Kevin is amazing! He made an immediate impact on our willful 3-year old Labradoodle. She was a leash puller, yanking us this way and that. Kevin came in and trained us how to be in control at all times. Now she heals beside us like a perfectly trained pup. Kevin will teach you every you need but you have to put the work in as a dog parent. We practiced in between our sessions Kevin with Kevin and it really paid off. We HIGHLY recommend Kevin and Leash Loverz! read more

KEVIN KIRKISH IS A SCAM. PLEASE DO NOT HIRE HIM. To follow Jennifer's review from 2019, it is almost spot on to what happened to us and it is now 2022. So it is scary to think how long he has been taking payments and not following through on his dog training lessons. We found Kevin and Leash Loverz on bark.com. We put in our info and dog training needs on bark.com and Kevin responded immediately via text. In a few mins, he was calling and asking for more details on our dog training needs and advertising his rates. We set up an initial consultation and he met us and our 2 dogs at our home. He spent 1 hour working with us to demonstrate his training techniques and what we can expect if we decided to hire him. Everything appeared great and we decided to sign a contract for 8 lessons. He offered that if we paid up front, he would give us a discount because PayPal charges him $50 to use their app. We believed him and paid him up front. Our next session, he showed up 10 mins late, but we had a good training session with our 2 dogs. Our 2nd session, the morning of, 2 hours before hand, Kevin texted saying his grandparent was ill and had to reschedule. We understood and planned to meet the next week. Our 3rd session, he did not show. When we texted him, he stated he double booked us with another client and if he could come in 2 hours. We agreed. But in 30 mins, he texted back saying the client had to leave and he could come to us in 30 mins. We had a session that day but 1 hour later than our scheduled time. Our 4th session, we met Kevin at our local park. He explained we needed to add distractions to our training which made sense. However, he had us training the dogs in the middle of the street with several cars driving by. I told him I would feel more comfortable training on the basketball court where it is safer for the dogs. Our 5th session, we planned to meet at the park again but Kevin did not show. We called and texted but no response. Phone calls went straight to voicemail. 30 mins after, he texted us back with a long explanation that his phone died. He was in Oakland helping his girlfriend with some car trouble. He promised to PayPal us for the misses session. We never got refunded the money. But we planned to meet the next week. Next session, Kevin did not show again. At the scheduled time, he texted us saying he would not be able to make it and that he would then refund us for 2 missed sessions. We never received a refund. He then continued to text that if we could give him another chance to meet the next week. And that he did not have the means to pay us the refund. That he was waiting til the next week to get money. This was a terrible experience and I have since wrote to Wag, Bark, and PayPal about Kevin Kirkish to monitor and remove him from their companies. I hope this does not happen to any other pet owners because it was distressing to us and to our pets. We invested time on our days off to be active in our dog's training but were not given the proper training. We also noticed that our dogs were stressed after our training sessions. After training days, our dogs would knock down the treat bin and eat everything in site. When we consulted Kevin, his only response was to give them treats as a reward after training. Kevin also did not use treats to train our dogs. Instead, he provided choke collars and leather leashes. He taught us to only use quick snaps of the collar as a guidance to train our dogs to sit, stay, and heal. Our dogs did well with sit/stay. However, heal was never really learned. I feel like the dogs were over worked and over choked in my honest opinion. Kevin shared with us that his only training is from his father, a past dog trainer. It did worry me that he did not have any formal training or experience. read more

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Kevin was attentive and accommodating, with scheduling our sessions. My puppy took direction well with his style of training. We made a lot of progress with the first initial session. Kevin is great with dogs, friendly and skilled. I would highly recommend Kevin to anyone that has a dog requiring training. read more

Leash Loverz provides 1-on-1 individualized, flexible 30-90 minutes training sessions from an unbelievably genuine/authentic/kind person that truly knows what he's doing: Kevin. I purchased a pack of sessions that we scheduled pretty much at my convenience to start training me to train my puppy when she was 12 weeks. Notice how I said "me"? Actually Kevin doesn't train my dog. He trains ME how to train my dog. That's what is important to know about hiring Kevin. He's going to train the person holding the leash, aka YOU, how to train the newest member of your family. Kevin explains his training methods very thoroughly and is always happy to go into detail about why we are training my puppy with a beginner like me who has countless questions. His methods involve leash training (hence his company name) and verbal praise versus treats. Not to discredit any of the negative reviews, but my experience couldn't have been different. read more

