Karma Dog Training

(261 reviews)

Rosa was awesome! She was so patient with us and our dog. His aggression was so bad and she really…read morebrought it down. She showed us how to react and not to react when seeing another dog and now we can introduce our dog to others safely. Thank you Rosa!!!!

My dog Beckham is a mix breed and he is 5 1/2 years old and he was trained by Jonathan. With the…read moreamount of time we had with him (we signed up for 9 sessions), he did so much with him/us. We trained both at home/outdoors and at a local park. He was so patient with Beckham, as well as with us. His directions were clear and direct. He was always available even on the phone when we would video tape Beckham on his training, always there to give us great feedback. I also enjoyed the fact that he got all the family members involved (my two kids that are 13 and 21). Jonathan was very flexible and worked with our schedule. We would highly recommend him to anybody that needs help with training.

Dog Busters

(70 reviews)

We sent our puppy to train with Cara for 10 days. the puppy came back to us much more mellow and…read morewell behaved. Cara did a great job! Puppy does many commands now. We had a particular issue with her biting us and she no longer bites. I love that o can tezt her with questions anytime Cara has given us great advice and we will continue to use and recommend her !

Cara is excellent training your dog. She is very knowledgeable and very patient. Has great methods…read morethat does not include a shock dog collar. I would highly recommend her!

Bark Busters Home Dog Training San Diego

(474 reviews)

Bark Busters came to us highly recommended. After some research and reviewing Ted Talk and…read morearticles, I signed up our two rescue mix breed ~20lb boys. We are grateful to James of BB who placed us with Jenna. Our boys issues: high reactivity outside, especially other dogs, and inside, door bell, ring cameras, etc. Coupled with greetings by jumping and owning the house. Jenna set us on a path of activities for inside and was incredibly patient letting me share and ask questions, learning constantly. As we fine-tuned and we all got more comfortable we moved our training to outside. The methodology used is absolutely amazing and, I dare say, short of a miracle. We practice regularly and introduce the boys to different circumstances. All that food luring and positive food reinforcement training certainly has its place but only the techniques of BB with Jenna has helped our boys become trusting, comfortable, and happy. Here I thought I had to scan the horizon constantly to be aware of incoming dogs to prepare myself to hide behind a car or go in the corner behind garbage cans to get maximum distance. Not true. I walk no longer with my head on a lazy susan. We all are forever grateful. Our boys can lead richer more social lives. Thank you!!!

I'm updating my original 6-month review now that it has been a full year since we hired Bark…read moreBusters to help with our rescue dog Mimi. As first-time dog owners, the early support really did help us. Having someone we could call during those overwhelming first months was a relief. Over time, though, I realized I was hoping the training would shift toward more positive reinforcement. The constant, harsher corrections worked at first but eventually didn't seem effective anymore and started affecting my relationship with Mimi. I noticed this during a family trip where Mimi, who is usually fearful of strangers, bonded more easily with my husband and his family. She gravitated toward them when scared, and I realized it might be because they weren't following the correction-heavy approach, while I was. I also asked for help with Mimi's fear and reactivity toward other dogs, but was told they didn't have dogs available for training and that I would need to bring a calm, socialized dog myself. As a non-trainer, that was very hard, but we tried by traveling many hours to introduce her to my husband's family dog. The experience ended up being chaotic since the family didn't fully understand what the process required, and new people and dogs kept appearing even though Mimi wasn't ready. Her reactivity came back in that environment, which made me feel like the training had only put a bandaid on deeper fear issues. Maybe I should have clarified expectations better from the start, but with a high-need dog and being new to all of this, I didn't know what to expect. Since then, we've switched to a positive reinforcement trainer who organizes structured group activities. Mimi is still scared of bigger dogs and can still be reactive, but she's improving slowly and has been able to meet a few smaller dogs. She's also still fearful of people, but she nips a lot less now, so progress is happening. Overall, Bark Busters helped us in the beginning, but long-term we found that a different, more positive approach has been a better fit for Mimi.

