For anyone reading this review, I would like to state that my review is not based on the location but specifically on the dog trainer Jennifer Burns who will be at this location as she does a few locations. I am a pet owner of a 6 1/2 month old puppy named Elsa and met Jennifer through Karma dog training puppy classes in South Austin. *I do have a very extensive review on their austin location for more information* but i have had nothing but amazing experiences. Understand that when deciding to commit to training for your pet in a positive way, it takes commitment. I have noticed that in previous classes i've been through, some owners didn't get the best out of their time because they simply lacked the motivation but with Jennifer, shes very motivating and very positive with her methods and if you are seriously dedicated to your animal; she will be too! We attended the puppy kindergarten class and basic obedience. Both classes are the same in the aspect that they teach the same lessons; sit, down, stay, recall, touch, stop means go, loose leash walking, and leave it. The difference however, in puppy class they do multiple off leash breaks indoors for supervised puppy interaction and rewarding based on positive behaviors and will get into puppy relaxation time(desensitizing your pet to touch all around) as well as troubleshooting any puppy teething and potty training or any other confusions a first time owner may have with a puppy! When in basic obedience, there is no off leash time and is strictly work time for the dog. depending on how your pet progresses, Jennifer always encourages the 3 D's(duration, distance, distraction) when incorporating the same lessons to enhance your pets learning capability and training to be more efficient when out in public. With all of that being said........................ I am very dedicated to my Elsa for reasons beyond words and have intentions on getting her to achieve her CGC. I've looked at a few dog classes before Karma but ultimately decided on Karma as the best fit and since Elsa was 8 weeks, i have no regrets. when we go into the pet stores for treats and i see the local pet training classes going on and they see Elsa in a stay position while their pets are going crazy on the leash towards my dog, I know i've made the right choice. For a puppy at least, im confident knowing she is far more advanced than most dogs we encounter her age and im grateful because none of it would have been possible without Jennifer and her guidance:) Anyone who has the pleasure of meeting this woman and learning with her will be amazed! Sometimes it takes a little patience at first, keep in mind their are multiple dogs in any given class, but if you are there, she will make her way to you and you will be in good hands! read more

Kharma Dog Training has been nothing short of wonderful since our first email exchange with them regarding our lovely, but crazy pup, Henley. We received immediate communication, which I can't tell you how wonderful and comfortable that makes me feel with a company I've never dealt with before. Khala, one of the trainers, reached out to us and has been A-MAZING to work with. She came out to our house (she lives down south) so it's a LOOONG haul from her house to our house so that was super nice. She came to our house to take 1-1/2 hours to assess our Henley, his behavior, what he knows and what he doesn't, etc. I couldn't believe how responsive he was with her and she was so nice the entire time. She never got frustrated, like I probably would've gotten, haha, she just would reiterate what she wanted him to do and he definitely listened and was really responsive with her. She was very professional and super sweet, bringing along her backpack full of all different kinds of treats and a really awesome treat pouch that I will be getting for myself as well! I asked so many questions and she graciously and patiently answered every single one of them in extent. I learned so much in that hour and a half than I had in 4 years of owning our own dog. We signed up for 3 private sessions to start out with with Khala and we are definitely going to attend the group obedience courses as well. She gave us so many tools to be able to practice with Henley at home that I feel really comfortable doing it and she assured me I could text/email her day or night with any questions and she would respond and I believe her - she hasn't let us down yet! If you and your dog need training, call/email Kharma Dog Training! They are very very nice, responsive and excellent trainers. We're so glad we reached out to them! Thank you guys!!! The prices are very competitive too! With 3 private sessions it came out to $320. That included the 1-1/2 hours assessment and 2 1 hour and 15 minutes sessions. Not too bad! The prices per session go down the more you buy and if you do the hybrid. At this point, we didn't do the hybrid just because we wanted to try the first class and see if we like it (I'm sure we will) and then Khala will put us on the Hybrid pricing. Very cool and flexible!! You don't see that very often! read more