If you're reading this, the answer is yes. Hire Kevin. Here's my experience with Kevin and how he's helped me improve my relationship with my strong willed and hard to train Australian shepherd puppy.  For context, my puppy (Levi) is a high energy breed (australian shepherd) and is very smart. But intelligence does not equate obedience as I've come to learn and we needed to establish ground rules early with the pup. I like that Kevin's program is about getting your dog to a desired state and he would literally go above and beyond in time and effort to make sure we get there. We've done more classes than what a normal pup would need, and Kevin always made that happen.  Kevin was able to give me the tools to be successful in training my pup. He helped reduce the puppy biting immediately when we first started class and has since taught my dog to sit/stay very well, and heeling. If you have an Australian shepherd, you'll know they're notoriously hard to train to walk on leash, but we're making good progress with Kevin's coaching and consistency.  Another thing I loved in working with Kevin is how responsive and flexible he is. I decided to go with a private trainer because I knew (1) I needed a program that works with my schedule, (2) someone who can help cater to specific needs of my dog, and (3) I knew my dog is too stubborn and will require some work. Kevin was able to do all these things. He texts back really quickly and was available by phone to talk through any issues I was having with the pup. When work calls popped up, he was able to work around my schedule and showed up on time, always.  Overall, I really appreciate Kevin's professionalism and he is an excellent dog trainer with a lot of experience. I'd highly recommend you giving him a shot and let him work his magic. Trust me, it's totally worth it. read more

My dog and I had great lessons with Kevin! I came away by the end of the courses with a greater understanding of my dogs behaviors and better control of him in public. Kevin was patient with my dog and of course there will be some things to work on in my own after, but would recommend him to everyone else reading this review ! read more

Kevin is an amazing trainer and person. His demenior settles everyone. He, wee still have much work to do with Milo, yet more work on us. He is great with explaining his expectations of us and making sure wee understand. Milo loves and respects Kevin. Highly-rated, recommend him as your next dog trainer. read more

Leash Loverz - Playing at ski beach - Pet Training Near Me

After rescuing a highly sensitive Shepard/Collie stray, we realized that Mike The Dog had never been off the farm. The sights and sounds of the city were overwhelming and stepping outside the house was terrifying for him and unmanageable for us. Upon assessing the situation, Kevin patiently and methodically provided us with the training and skills needed to overcome these obstacles. We may have rescued Mike The Dog but Kevin rescued us all. read more

Leash Loverz - Pet Training Near Me

Kevin was a pleasure to work with. his ability to understand how a dog thinks is impressive and this allows him to train effectively with just a leash and verbal praise. I would DEFINITELY hire Kevin again if I got another dog. read more

Kevin worked wonders with our adopted middle-age dog. He is a remarkably patient trainer, dependable, and his training is consistent, remarkably clear, and encouragingly simple. He communicates well both with dogs and humans. While the overall cost was bit daunting, the efficacy has been well worth it. He offered a variety of hours, went far beyond our expectations and in comparison to a prior private trainer, his training was easy to understand and learn (for humans), did not involve repeated treats, and was effective quite quickly. I would recommend him highly. read more