Dogs On The Run

(340 reviews)

We hired Dogs on the Run to have our dog be part of our wedding day in June 2025, and I truly…read morecannot recommend them enough!! Especially our handler, Misty! From the very beginning, Misty was incredible. She carved out time weeks before the wedding for us to meet each other and talk about our dog's (Louie) temperament, our expectations, and the full game plan for the big day. It gave us so much peace of mind knowing she was prepared and genuinely cared about making everything go smoothly. On the wedding day, she was amazing. She arrived early to the Airbnb and was able to get used to walking and handling Louie. She walked Louie down the aisle, handled him and helped him greet guests during the ceremony and cocktail hour, and kept everything completely stress-free for us. She kept us updated via text throughout the day, and when it was time to drop him back off at our Airbnb in the evening, she sent photos and updates so we knew he was settled and happy. She even left us the sweetest wedding gift, which was such a thoughtful touch. Misty was kind, professional, organized, and clearly loves what she does. We are SO grateful for her and would absolutely book Dogs on the Run again. Highly, highly recommend!

Each of the pet professionals who have cared for our dogs over the past 3 years have been…read morefantastic. Tracey is in a league of her own though--she is one of the most caring, communicative, thoughtful, kind people we've had the good fortune to meet. She loves our dogs like they are her own. She's always sending adorable pictures from their walks, funny stories about their adventures/shenanigans. We recently lost our eldest pug, Cooper, and she was the first person I contacted because I knew she loved him so much! She gave us the most precious pictures of him and a pug wind chime so when we hear the chime we can remember him. I share that example because that shows you how big of a heart she has...it's huge! I'm so grateful for DOTR for connecting us with her!

Performance K9 Training

(91 reviews)

Shout out to K9's Doggy Day Care and Boarding! Luke and…read moreMaggie May are always so excited to go play with their canine buddies--it's truly their favorite place! The entire K9 team is absolutely amazing and clearly love our dogs as much as we do. Play time is the best time, and I always know they've had a blast because they come home completely "dog" tired (the best kind of tired!). Thank you so much for loving and caring for our fur babies like family. We're so grateful! Highly recommend!!!

I took my buddy Hoss for training. He is a Bullmastiff and was what I called aggressively…read morefriendly.... He could not control his love for people.... He jumped on people scratched and was a crazy big guy.... After two weeks I was shocked at how he changed... night and day. He is now a controllable very friendly guy. They turned him from a crazy ball of energy... to a wonderful family member. He even obeys our granddaughter who is 7 when she tells him to go to his place

Woof Academy

(121 reviews)

Rachel was an amazing puppy training instructor! She provided excellent tips, practical guidance,…read moreand clear explanations that were easy to follow. She was very knowledgeable and always willing to answer any questions. We learned so much and saw real progress with our puppy throughout the program. I highly recommend Rachel and Woof Academy to anyone looking for an effective, positive puppy training experience.

I have my puppy Butters in both the Puppy Socialization camp and their Puppy group training program…read moreand I've seen so much progress with how he's getting along with other dogs and he's been very hesitant and leash reactive once I could finally start socializing him safely with other dogs. I first started with their puppy socialization camp and he's been to around 12 so far and he went to a shy, timid puppy in the corner to making lots of friends and having a lot of fun during these 3 hour sessions! Then I put him in the Puppy group training program to help with his leash reactivity with other dogs and to also help with some basic commands and I've seen tremendous progress with how he's he is around larger dogs now. Everyone at the Woof Academy are also super friendly and want Butters to succeed and I would highly recommend this place to anyone!