I can't say enough about Jennifer Burnside as a dog trainer-extraordinaire! She is like a "dog whisperer". We started our 9-10 week old Golden Retriever in a Karma Dog's puppy training and socialization class taught by Jennifer. She was an excellent trainer and gave specialized attention to each of the puppies. She also supervised the off-leash socialization ensuring that none of the puppies played too roughly. Our puppy, Maya, learned a lot and mastered some of the basic commands - sit, down, come, etc. Jennifer stresses the importance of the puppies first learning hand signals for the commands before introducing the verbal commands. We followed up the puppy training with some individual instruction. We engaged Jennifer for 3 days of Reverse Board & Training when I had to go out of town. Jennifer worked with Maya several hours each of those three days. Maya's progress was remarkable. She no longer jumps when seeing new people - she sits or lies down so they can pet her! She improved on her "leave-its" and other basic commands. Jennifer also assisted with crate and potty training. She is much more manageable and well behaved. Jennifer uses a positive training approach and is never negative. She is very encouraging and helps Maya succeed. Maya and all the other dogs in class respond to her very well. Jennifer is also very good training us! She has helped us understand how to work with Maya to positively reinforce her training and understanding of the hand signals and verbal commands. Maya is now in the Karma Dog's Basic Obedience class and is working with Jennifer and other trainers in a group setting. We plan to continue to have Maya work with Jennifer in groups and individually so we will have a manageable and well trained adult dog! If you want to get your puppy off to a good start, we strongly recommend working with Jennifer Burnside at Karma Dog Training. read more

This past Sunday I attended a free trial class of puppy kindergarten. I found Karma Dog Training on Yelp and was drawn to it by the amazing reviews. I called hoping there would be a spot for us to start puppy kindergarten and there was. Jeffery the owner is who I spoke with and he answered all my questions and quickly followed up with an email with all the details on the free trial class! I was amazed, literally after hanging up the phone with him I had an email with everything I needed to know! Mayra & Ashley were the wonderful trainers and led the group with positivity and confidence. They gave every puppy a generous amount of attention and instruction. The session we started with was a more difficult task, "loose leash walking", but they were SUPER helpful and made me and Riggins, my puppy feel comfortable. Mayra and Ashley thoroughly explained all the training tasks and methods before we tried them and assisted when needed. I loved that the class was small, only 3 other puppies in the class and with 2 trainers, each puppy received a ton of attention, direction, and POSITIVE reinforcement. They also spray/disinfect for PARVO, which is a huge fear all new puppy owners have. I love Karma's approach to positive training methods and that part of the class was "socialization" that is a huge reason why were are taking puppy classes, aside from wanting a well-behaved pup. As soon as I left I couldn't wait to share my awesome experience with my family. Mayra and Ashley were wonderful, I am excited to continue to work with them, whenever I had a question they were quick to respond with a thorough answer. Riggins loved his first puppy class and we are both excited to continue the series. I cannot wait to see how much we learn as dog owners and the progress Riggins will make as he grows up. read more

My husband and I are VERY thankful for Karma Dog Training! In February we picked up a 9 week old Am. Staff puppy Gunner - who was very much so in the "puppy" stage! Not having trained a puppy in 5 years we were at a loss and wondering if this was the best decision... After an online search we came across Karma Dog Training and was able to speak with Jeffrey by phone the same day. We enrolled with our first one-on-one in home session with Khala and were blown away by the results. After an hour of working with her we learned sit, down, and roll over. We were left with the tips on how to continue training on these along with other helpful information on integrating Gunner into our pack of two adult pitbulls. We also were encouraged to enroll in the Sunday Puppy Kindergarten through Karma in Sugarland (also one of the best decisions ever). Although we didn't continue all of the daily training at home we do utilize the commands as much as possible and have seen positive results. Gunner now knows how to sit, stay, down, come, look at me, go to bed and for the most park walking on a leash properly. This past weekend Khala visited our home again for a one-on-one in home session. This time we were battling Gunner as a 5 month old puppy who counter surfs and picks fights with our 6 year old male. Khala gave us great tips and homework to battle this issue along with letting us know Gunner would eventually be the dominant male dog of the household. Now that we know this, we have the tools and ability to continue to mold him into an obedient dog. Khala has been a LIFESAVER to our family!! She does well with all of our animals and you can tell she truly cares about her job. I appreciate her help and feedback when training Gunner. Thank you all!!! read more

Just want to update, we had our final session last night with Khala! It won't be the last one, though, thats for sure. I can't say enough good things about Karma, and Khala especially! She is awesome! My pups were so happy to see her last night, and she is so good with them! My problem dog has excelled by leaps and bounds! Khala even mentioned last night how nice it was to be able to sit on the floor and not have Delta jumping all over her. She has made tremendous progress since our first visit with Khala. If we spent more time personally working with Delta, she would be much further along. But with my schedule, I am not able to. Mostly my daughter works with Delta and she's been doing a great job! I have no doubt that we have still not seen Deltas full potential. We were pretty excited to see Khala too! She is so personable and so sweet! I know she left my house late, and she does not live close to me. So even after a long 10hr day, and getting home super late, she still took the time to email me about our session. She does this after every single session, which is SUPER helpful. So much information is shared, especially in the first few sessions, that it can be really hard to remember everything, or specific details, or how she said to handle this or that. I love that Khala always emails everything to me! Even special recipes for my daughter to make the dogs homemade treats! If you're thinking about having someone help you with training, please call Karma, and request Khala! You will NOT be disappointed. read more

