It is rare to find business owners who are as dedicated to the welfare of animals as San and Cheryl at Ruff Roll Academy. Our nonprofit, Homeless To Forever Foundation, recently benefited from a community donation drive they hosted, and their generosity blows us away. Through their own initiative and efforts, they solicited donations for us and other local rescues and brought them to us. We are elated to have received such generous support! Beyond being elite trainers, they genuinely care about the 'underdogs' in our community. Their support helps us provide care for rescues waiting for their forever homes. If you are looking for trainers who have incredible technical skill and a massive heart for animals, look no further. San and Cheryl are the gold standard! read more

We had a few sessions with San to help us with some dog reactivity on leash. He has been so kind and helpful! Helped us lay a foundation to move forward, and get calmer walks! He's been great!! read more

Once you understand why a dog may have problems walking on the leash, there are several techniques that can encourage proper behavior. San understands this and delivers what he promises....an obidient dog that heeds to the owner. If you feel it's too late and your dog has picked up bad behaviors you'll never be able to change, think again. San has a calm demeanor and trains the owner as well as the dog. If your dog needs to be schooled, get him enrolled in Ruff Roll and start enjoying time with your mutt. read more

Ruff Roll Academy - Franklin, the stubborn dog no more! - Pet Training Near Me - Arcadia, California

San is great and full of dog training knowledge! We used his at home training for 4 sessions to help us build training with our new pup. San has easy pay and online schedule services. He also had great connections for recommending training tools and leashes. We enjoyed that he is a small local business and happy to give him support. Would recommend Ruff Roll Academy to others. read more

You can't go wrong with San. Right away you can tell how he loves his job and understands dog behavior. He has a lot of patience explaining his techniques and getting our family involved. He is a very kind and knowledgeable trainer. Would definitely recommend him. read more

San helped us get on the right track with some amazing tips with our 3 month old Shepard mix Moses!! We cant believe how much one session helped us know how to navigate and redirect his nipping biting behaviors and we cant wait to work with him again...! read more

San is simply amazing. I attended KPA with San and was impressed with his kindness, sincerity and drive to better the world starting with animals. After I started my breeding program, I hired San's services for puppy evaluations as well as puppy socialization sleepovers. Sending our beloved puppies elsewhere is always nerve-wracking, especially since they are in crucial socialization periods where they could potentially experience single-event learning if their FAS (fear anxiety stress) levels weren't being closely monitored. I knew I could trust San with these monumental tasks! Not only did he provide our puppies with amazing socialization experiences, making sure to keep them under threshold and emotionally secure at all times, but he also taught them valuable foundation skills that will make them and their new owners' lives easier and the transition to new home smoother. We will be taking our puppies to San from now on, and highly recommend his services to anyone we know! read more

A visit with San has been part of my dog's routine for the past 4-5 years. She adored him from the very beginning and is super excited every time he shows up at our door. Before meeting San, my pup was traumatized by the petsmart day camp. She was so traumatized in fact, she had stomach issues for days after. Needless to say she exhibited anxiety and fear/aggression around other dogs in result of her experience... exactly the opposite of what I was trying to do by socializing her. At that point I had become wary of how businesses treat your animals when you're not there. I luckily met San by referral from a mutual acquaintance. We started out with daycare to socialize her and occasional boarding when I was out of town. San not only made me feel comfortable upon meeting him, he also uploads to his instagram stories frequently featuring all the activity he's doing with my dog that day. When she's boarding, he also sent me videos and recaps of the daily activities. As his business grew we incorporated training sessions and she really enjoys the extra activity. My wheaten terrier is naturally high energy, independent and can be stubborn at times but with Sans help, we were able to increase her recall and attain the calm behavior I needed from her when company comes over. I'm not the best at consistently reinforcing the training all the time so I know San has done so much of the work for me. Lastly, his positive reinforcement and confidence building methods worked great with reintroducing my dog to other dogs, low and high energy alike. Getting her to respond to other dogs in a positive way in which she seeks reward was completely unexpected and I couldn't be happier with the progress she's made. I would highly recommend using San as your dog trainer for both puppies and older dogs, whether tame or in need of serious training. read more

Ruff Roll Academy - San working on resource guarding behaviors with my pup - Pet Training Near Me - Arcadia, California

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San is great with my dog ... he has plenty of patience, and explains things very thoroughly... read more