The Balanced Pack Pet Care

(22 reviews)

Thought I would give a review since I've had Megan as my dog walker for roughly around 9 years now…read more Just goes to show how much we love her so much; we want to keep her as our own little secret! I found Megan when we had Flexo at the time. I looked everywhere for a specific type of walker. Our boy was a rescue with a rough background. He was reactive to dogs while on leash and took time to trust strangers. I definitely wanted a dog savvy walker! One who has a background in training and tough pups like ours. Since day one, I remember coming back from work and noticing our boy feeling a little more relaxed. Not as pent up or stressed. I quickly realized how much he needed this! Whatever his situation was before, I wanted to give him a better one, an upgrade. Megan helped me with that. She was very professional, confident, and worked with our boy during her walks. He eventually loosened up to her and her little girls and it was so great to hear how much he improved over time. Flexo has since passed, but we adopted another rescue, Brody. We had him at 7 months old and, although was the complete opposite of Flexo, his puppy stage proved to be quite the whirlwind, to say the least! While we did our part in training, Megan did her part with socializing and walking. He was a little ball of energy, but now at 3 yrs old, has since calmed down and is the best boy. He loves Megan and her pack (both humans and dogs)! She also does boarding and daycare. Another plus, she is very flexible! There are often times I've had to cancel last minute because I worked from home during the pandemic, and it was no issue. She also updates by leaving a message in a little notepad she provided. There are so many positives, I can't say enough how much we love having Megan as our walker. I only hope, if there comes a time when we have to move away, we can find someone just like her. She's definitely set the standard for who I want in a professional walker!

Megan and Marla are incredible! They are basically family at this point…read more After making a very late decision to visit family over the holidays, I desperately needed to find someone I could trust to take care of my dog, Wilson. I didn't want to leave him somewhere he would end up in a cage all night and most of the day. Fortunately, I found the Balanced Pack. Wilson stayed with Marla and her family during the 6 days I was gone. As any dog owner knows, a lot of stress accompanies leaving a dog with someone else for an extended period of time - even with friends. That was not the case with the Balanced Pack. I received regular updates and daily photos of a very happy Wilson. Further, it was so nice knowing that Wilson was with people who cared about him and had plenty of playtime with his canine buddies. The only concern was that I'd have to drag him back home ;-) Since then, I have used the Balanced Pack for day boarding on a regular basis. Megan picks him up every morning on time and then drops him off around 5:30pm and feeds him dinner. He is so excited when I tell him in the morning that Megan & Marla are coming. And it is amazing to come home from work and find your dog both exercised and fed. And I do mean it - Wilson has tons of energy and on days when Megan has him, he is worn out when I get home! That says something. The bottom line is that Megan and Marla are awesome. They will treat your dogs with love and care. And you will notice an extra gleam in your pet's eyes after a fun day with the Balanced Pack.

Canine Learning Centers

(62 reviews)

Excellent place to take your dog for obedience and/or behavioral issues. Laura is very experienced…read moreand knowledgeable. She has helped me with my Great Dane, Daisy. She even helped her not be scared around big dogs ! Thank you so much ! I will continue to use Laura to have a very well behaved Dane. I recommend her !!!!

I'm really disappointed in how this business handles communication and customer service. I enrolled…read morein a 4-week group training class for my 9 month old puppy. I reached out nine days before the first session to ask about moving to the following 4 week session since I would be missing two out of four classes. I wasn't asking for a refund--just to switch sessions. My email went unanswered, and I had to call the facility to leave a message before the owner finally texted me back. I was told there are no changes or cancellations allowed, and to simply watch videos for the weeks I'd miss. One of the main reasons I chose this trainer was for the in-person group training and socialization, which can't be replaced by videos. I can find plenty of training videos online. This 4 week training was expensive, but I was very much so excited to grow with a training facility nearby. As a Carlsbad local, I love supporting small businesses, but this experience has been very disappointing. A little flexibility and better communication would have gone a long way.

Dog Sense

(21 reviews)

Pam and her entire crew at Woofingham Palace are amazing. There is no doubt how much passion they…read morehave for the pets in their care, providing training and guidance to pet parents, and providing a safe facility for the fur kids and her staff. I got a new boxer puppy that was in desperate need of some socialization and proper etiquette when playing with other dogs. I signed up for the puppy socialization classes and within a matter of a few sessions I noticed a dramatic improvement. I'd give Pam 100 stars if I could.

Pam Chandler, of Dog Sense Training is truly amazing! I've been using her classes, pack walks, and…read moreprivate sessions for two dogs over about 2 1/2 years. She truly knows dogs and makes it fun and interesting for the humans too. She recently expanded by purchasing Woofingham Palace, so her new business name is rebranding to Woof Academy. Still amazing and just added a great location for classes, socialization sessions, and boarding.