I am so happy I found Karma dog training. I used an another trainer, and while she was very helpful, the previous trainer was lacking in the ability to involve us in training. I went to the other trainers dog obedience class, and myself and my dog were put in a corner in a hallway to keep us separate from the other dogs because we were new to the class. At Karma dog classes, socializing is a huge part of the class, as it is a huge part of a dog's life. That was the first thing that signaled to me that these people are serious about helping us and our dogs lead happier lives. Myra is our trainer now, and I knew she was the one for us when she went over her lesson time to sit on the floor with my children and answer every single one of their questions. She is amazing, and she has helped us tremendously. The Karma classes are also great. The trainers do EVERYTHING they can to help your dog. We have a 6 month old rescue pittie who is very shy. Noelle lets us attend the older dog class so our pup can get socialized, and then she also lets us attend the smaller class in Sugar land so the puppy can actually get some training..amazing! No one does things like that anymore! They truly care about our dogs. I will never use another trainer or attend another class other than Karma dog. Oh, and did I mention that the owner actually returns phone calls and emails? Oh, I forgot to mention...they care about dogs so much, that they give discounts for pit bulls and rescue dogs. I love Karma Dog! read more

I recently adopted Pluto from the SL animal shelter and while cute, adorable, and cuddly, I knew immediately he had no knowledge of basic commands or obedience. I contacted a few trainers around Sugar Land and Karma immediately responded with personal inquiries and I did not want to wait so I chose them. They were friendly, not aggressive, and reasonably priced. They also had a discount because he was a rescue. I am not disappointed! In fact, quite the opposite. I couldn't afford to wait and have Pluto fall into bad habits so I wanted obedience training from the get-go. Piret has been extremely helpful in this regard. She helped identify what issues to address first and worked with me during class and train me so I could train him at home. Of course we also train Pluto during class, but I need to know what to do at home the rest of the week for consistency. In three sessions so far with Piret as our trainer, I have seen vast improvement in Pluto's behavior and he has become more focused. It has also strengthened the bond between Pluto and I. Piret is very knowledgeable about dog behaviors and can see right through the heart of the issue in a few moments of interacting with the dog, and knows how to correct it. It is impressive and speaks volumes about her skills with all types of breeds of dogs. I will also be taking advantage of their private in home training in the future and hope Piret will still be around with Karma when Pluto and I are ready in my new house in a few months. read more

My wife and I recently made the decision to make an addition to our family in the form of a border collie/blue Lacey mix. We knew we needed to work with our new addition (Olive) soon and often as border collies are extremely smart and need a task to keep busy. We found karma dog training while surfing the internet for puppy classes, and decided to give it a shot. We had previously started training on our own at home and she was getting everything fairly quickly, but we needed the socialization aspect that Karma provides. Upon arrival we were welcomed by Mayra and surprised to see the protocols that they took to make sure our puppy and others had a safe, clean environment to socialize and learn in. Mayra is an amazing instructor as she went through each step of the days lesson once with the group as a whole and then on an individual 1on1 basis with every owner there. The socialization periods were monitored and at every point I felt confident and safe about what was going on. There is a different lesson every week and even a review of a past lesson if you need it. Personally my wife and I have an extremely busy and sporadic schedule, so when we had to miss a few Sunday's we were concerned Olive would fall behind. Mayra was extremely accommodating and let us make up every single session! I couldn't be happier with the services from Karma Dog Training and Mayra. The staff (sorry I don't remember everyone's name) was just as helpful and awesome! read more

Update: I wanted to write an update to this review. Karma was very understanding with my issues and concerns and came to a fair agreement. I truly appreciate businesses when they are understanding and always want the client to be happy. It says a lot about the owner and I appreciate all that they have done to make the situation better for my pup and I. I honestly went to karma dog training bc I have never seen a training facility with such high ratings on yelp. I am beyond disappointed with them. The trainer who originally sent me a message in Houston is AMAZING, Khala. This is the only reason I gave them a 2 star review. She talked to me for so long as I vented to her about my issues with my puppy. Only thing is, she was not available at the time I needed to board and train my pup. However, she still emailed so many locations/people for me so I could get someone to train my pup while I was away. I was finally set up with a trainer in Austin. So I drove all the way to Austin from Houston for someone to watch my puppy for a board and train. I will say, I was not pleased with how things went. My puppy has barely improved and I have struggled so much. I paid sooo much $$$ for this board and train thinking it would be worth it. The only thing that has made it ok was knowing I have unlimited group classes for 6 months and 2 follow up sessions with Khala who has been so amazing. read more

