methods of training. HVOC should set owners and dogs up for success, NOT FAILURE. Training at HVOC especially at the lower level classes (puppies, beginner 1 & 2) is not a POSITIVE experience if you have a dominant breed of dog. Also, you can't distinguish between trainers, assistant trainers or other club member who walk around and tell you what to do with your dog(s), they constantly contridict each other. Lastly, no one who is a trainer will state their qualifications such as how many dogs they have trained, what breeds or in what venues. This information is not stated on their website either. Can't HVOC provide a brief one or two paragraph "bio" on their instructors? I think the classes should be restructured. The first week of class, you should be given an orientation of what is expected. Also, you should get a demonstation of the various instructors ACTUALLY training their dogs, so new owners and handlers will know what to expect. The second week of training should be the first time dogs are present and the instructors should go through a "modified" Volhard's temperment test and after the results, be grouped into cohorts based on dog, breed, age, maturity, level of experience of the handler and temperment and capability of the dog. All training (present day) are done in groups or teams, dog training should be no different. Instead of having 20-25 dogs in a circle, where only one or two people are getting attention, wouldn't it be better to have 4 or 5 groups of 4-5 dogs in each group? There is more success at the higher levels of classes because in those classes where people are competing at the UD or UDX level, they are experienced dog handlers with experienced dogs who have been training for many years to be able to be competitive at that level. It is a disservice to the dogs as well as the handers/owners to have such unstructured chaos at the beginning levels of class. Afterall, this is where the foundation for all dog training begins. If the student has failed to learn; ultimately, the teacher has failed to teach. read more

Volunteers are so helpful and knowledgeable. Very reasonably priced and you can tell they really care about the students and their dogs. Go!! read more

A few years ago I adopted a dog who had a lot of issues, mostly he was so fearful of everything, so I stumbled across this club as I had been going to the Mayflower dog park. I spoke with one of the Trainers who was so gracious at the end of the evening to give me all the information I needed and I got a positive impression right away. I started with my dog in Beginner 1 soon after. Granted, he was so fearful, we had to work away from others but all the Trainers and Assistants were encouraging and very helpful. Slowly we were able to integrate into the class, we went on to Beginner 2, and my fearful boy was getting so much better, he has always been a puller too and he passed the Canine Good Citizen test! We went on to Beginner 3 and then to Sub novice. All along the way, even repeating some of the advanced classes, everyone was supportive and had great recommendations. I got another dog, a bit of a special needs guy and we took the same path (Beginner 1 to Sub novice and then motivation class) and luckily the Trainers have a great sense of humor because this boy is a character and provided comic relief the whole way. We had such a great time in every class, and I have taken many! It doesn't matter how many times you take the same class, they always try to keep it new and fresh and you always learn something new or there are great reminders on how to apply techniques in different ways. The members, trainers and Assistants are generous with their time and expertise, they are supportive in every way, all the training is based on positive reinforcement and that is exactly what I was looking for and found. I highly recommend HVOC whether you have a challenging big or small dog, special needs dog or a perfect dog that needs some refinement or you want to pursue advanced classes and compete. read more

I write as a member of HVOC for many years, a dog owner and as a long-time trainer at the beginner level at HVOC. In response to several of the negative reviews, I feel badly that anyone has been treated rudely on our training field. There is no excuse for rudeness, nor is there any excuse for coercive handling and/or negative reinforcement, on the part of trainers or students. We have come a long way since the days of leash jerking and yelling at our dogs. Our instructors do not claim to be professionals at all levels. We are all volunteers and we work hard to do the best job we can for our students. Our mission is to make it a positive experience for dogs and humans alike. Occasionally there is a dog that we feel could be better helped in a different training environment. It is our responsibility as trainers to suggest alternative solutions when that happens. The longer we do our jobs, ideally the better we get, but there is always room for improvement. Many of us attend seminars and do research to stay current with new ideas and techniques. Our classes remain small (enrollment usually closes at twelve students, but many classes are smaller). We make every attempt to give our primary assistants adequate help from assistant trainers, many of whom are just as experienced as the primary teachers. Some sessions we scramble for enough help, and we welcome new folks who step up and volunteer to help. I would invite the people who are not happy with the way our classes are run, to join us in our efforts to educate the community's dog families. Yes, the cost of classes has gone up, but our tuition remains VERY competitive, and we always extend a discounted rate to families of rescued dogs for the first class. In fact, our members have fully donated many classes to dogs who were adopted out of our local shelter. We are not perfect, but I am proud to be associated with HVOC, and grateful for the experience I have gained there. I have attended many classes with my own dogs over the years, and I appreciate how much work is involved in teaching a session of classes. We take the written evaluations at the end of each session very seriously. I hope that our negative reviewers will give us another opportunity to gain your confidence in the future. read more

HORRIBLE... HORRIBLE... Horrible....If I could give negative stars I would. Please do yourself a huge favor and don't waste your time or money on this organization. It's been a long time since I've had the pleasure of dealing with such a poorly run organization. The staff is rude, incompetent and inexcusably disorganized. I spent 45 minutes checking in for the first class before I was told their was no longer room for my dog. By that time the first class was over! Meanwhile, everyone else who had issues got in and I was the only one left out. They couldn't make room for one more dog? I registered and paid months ahead of time via their website. My credit card was charged and I received a confirmation email yet they had no record of me or several other participants. They had wrong owners listed with wrong dogs, wrong dog names with wrong breeds, missing payments and all sorts of other administrative problems, while I patiently waited for them to get to me. Ugh, such a needlessly frustrating experience! Who knows, maybe the trainers are good? But I'll never have a chance to find out because I was ignored and treated so incredibly badly. Now I have to deal with getting a refund. So buyer beware! read more

love the club.. great instructors. Club offers more than just training..they have snake clinic and have scholarship for kids.

Wonderful programs here, our Cane Corso went through puppy class, beginner one, beginner two and beginner three. We will attend the Rally class next. Staff is very knowledgeable and professional. Very reasonable costs, sure the first day of class could be hectic but with online registration everything went smoothly for us. read more