Specialty Dog Training

4.6

(178 reviews)

Andres from Specialty dog training worked with my wife and I to train our new puppy, Daisy…read more As first time puppy owners we found ourselves pretty frustrated during our training with Daisy. We watched tons and tons of videos and things got slightly better but we really didn't see much behavior change until we worked with Andres. It's not that information online was good enough, it was that we didn't understand how to best execute the information. We also didn't know what information was good and what was garbage. Having Andres in our corner was truly helpful. He would answer any questions we had and I enjoyed his teaching style and his ability to breakdown concepts to us. He also genuinely loves the dogs he trains which made us feel comfortable leaving Daisy with him when she did board and train for a few weeks. Thanks for every Andres!

I enrolled my 3-year-old Rottweiler, Athena, in Specialty Dog Training's 6-week boot camp in…read moreOceanside from May 7-June 18, 2025, paying $4,400. She was healthy, fully vaccinated, and entered the program for leash control and mild resource guarding--especially important since I have a young nephew and a senior Great Dane at home. I asked multiple times to see her living space but was told no, as it would "disrupt other dogs"--something I now deeply regret accepting. Midway through training, my Great Dane was diagnosed with bone cancer. I called to stress the importance of Athena's continued progress. A trainer suggested extending her program, which I considered, but ultimately declined. I wanted her home while my Dane was still strong. On June 11, days before her return, I dropped off food and was told training had slowed because the trainer "assumed" I was extending--something I never confirmed. Then on June 15, I received a text saying she had mild nasal discharge and would see a vet. By 4:00 PM, I was called by that vet: Athena had a 106°F fever and was in critical conditionwith suspected pneumonia. I found her barely breathing, still wearing a prong collar, and rushed her to the ER. She required oxygen sewn into her nostrils, IV fluids, and overnight emergency care totaling $7,500. Vets confirmed pneumonia typically incubates over 2-14 days, meaning she was likely sick long before staff noticed. I was later told there had been an increase in kennel cough cases at the facility--yet I was never informed. No one at Specialty Dog Training has taken responsibility--financially or emotionally. I was left with: * A dog who nearly died * A traumatized animal with worsened behavioral issues * Thousands in emergency bills * A sick dog I had to isolate from my terminally ill Great Dane * And zero visible results from the training I paid for This experience was devastating, both emotionally and financially. Specialty Dog Training failed my dog, failed my trust, and offered no support or resolution in return. I strongly caution others to think twice before enrolling a pet in their care.

San Marcos Veterinary Clinic

4.4

(373 reviews)

Great experience all around! First time patient. The whole process was seamless. Highly recommend!read more

They were able to see my dog the day I called. The vet performed a complete and detailed…read moreexamination and recommended a course of action that fixed the problem! I was impressed by the completeness of care - the exam was more thorough than my dogs recent annual exam at another vet office. I'll be bringing my dog back for any future vet care needs. 5 stars, I recommend you bring your pets here too!

Anicira Veterinary Center of San Diego

(161 reviews)

The entire process was great, from making the appointment to check in to pick up. Everyone I…read moreinteracted with was very nice. I've recommended you to many friends as well as online when people ask for recommendations for their pets surgical needs. While I love my regular vet, the cost of the dental and extractions were more than half at Anicira.

I have been very hesitant to get my dog neutered for a while, but I was referred to this place…read morethrough a trusted veterinarian who didn't provide the service themselves. Anicira made this experience so easy. I felt extremely comfortable dropping my dog off with them for the service. I loved to see the service providers afterwards in the office, giving their expertise and counseling to other patients. You can really see the level of care that these vet's and staff provide for their animals and owners. This place is very busy, but they have a very structured and very efficient check-in and pick up process. It was easy, quick, and I was able to get very clear after care instructions for my dog.