We brought our gsd puppy, Bishop, in to Karma dog training hoping to get a better understanding of how to train such a high energy dog. And while he is sweet, he is also very mouthy. The information I was reading online just wasn't helping and Karma had such high ratings so we decided to try it out. They even offer the first class for free to see if Karma is the right fit for you. Ashley & Mayra were amazing! They are so knowledgeable and were able to answer a bunch of questions I had when I first came in so I enrolled him for the entire 7 week session. Each week you learn a different command and the trainers are very clear about why certain things work and why they don't. They also go around to each pet parent and give them individualized attention, and being a small class, it made it a lot easier to learn but still gave the dogs a chance to socialize. Bishop gets so excited when we pull up to the parking lot and by the end of the session, he's exhausted. I don't have any negative things to say about Karma. They were helpful, love what they do, love the dogs and were able to give us a lot of advice. When one method doesn't seem to work with our dog, they were able to provide other alternatives. While Bishop still has a ways to go, his overall behavior has improved because they taught us better ways of dealing with him. read more

We worked with James Clay at Karma Dog Training and it was fantastic! We left the country for 2 weeks on vacation and decided to do a board and train package for our 1 1/2 year old dog while we were gone. We are having our first baby in 4 months and wanted to get some obedience/behavior training started so our dog could be ready for our new baby. James asked us lots of questions about what we wanted to accomplish (reduce jumping and mouthing, prohibit her from getting on the couches that we had previously allowed and encouraged, and generally improve her compliance with commands). James then sent us videos of his training techniques and her progress while we were abroad, which was great for both our own learning as well as just nice to see our dog that we missed. He also sent a few short text videos that were welcomed just showing us the good time she was having with his own dogs. Once we came home, James came to our house for an hour to summarize the techniques we can use and we have been using them every day since. Our dog is definitely better at heeding our commands, virtually no jumping or mouthing, and has only tried to get on the couches a few times, always getting down as soon as we start to tell her to do so. HIGHLY recommend working with James Clay for Board and Train. read more

We are long time dog/pet lovers, but have been pet free for a few years and recently rescued a 3 month old Great Pyranese mix in March 2015. This is the largest breed we've had, and we knew we needed official training now that we have small children. After much research, we decided to go with Karma Dog training and have completed puppy training and now moving into obedience training with future hopes to do their therapy dog training. From the first contact with Karma Dog, they have been professional, responsive, and thoughtful with all the different training options they offer to fit your schedule and budget. Jennifer has been our trainer and we knew the first day we met her that she was gifted and that we were definitely going to stick with her! Sky (our pyranese) had some typical traits of a rescue dog (somewhat shy, tentative, uncertain about trusting humans), and after our 2nd class with Jennifer, these traits diminished significantly and she was sitting, laying down, smiling, going to bed and loose leash walking on command! Jennifer has given us practical skills, all positive based, and has a true heart for all types of dog personalities! She is creative, warm, and firm- exactly what we need! We are grateful to have her and Karma Dog and look forward to each class. read more

I enrolled my lab mix puppy in Karma dog training puppy kindergarten class a few weeks ago and I can already see a huge improvement. The biggest problem I had with him was his puppy biting, before the class, I researched the internet and pretty much tried everything that was mentioned but nothing worked. After the first puppy kindergarten class, I spoke to Jennifer about the puppy biting issue and she gave me some tips which I started right away and there has been a huge improvement. I really look forward to going to the puppy kindergarten class with my puppy and my puppy LOVES going. He gets socialization and lots of positive training. Nothing Jennifer does is negative. One thing I wish I would've done was start earlier than I did. I read the recommendation on their website to start before 3 months and almost did but my vet didn't want my puppy to start until he had all his vaccinations. I can say that Jennifer and her team take it very seriously and make sure that everyone's shoes are sanitized before they come into the puppy area and the area has also been sanitized prior to the class. Each week I look forward to Saturday and can't wait for my puppy to see his friends and learn something new. I would definitely recommend Karma Dog Training! read more

