If I could give Pawderosa more stars I certainly would! To begin, we needed major help with a newly acquired adopted puppy. We were frustrated to a point that we were even considering returning the dog back to the shelter. Our dog Myla, must have had a tough life before we adopted her and liked to freak out and freeze up as soon as we left our place to go on walks. She wasn't food motivated and didn't want to engage us much at all. I called around other trainers who either did not respond or got back to my voicemails several days later making me feel like they were too busy or didn't care for my business. Not Phil with Pawderosa! He was responsive to my many calls and spent a lot of time with me on the phone providing advice before we had him over for a training session. Phil's patience with me on the phone indicated that he had something special to offer. Phil visited us at our home and spent a great amount of time with us getting to know our dog and the overall picture. He answered our many questions and created a game-plan for how we should proceed training our dog. Phil's advice has made a HUGE DIFFERENCE and Myla's behavior has improved tremendously. In a nutshell, Phil with Pawderosa is an awesome dog trainer. His rate was the cheapest I found and after considering how much time he spent with us and how much we learned it was a bargain. If you need help with your dog and are getting frustrated give Pawderosa a call. read more

I have NO idea how good these guys are. The reason I don't is because I've been calling for a week now, leaving messages, and I have yet to get a call back. Kinda lame. read more

Pawderosa is FANTASTIC!! Phil and Lori are outstanding at what they do and our dog could not be happier with their services! They genuinely care about dogs and provide the services to reflect that. When we first looked into Pawderosa, Lori called me and we had a detailed conversation outlining how they work and what they could provide for us and our puppy. Then Phil came over to meet our dog so that she would be acquainted with him when he came over the next day. We had just moved into our apartment and they were doing construction across from out unit, so needless to say our pup was a bit frightened (not to mention she can be a big baby anyway). Phil was very patient with her and she slowly warmed up and let him take her on a quick walk around the block. Phil came the next day for her first real trial walk and was not going to force her to come if she was uncomfortable. Our puppy took a few minutes (and a few of Phil's treats!) and went out on the walk and had a great time!! I can tell when Phil is here cause Delilah's tail starts wagging and she is waiting at the door when he comes to get her! She comes home, says hi and goes straight to bed for an afternoon nap! She loves her walks with Phil and Lori and all the doggy friends she has been able to meet. She has learned a lot of training as well and we would not use anyone but Phil and Lori!! They are absolutely wonderful and one could not ask for a better dog walking service!!! read more

Phil and Lori are just downright AWESOME! They began working with Lucy, our beloved Boxer two years ago. When we adopted her she could be leash aggressive and pulled my small 5'0 self down the sidewalk. Two years later, Lucy walks beside me and we feel safe taking her off leash. Phil has been wonderful through many life changes- a wedding, two moves and the arrival of a sister for Lucy. He was always communicative and flexible as our family took many turns along the way. We had the utmost trust in him (and Lori- but Phil was Lucy's primary handler), giving him the moniker around our house of "Uncle Phil". Pawderosa quickly became part of our extended family. I wish I could find the level of care for my human daughter that is akin to them. read more

So Young Atticus went from coming with me to work everyday to have to stay at home and with his grandparents a few days a week. Definitely not a happy time for me being dog less; or him being people less. So we tried dog day care, seemed okay at first but he started coming home with a weird look in his eye and just exhausted (like he never stooped) that coupled with an allergy attack that he never had before or since was the end of day care. Then I met Lori and Phil, and I found what is the greatest way to give Atticus more exercises and dog social time. I must admit I am jealous of him most days; who wouldn't want to go for a run in the east bay hills with a few dog friends and some tennis balls and treats to boot. Phil and Lori are real pros and have it down to a system that is safe and efficient I have every confidence with them caring for my "Best Friend". read more

If I could give them a 10, I would. When I was working full time, Phil walked the dogs. If you watch their video (on the company website), everything shown is completely accurate. I know that my dogs are well trained because Phil worked with them. A few years ago, I quit my full time job and now walk the dogs myself. Every time my dogs see Phil on the trail, they are overjoyed. They miss him terribly. I highly recommend them, and I should have written this ages ago. read more

Pawderosa has been great in teaching my new puppy crate training. I was in a difficult position where I couldn't do this at home since the neighbor was complaining, so this worked out perfectly. Phil was able to crate train him and he was perfect at home. No more complaints. An added plus was he was able to socialize with the other pups and came home tired and happy. No bad behavior at home. Also, his house training was also a big plus. No more accidents at home. Yah !! read more