I would think twice before hiring Kevin, I certainly wish I had. I have since found out a few things that I wish I had known before I signed a contract with him. He is incredibly irresponsible (my opinion based on the details below), not solvent as a business, not registered with the BBB, not certified by ACC to operate a dog walking business in SF, does not have a business license in SF, without the former certainly can't obtain insurance. Here's what happened just so you have a clear picture: I found Kevin on Wag, he was very responsive. We agreed on an initial consultation date and time. I was really impressed with the immediate effect he had on my dog in that hour long consult. I signed a contract with him that day and paid him in full for his services. We picked a day for our next meet. Strike 1: On the day of our appointment he sent a text saying his family had surprised him with a visit since it was his birthday, can we meet the following day? (Sure! Happy Birthday. Have fun) Strike 2: The time of our appointment the next day comes and goes without a word. Strike 3: After I called him, he responded with a text telling me he had messed up his schedule, had forgotten about our appointment, and was sorry, could we meet at another time. Then he sent me another text telling me he had tried to get in touch with me but had texted the wrong person. (So, which is it? You texted the wrong person? Or you, a person operating a business, messed up the schedule and were unable to resolve the scheduling conflict?) Strike 4: We picked another day and he texted me a few hours before telling me he was not going to make it, that his life had fallen apart, he was deeply sorry and he would refund the full amount of our contract. And now, here I am 51 days later and I still don't have my refund. Shame on me for not checking out the particulars before giving money to this guy read more

Kevin has taught and helped my dog and I alot. The heeling method was different for me but with consistency I saw my dogs reactivity change. My dog does not ignore me when give a commands like he did before I started training. My walks with my dog are enjoyable due to my dog not pulling me everywhere. I have had random people compliment me on how well behaved my dog is when we are on our walks. My dog and I have a long way to go but with constant practice we will be just fine. Thank you Kevin for all your help! read more

Kevin is amazing. He has made our life with our 7 month old Shepard/ lab mix puppy so much easier. I highly recommend him as he only uses positive training methods that work. We've made so much progress in a relatively short amount of time. So worth every penny! - Lisa read more

Over the holidays, I needed coverage for my very timid rescue puppy, Mookie. I was very nervous to leave him for 16 days and did not feel comfortable leaving him at someone's home with other dogs since he is very fearful and has a tendency to bolt when he's scared. I found Kevin on Wag and he mentioned he was available to house sit for the full time I was going to be traveling. Before agreeing to have Kevin housesit, we mutually decided we should do a meet and greet with Mookie beforehand since Mookie is fearful of most men. All I can say is KEVIN WAS AMAZING. During the meet and greet, Kevin spent TWO hours with us, patiently getting Mookie to warm up to him and then doing some basic training. We have never seen Mookie open up so well to a male before. My sister and I instantly felt comfortable knowing Mookie was going to be in good hands with Kevin. Kevin is super intuitive with dogs and understood our puppy right away. When I returned from the trip, Mookie was happy and better trained than ever. He now knows heel and walks on the leash perfectly. Kevin's stay also seemed to help Mookie overcome some of his fears. In addition to being an outstanding dog trainer / sitter, Kevin took excellent care of the apartment, kept all of our plants alive, brought in the mail, kept the place clean, etc. We will definitely be using Kevin for more training and I would highly recommend him to anyone needing training for their dogs. He definitely has a gift and will quickly understand how to tailor the training to your dogs needs. We cannot thank you enough, Kevin!! read more

Kevin was not put off or over-confident when he interviewed to train my rescued and traumatized 4 year old pitbull/terrier mix. He gently eased her into following his lead and diagnosed her issues in a step-wise manner. I needed strategies to build my confidence in walking this nervous pup and quickly discovered Kevin has solid teaching instincts. He was patient, observant and calming with me but also direct in correcting my missteps, all the while staying very aware of what Sadie needed and winning her over. Sadie is an affectionate, playful indoor dog but wildly fearful and unpredictable in her world outside. She has learned to be braver and is still learning thanks to Kevin's work with both of us. I recommend that if he can bring her around, he can be successful with any dog...rescued or otherwise. read more

Kevin was AMAZING with our pup!! We had a pretty out of control and crazy Irish Setter named Mikey that we had tried so many training techniques with, including paying for other private trainers that were not effective. Kevin's techniques were the first that Mikey actually responded to. Right away I could tell Mikey actually understood what we were trying to tell him and he would listen without treats!! Kevin was very patient with our family and would often stay extra long just to make sure we could all get practice training with Mikey. He really cares about the success of his clients. I would 100% recommend him to anyone who wants a well trained dog. read more