Recently I was leaving on a two week trip, and needed somewhere to board my one-year-old Staffy mix Roscoe. Roscoe is very social and high energy and needed some extra training, so Karma was the perfect solution for me to make sure he was getting lots of positive attention while I was gone. We boarded with James, and right away I knew we were in good hands. James obviously cares a lot about dogs and their individual personalities, and he was always friendly and affectionate with Roscoe. He really took the time to get to know both of us before our board and train weeks, and he created a personalized two-week curriculum for Roscoe. He sent videos and photos every day I was away so that I could see how well Roscoe was doing and how happy he was in James' care. At the end of my trip, I picked up a happy, healthy dog who had learned some new good house manners. I've seen a huge improvement in Roscoe's behavior since he stayed with James and worked with the Karma team. After boarding, James came to our home for follow-up sessions, and this was super helpful to reinforce what we'd both learned in Roscoe's own environment (and Roscoe was so happy to see him!). I would absolutely recommend the Karma team and James to anyone needing training, boarding, or both!! read more

There are not enough words to express how happy we are with Karma Dog Training. Everyone we have interacted with at Karma has been so welcoming, and they have delivered great service consistently with amazing professionalism. After registering our newest pup Rufus (full beagle.. if you're familiar with beagles they are not the easiest to handle) for Karma's train and board program, we were introduced to our trainer Khala. KHALA IS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!!!! With only a week of training we were absolutely dumbfounded by the results she had provided. Rufus is SO well behaved and COMPLETELY potty trained (including bell training!) after staying with Khala. Their methods of positive reinforcement definitely produce great results, and we could not ask for a better experience. Further, while dealing with a recent tragedy, Khala took the time to help us find a last minute sitter for our pups, and went above and beyond to accommodate us in a very stressful time. We highly, highly recommend Karma Dog Training. After utilizing other companies in the past, we would never use another trainer again! Our fur baby is such a well behaved dog thanks to Karma and we cannot thank you all enough!! THANK YOU KARMA DOG TRAINING, YOU ALL ARE THE BEST! read more

I found out about karma training through Yelp back in February. I was at my wits end because my puppy had severe separation anxiety and was afraid of everything. I submitted my email inquiring about their services and they responded within the day and listened to everything I was concerned about for my pup. We got paired up with Mayra and couldn't be happier. She is very professional and loves all of her clients. She was very patient with my pet, Perico. Our first lesson consisted of him getting familiar with her as he was very shy but by the end of the lesson they were best friends. Each week we had homework to do and if I ever had a question she was a text away. I am very happy with the results by the end of our lessons. Perico now enjoys going outside and has the confidence of a regular puppy. I definitely recommend her as a trainer. I also used their boarding services when I had to fly out one weekend. Perico stayed with Mayra and he was super happy he didn't even notice I left. She was attentive to all his needs, especially because he was having some digestive issues. She would update me regularly via texts and call. I am very pleased with my experience with Karma and Mayra. read more

We did a 12 day reverse board and train in our home for our six month old St. Berdoodle puppy Radley. Our trainer was James Clay and he was amazing! It was our first time leaving Radley for any length of time. He had never even been left alone in the house. Radley was happy and relaxed the entire time, and learned some key life skills- including getting in and out of the car on his own (critical as he is half Saint Bernard and was getting too big for us to lift and carry), staying in the house by himself, and better impulse control to stop jumping and demand barking. He also improved on loose lease walking, going to his place and sharpened his basic obedience skills. Most importantly, it was clear that James loved dogs, and was super patient and attentive with our giant pup. We got daily videos and photos, showing Radley's training progress, teaching us new ways to work with Radley. Radley was so happy, and having James there made us feel so at ease, knowing Radley was not only learning a lot, but also getting the best care. The only downside is that Radley misses James and their daily adventures! read more

It's incredibly hard to know what to do with a new dog's bad behavior since there's so much conflicting information online. Having someone who's seen so many dogs assess your situation (and dog) one on one proved to be wildly helpful. My trainer Karina has been so patient and informative on how to teach my dog better manners. The bulk of the work is obviously still up to the owner with consistency and rewarding good behavior, but through a few private lessons I've gotten great groundwork to keep building off. My dog has stopped barking at other dogs and is getting better on a leash daily. Karina went gone above and beyond bringing her own polite dog to put up with my rude and rambunctious one, continuing to answer my questions and even suggesting possible rescues (when I asked) after thinking I wouldn't be able to keep him. But because of the training visibly working after a couple weeks + my new knowledge of dog behavior + realistic expectations, I've decided to keep Chips around. Would recommend to anyone feeling lost or anxious because of their out of control pooch, they certainly helped me. read more