I love Pawderosa! I am SO thankful to have a trusted, flexible and skilled caregiver for my pup, Jonesy. I was very anxious about trusting Jonesy to someone we didn't know well, but Lori and Jeannette made us feel confident from the get-go and have been consistent and supportive in every way. They seem to understand just how important Jonesy is to us and because of that, we can be worry-free that he's well taken care of and maybe even learning something in the meanwhile. :) I am a big fan of their consistency, flexibility and demeanor (with humans and dogs) . Thank you Pawderosa!!!! read more

Phil and Lori at Pawderosa are AWESOME and we, and Barkley, our puppy (now teenage) just adore them. Pawderosa is a wonderful trustworth pet walking service that takes our little man on adventures when we can't. Phil and Lori are thoughtful and caring and are always letting us know when they notice something that might be off with our four-footed friend. As two busy working parents/adults, it is great to know that our puppy is getting out and getting the excerise he needs in a safe environment. The training that Phil does with him is also amazing and he keeps close to us on off leash walks now, which we know is a direct result of Phil's work. If you are looking for a good dog-walker off leash adventure for your pet you cannot go wrong with Pawderosa!!!! read more

This team is GREAT! We can't seem to get enough of them. Lori and Jeannette have been looking after our "zoo" for over two years now. Multiple cats and a bird keep them hopping and they are always responsive to our unpredictable and random travel schedule. The critters love them, and when we return, the house is in great shape just like we left it. They've always gone the extra mile. When one of the cats was sick they made a run to the vet to pick up medicine and looked after him. We have no worries when we're away from home! read more

We would like to share our positive experience with Pawderosa (http://www.pawderosa.com), which is a dog walking/ training, daycare, and overnight boarding business in Oakland. We adopted our dog from the NorSled rescue organization. He had been through a lot in just the last few months, having been found in an animal shelter in Yuba County, fostered in the East Bay, adopted out to a family in Fresno, then returned to the foster family in the East Bay when Fresno did not work out. We mention his roundabout journey because, like many dogs that have been through shelters and multiple households, he was lacking training in a few areas. Enter Pawderosa, whom we first contacted on Thanksgiving weekend because we needed a Mon-Fri daycare facility for our dog. We knew Pawderosa would be the right place for him because one of the main people in charge, Lori, offered daily walking/ training services. Our most pressing problem was on-leash aggression, which our dog was very kind to reveal to us within the first 2 days that we had him. He lunged and barked at quite literally everything that moved, which in our neighborhood, happens to include dogs...a LOT of dogs. We had no idea what to do, and in fact we wondered about the practicality of our living situation because we had to worry for our safety and his every time we walked out our front door. Lori assured us that he was a good dog who was capable of overcoming this problem and told us not to worry. Lori was very calm, and she first took him on solo walks, then group walks with her dogs, then later brought him to the outskirts of the dog park. With positive reinforcement (treats/ rewards), she worked methodically, doing a little bit at a time, and gave us daily updates on his progress. After about 2 weeks, Lori was able to take our dog *into* the dog park as well as to busy public areas like Jack London Square. What she did Mon-Fri during the day, we practiced at night and on the weekends. Before we knew it, our crazy dog had calmed down significantly, and we were able to take him to the popular neighborhoods and dog parks without having to apologize to every dog owner we saw (in fact, we are now on the receiving end of apologies because our dog is now calmer than some other dogs we see and greet). This transformation took only 4 weeks, and it is like the best Christmas gift ever. Based on this experience, we wholeheartedly recommend Pawderosa. No matter what your needs, whether you only need a place for overnight boarding for your dog, or whether you have training issues similar to ours, Lori knows how to accommodate you. She runs Pawderosa with great integrity and a commitment to her clients' needs. Lori is just simply the best. read more

I met with Lori and her sister Jeannette about 4 years ago to begin cat-sitting services for my then 18 year-old kitty, Daryl. They both were warm and professional, providing a clear contract for services and reasonable prices. Jeannette continued to cat-sit for me regularly (not sure if under the umbrella of Pawderosa or her own business), much to my pleasure. I travel 2-3 days/week for business and Daryl was always well cared-for and content when I returned home. Jeannette came at consistent times and sent me pictures of Daryl getting loved on or fed. She was always great about short-notice and holiday visits when I got stuck out of town. During winter holidays Jeannette would bring by cookies and a card. We regretfully had to stop using Jeannette when Daryl started taking meds twice a day- we just couldn't afford to pay $40/day for double visits and started employing the neighbor's teenage daughter for $20/day. When she goes off to college next year we'll be calling Jeannette back, as Daryl creeps into his 23rd year! read more

