We met Nick for a meet and greet. I felt comfortable with his training principles and his…read moreinteraction both with the dogs and my kids. We have started our first of 10/12 lessons so we don't have ALOT of feedback to offer. So far, Nick has been amazing with the golden doodle and his communications/explanations seems we'll recover by the kids. Will update as soon as we are done with training.

We took our pup for training with Ryan. He is definitely gifted. Our pup now is trained in all…read morethe basic commands. We worked hard with her on responding to those commands and because of this, our relationship with our puppy is more enjoyable.

Took my Mini Dachshund here for training and Paul was amazing! He gave me so much information on…read morethe breed and dogs in general, which made me feel like I wasn't crazy! We spent about 2 hours with him and then implemented his teachings at home and couldn't be happier with her training! 10/10 would recommend Paul and his team!

Through Paul's training guidance I learned how to control my rescue dog. This is a great…read morebroading/training facility. Thank you k-9 City!

This trainer was absolutely perfect for us. We have three dogs, but I hired Susan mainly for…read moreOliver, a 6-year-old rescue who has been extremely fearful and anxious all his life. Because he's so anxious, he barks a lot, and he hides from strangers who come into the house. With Susan's help, we modified his training and even got him on medication (Susan wrote us a SIX PAGE REPORT to show the vet as evidence that Oliver needed medication). A lot of people are hesitant to put their pets on behavior meds, but they have made a world of difference when combined with Susan's gentle, force-free training methods. Oliver's quality of life is just so much better now. He can now go out on walks, greet strangers and guests, and stay quiet when there's a knock at the door. Oliver will never be the most outgoing dog ever, but he's at least a happy dog now. Susan has also helped out with our other two dogs, Houston (8-year-old Golden Retriever), and Zoe (1-year-old maltipoo). With Susan's help, I've taught them how to calm themselves down and be quiet when there are guests. They even have a "go to your mat" command and they'll all happily lie down on a bath mat together and stay there while I cook dinner or clean up around them. Susan is also fantastic because she keeps you on track and is always available to answer questions. After every session, she writes you a long, detailed email with your "homework" so that you don't forget what you've learned. Through email, she answers questions, looks at any videos you might have taken of you training with your dog, and gives you tips in areas you're struggling. This trainer is my hero!!! I will always call on her if I need any help with the dogs.

We rescued a shelter dog and brought her home on Christmas Eve. She is a pit mix. The shelter…read morewasn't very forthcoming with information regarding her reactivity to other dogs. The shelter felt she was reactive due to being jealous of other dogs getting taken out of their kennels by prospective adopters. We brought her home and she has been amazing! She became part of the family instantly, BUT we had a miserable time taking her on walks. Inside the house she was well behaved, outside she was a different dog. She was hyper-vigilant and very reactive towards other dogs. The shelter provided two free training sessions. My son and I took our girl to the trainer and this guy proceeded to abuse our dog like NOTHING I've ever seen. I was traumatized as well as my son. I forfeited my second lesson as I did not want to subject our dog to this kind of torture. My wife knew of a co-worker who was trying to become a dog trainer. We had him come over and work with our dog. Sadly this guy was way under qualified and simply didn't know what he was doing. One of my clients recommended Susan from At A Pooch's Pace. I was thrilled to see her certificates and that she was a proponent of Positive Reinforcement Training. Our consult with Susan was so different than the other trainers AND we saw immediate results! She has been a godsend! Not only is she super knowledgeable about dog training and conveying the methods to her clients, she is a source of moral support. I can't count how many times I was feeling down about what neighbors were saying about our dog or if we would ever be able to go out on a walk with her again. Susan bolsters the confidence of her clients AND their dogs! I've been working closely with Susan now for several months. She's great at communicating. She sends detailed emails with attachments (I made up a book/binder to keep them organized!) She sends links to videos. She answers all questions and backs up all her training methods with current science. Our Shannon has learned so fast (as have I!) and she is almost done with her basic obedience training and we are getting ready to transition to behavior modification! I have full faith in Susan that our newest family member will be able to go on a walk without scaring all the neighbors who are walking their dogs! If you are looking for a dog trainer, look no further. Susan is simply the best. It took me three tries to find the right one. Our first trainer was 100% aversive and abused our dog. Our second trainer was a fan of Caesar Milan and basically got his "training" from ordering Caesar's videos off of Amazon. Susan is the real deal. Certified, knowledgeable, caring, supportive and realistic. We are truly grateful to have found her.

**Update** Just wanted to give a quick update to this review…read moreas of 2018: Stephen, Heather's former assistant, has done a fantastic job taking over Four Paws and managing it with the same care and attention to detail as ever. Don't know what I'd do without them!

Stephen is fantastic! He is friendly, caring, responsible and dependable. We went out of town on a…read morefamily vacation and needed a pet sitter. We have never all together, as a family, left the dogs home wile we went on vacation. Stephen kept in touch with us daily, while we were away. He took the dogs for walks twice a day and sent videos of our happy pups. Our dogs were calm and happy when we came home. If you need a pet sitter, I highly recommend Stephen with Four Paws OC!