Loving Hands Veterinary Services

(81 reviews)

If you ever find yourself facing one of the hardest moments a pet owner can experience, I cannot…read morerecommend Loving Hands Veterinary Services and Dr. Tiffany enough. During an incredibly heartbreaking time for our family, they showed a level of care, compassion, and understanding that went far beyond what we expected. They truly understood that Nala was not just a pet, but a deeply loved member of our family, and they treated her with dignity, gentleness, and genuine respect every step of the way. What stands out most is the extra care they took to make sure we were able to bring our baby girl home for Christmas. That kindness meant more to us than words can fully express, and it's something I will always be grateful for. In one of the most painful moments of our lives, Loving Hands Veterinary Services and Dr. Tiffany provided comfort, compassion, and grace. I'm incredibly thankful for them and the kindness they showed our family when we needed it most.

They were caring and sensitive through this difficult time. We greatly appreciated their kindness.read more

VCA Aviara Animal Hospital

4.4

(150 reviews)

Dr. Ben Singh is my all-time favorite veterinarian. He has been my go to veterinarian for several…read moreyears, I have nothing but positive experiences, highly recommend.

So please let me tell you a true story…read more My pup has been shaking his head more than usual last few days so I became concerned. I'm colorblind so I cannot see if they are red but my excellent groomer always helps me out with this and she said his ears were hugely inflamed. I immediately called VCA bc he was clearly even more uncomfortable today. To be clear, they are... were, my vet. The tech on the phone, after describing my situation, said, "ummm, well we can get him in Friday afternoon " I said, "wait, what do you mean? I'm not trying to be an a22 but... I just told you my dog is in severe discomfort and it's Tuesday morning... you're telling me I cannot get in to see a doctor for 3.5 days for 10 minutes to get some ear medicine for him. His in pain... " She said, yes, that is correct, no can do. I was gobsmacked. I had to take him to the vet ER (VEG in Encinitas--- GREAT PEOPLE)! But totally freak the dog out and spend 3x what a vet would have cost to give my pup the relief he needed. Again--- I had a dog in severe discomfort and my vet was absolutely ready to help in 3-4 days. Wilco Tango Foxtrot???? 2 stars bc they apparently neutered him effectively 7 months ago! Run screaming from this place!

Coastal Animal Hospital

4.7

(109 reviews)

I have a FELV cat that needs attention to his needs, being I am a foster Mom I want to give kudos…read moreto Coastal Animal Hospital They took my cat in right away to examine him and do blood work, he put up a fight but the staff was unbelievable in caring for him Dr Gibbs is amazing, he was caring, and the following day he emailed me with results. He gave me suggestions for taking care of him and some meds to help him. The staff is amazing. I have never been in a animal hospital where they showed concern Since I am a foster mom and have taken the cats to various animal hospitals Coastal is by far the most professional, caring ,staff and doctor Gibbs is amazing You can see by the yelp reviews that I am not the only one who thinks highly of them Thank you Dr Gibbs and staff for treating my cat with respect, and care

Dr Gibbs and all the Staff are professional and caring!…read moreFacility is modern and spotless! Always take care of my fur baby

San Marcos Blvd Veterinary Hospital and Urgent Care

(83 reviews)

Can't say enough nice things about this veterinarian hospital and staff. I have had to bring pets…read moreto them in dire situations. First was my big Maine coon cat who was having severe kidney issues. Dr. Bowdre and staff were so thoughtful and kind and with all of their recommendations he is still thriving today. About 10 days ago my 16-year-old rescue Yorkie was failing quickly. I'll spare you the details. I was treated kindly and respectfully at a time where I was truly heartbroken. The next day I brought her in and held her to the very end. I miss her a lot, and the other dogs mourned her. But what happened before all of that was what I want you to know. The vet-tech came in with a little silver platter. On it with a tongue, depressor coated in cheese-wiz and three Hershey's kisses. She had not eaten in three days, however, she lifted her little head and enjoyed her final treats. Chocolate, you say? Something I would've never given her, however, I figured this was her Thelma and Louise moment. That act of kindness and a little bit of a chuckle still warms my heart.

Facility was clean ! The staff were polite and gentle . Dr. Iverach was very thorough !read more

San Elijo Hills Veterinary Clinic