Pawderosa Pet Care is awesome! We have used them for over two years to walk our corgi ellie. they have taken great care of her over the years, ensuring she gets out during the day while we work and has a good 40 minute walk. read more

Phil and Lori trained our puppy (uh, and us too) last year from age 16 weeks to 6 months, and we can wholeheartedly say that the end-result is a happy, well-behaved dog that has settled in nicely into our lives. I recommended them to 2 more families who now have their canines in training there, and likewise are happy clients. read more

2-1/2 weeks ago we adopted a 6-7 month old shepherd mix form the SPCA. She is a wonderful, sweet, and very spirited girl! She had very little training and is recovereing (emotionally and physically) from a full foreleg amputation. When we brought her home she had pretty much been heavily medicated and on restricted movement for a month (and prior to that was very ill with an infection in the leg bone that had gone completely untreated by the previous owner). Needless to say, her very calm demeanor at the shelter did not least! Once she was safely in a loving home, done with antibiotics and pain meds, getting regular walks, and lots of love she blossomed in to a funny, goofy, crazy adolescent dog! She is learning quickly the basics (sit, down, stay, drop it) but her general behavior is a bit wild in the house- terrorizing the cat, biting pant legs, etc.. I got Pawderosa's name from a man with a very nicely behaved young dog. I sent an email and Phil called me. He spent over 45 minutes on the phone with me really explaining how to simplify the training, giving me pretty clear guidelines to follow. He was so kind, and professional, and I began implementing his suggestions right away. That was 5 days ago and already I am seeing improvements, not to mention that I feel much more confident with the plan I am following. I will be looking to Pawderosa for more training, walks or day care down the road. I could not have been more impressed. read more

I have used Pawderosa for almost a decade. Phil & Lori are fantastic. They have walked our energetic fox terrier, trained him and boarded him. They do an excellent job and care deeply for the animals in their care. Highly, highly recommend! read more

Two big thumbs up! Phil and Lori just *know* dogs (and their people...) They were invaluable trainers (of our darling little Welsh Springer Spaniel Charly) and coaches (of us amateur dog owners), and made sure our pup settled nicely into our lives. They helped us crate train her, exposed her to many other people, other dogs and animals, unfamiliar noises and surfaces, etc. All those good things you are told you are supposed to do. Big plus is that they spend a fair bit of time playing with other dogs (supervised), which yields us many compliments when out walking that Charly seems to be good at understanding other dog's body language. They really value a partnership between owners and trainer - Phil even came to our house a few times to help train us train Charly in our own home setting. Besides all that, the whole family are nice people to boot! read more

I recently completed my 3rd session with Lori and my chihuahua mix rescue dog, Felix. I cannot speak highly enough of the service she provided! She really is the "dog whisperer" of Northern California....Cesar Milan can have the southern part of the state....Lori taught me how to take charge of my dog's behavior, and we are all MUCH happier as a result! Lori was very calm and patient with both of us, demonstrating each exercise and making sure I understood before moving on. Each session was followed up with written instructions, which was great because the sessions were so full of great ideas that I needed the reminders! Lori also was available for phone consultation between sessions for things that came up along the way. All of my family members and friends are amazed at the transformation in my dear little Felix! Lori is the best dog owner trainer, and a wonderful human being as well! read more

I relocated to San Francisco for a new job. I was more anxious about how this move would affect my very senior dog than I was about starting a new job, living in a new city. I searched google maps and found Pawderosa. It was one of the greatest gifts dropped in my lap. Carole and Lori are truly two of the kindest and most concerned people I could've found for Rocky. Carole not only walked him, but brushed, bathed and massaged him. She was there for last-minute calls, weekend requests ... and even took him to a vet's when he had a skin condition. My dog can't see very well and she was patient and helpful ... taught him leash-signals. I swear that because of her, he's healthier and more confident. This was like a dream come true ... I was able to relax my anxiety about the dog and transfer it to my job. Ugh. In two days, I move to my apt in the city. I wish I could move them with me. This was an amazing experience. And I also have new friends in my new city! read more