Our experience working with Hector and Bailey was life changing. We first brought our dog Cooper…read more(mini poodle) into our family when he was 7 months old. When I tell you that we didn't have a clue... well we really had no idea what we were signing up for. Cooper blended in immediately with us and our 3 young kids. But, it was hard to walk him. He reacted towards everything in his path with a very loud bark and we would just completely tense up. It was getting to the point where we didn't want to walk him. We were not enjoying our beloved dog. Then the worst happened our sweet poodle bit another dog and a family member all within a week of each other. By the grace of God.. we were contacted by Bailey. After a long talk with her and a few tears (from me) we set our first appointment. After that we met with Bailey and Hector and got signed up. Initially Cooper wasn't making progress and we had to stop training and get refocused. We leaned in on crate training and we really made Cooper the priority. Bailey was a calm and reassuring voice always a phone call or quick text away. Hector taught us so much!! Cooper is an almost perfect dog now. Haha? We now know exactly how to walk him. We know what to do if someone passes us with a dog or kids. He is working on place and so are we. We are forever grateful for our experience working with Hector and Bailey. We can now full enjoy our family dog. We look forward to pack walks on Saturdays with Hector. Truly rewarding experience.

Hector is hands down the best dog trainer! My fiancé and I enrolled our first fur baby, Kaiya, our…read moreGoldendoodle, in the Oscar Day Train Program, and it has been one of the best investments we've made. At first, I was hesitant because we live in an apartment and aren't home during the day. Hector and Bailey made the process incredibly easy by providing a lockbox so they could safely pick Kaiya up for training. They were always professional, respectful of our home, and kept us updated with photos, videos, and weekly progress reports. Kaiya already knew several commands before training, but what we were missing was clear communication and structure. This program completely transformed our relationship with her. She now walks calmly beside us instead of pulling, is much more focused and obedient, and we have the tools to work through her normal puppy moments. One of the biggest takeaways was that this program doesn't just train your dog--it trains you as an owner. The private coaching sessions and homework helped us stay consistent, which made all the difference in Kaiya's progress. We've also attended a group class, which was a fantastic opportunity for Kaiya to practice her skills around other dogs in a structured environment. If you're looking for a trainer who truly cares about both your dog and your family, I can't recommend Hector and Bailey enough. Their knowledge, communication, and dedication are outstanding. 10/10--highly recommend!

We just completed Ryan's "Puppy Course" and "Intermediate Course" over an 8 week period with our…read moreGolden Retriever. Ryan is the perfect combination of kindness, patience, and command. "Finn" responded enthusiastically to the curriculum and more importantly to Ryan's style of delivery. We appreciated Ryan's ability to connect trained behaviors to everyday situations, and suggest small changes that delivered big results. The key for Finn was taking the tools from class and implementing/reinforcing them on walks, at the dog park, outdoor shopping malls, or just around the house. The key for me was Ryan's use of an audio system - even in an outdoor (covered) group environment it was easy to listen and comprehend the concepts as Ryan explained strategy (the "why") and the supporting tactics (the "how"). We're looking forward to Ryan's advanced class and eventually a CGC certification.

Ryan truly is a K9 Guru. He connects with dogs in a truly amazing way. Implementing his tips and…read morecalm demeanor has helped us immensely with our sweet but crazy 5 month old lab pup. Highly recommend!

We came across Christine through Yelp and hired her to assist us with training our Black English…read moreLabrador Puppy Max. Christine was a pleasure to work with. Her knowledge of dogs and the ideas she shared to assist us with training far exceeded our expectations! I would highly recommend her. She was worth with every penny we paid! Thank you Christine for sharing your time with Max..

After doing a lot of research on local dog trainers I'm so grateful I found Chris at FearLess Dog…read moretraining! Even though I have loads of experience with dogs of all ages I know just HOW much work a puppy is. I chose Chris because of her extensive knowledge and experience with working with dogs without damaging their spirit. It's so important to me that the person I trust around my new furry family member wouldn't use force, fear or "the alpha" method because I've seen how those negativity affect the mental health of a dog. Chris was AMAZING! My shy puppy took to her right away and I can tell she was so in-tune with his needs. He's still young so we first worked on basic manners and some leash work. The best part was it didn't feel like the work of training! I look forward to continuing his training with Chris for years to come and I know my pup will too!

Can only but recommend! Our dog always comes home more…read moresocialised and better behaved every time she goes for daycare, pack walks and boarding. Alecia has been a fantastic help in teaching us to be better dog-parents. Walking our dog now after one session is a completely different experience and my anxiety of walking her has got a lot better, all thanks to Alecia! Boarding is like a home away from home for our pup; she loves it! Raya will be back soon :)

So lucky to have this gem here in San Clemente. Alicia and Fiona have gone above and beyond to take…read morethe best care, and provide the best advice for my rescue pup! My dog loves the pack walks and gets so excited as soon as we hit the parking lot. Thank you, It's A Dogs Life! PS great boarding too