Ruff Roll Academy - Pet Training Near Me - Arcadia, California

My dogs Rosie & Little Dude loved working with San - especially Rosie, who is a working breed, and thoroughly enjoyed the stimulation and opportunity to learn new skills. Little Dude was a bit slower, but he got there eventually! San was able to tailor the program to their different personalities and individual training needs. It is clear to see that he truly loves dogs, loves his work, and is eager to share his knowledge resulting in happier dogs and owners. read more

We have been training with San at Ruff Roll Academy since our Rottweiler was a puppy at about 9 months old (big baby). I was nervous about owning such a large breed and any unexpected behaviors (concerns of safety not only for our dog, but for others as well). I could see somethings getting out of hand early on, I just did not know how to communicate with our rapidly growing dog. We have been with San in different stages of training for over a year... and our Fozzie is awesome! He settles well and is a happy, calm and sweet. San is a patient, knowledgeable, compassionate and thorough trainer and we saw results as we practiced. I understand my dog better and with that, we see him at his best behaviors. I feel like Fozzie picked up on cues quickly as San's methods are in tune with how dogs think and react to positive reinforcement. Highly recommending San if you want to live harmoniously with you dog or want to improve upon certain behaviors and understanding. Thank you San! ...From me and Fozzie! read more

We've been using San Choi's services since before the pandemic. We were always impressed with his passion and knowledge in handling dogs. He is the dog whisperer of the San Gabriel Valley. San has helped us navigate our dog's challenging medical issues with skill and grace. As our dog has gotten older, San has gone the extra mile to keep him engaged and active. There is no one we trust more with our dog. He always looks forward to his next visit with San! read more

I'm so glad San came into our lives. My dog Harpo suddenly became reactive and even aggressive on leash around larger dogs. I was frustrated, embarrassed, and did not know what to do. San was able to help us learn how to better understand signs of stress or fear and come up with solutions to support Harpo. Working with San's dogs, Molly and Shadow, helped Harpo build positive experiences with dogs bigger than he is and gave him more confidence. Harpo is no longer reactive on or off leash and even enjoys visits to the small dog park. We regularly send Harpo to board with San or for daycare as a treat - it's great to know Harpo is being taken care of with as much love as we would give him and spending time with Molly, Shadow, and other dogs helps Harpo continue to build positive experiences with his canine friends and continue to learn new skills. Thanks so much, San! read more

I went to San looking for an alternative to warehouse style all-day play doggie daycare. I loved the idea of taking my pup to a small local daycare where he was one of 5 dogs at most, all while incorporating training aspects into his day. San truly embodies fear free handling and positive reinforcement training. That is really hard to come by in the pet care industry. We participated in the daycare acclimation process for a few weeks. Luca, my 1 year old Bernedoodle now attends daycare with San and his 2 wonderful pups. He is very accommodating to my work schedule. He really wants to help dogs and their owners in any way that he can. San has helped us build on the training foundation that we have worked so hard to instill in Luca. He is so great at communicating with me and keeping me updated via text and Instagram when Luca is in his care. San is trustworthy, reliable and passionate about what he does. We highly recommend San for any dog training, daycare and boarding needs. read more

Ruff Roll Academy - Luca and San's pups! - Pet Training Near Me - Arcadia, California

I was referred to San by a friend and I am so glad I went o him for advice on my dog's behavior. We did a zoom meeting to have a discussion on my dogs anxiety around other dogs after being attacked at a dog park and he helped out so much. San really makes sure to know all the details before suggesting tips and tricks for both you and your dog to better help and understand and he would continually reach out to me and ask how everything was going with my dog and I. He was a great help and I would highly recommend him to anyone. He really makes sure to put your dogs well-being firsthand and helps you understand your dog a little bit better than you did before. Definitely use the advice he gives you! Thank you so much San for all of your help. read more

Ruff Roll Academy - Pet Training Near Me - Arcadia, California

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San is incredible. We moved to LA with a reactive and fearful 9 month old pup. He helped us to help her adjust to her new surroundings, engage with us better on walks and gave us tools to manage her reactivity. He uses an incredible array of positive reinforcement tools and really helps to reinforce good behaviors every time he sees our dog. We have boarded Sasha with San many times over the past 2 1/2 years. He did a wonderful job of making sure she acclimated well her first time and we always know she's in great hands no matter how long we're away for. San sends daily updates on how she is doing and behaviors they work on together, and includes fun and informative videos and photos so we never have to worry how she's doing. Sasha is dog selective and can still be fearful and possessive so large doggy daycares don't suit her. We know San will watch her with care to make sure all of her needs are met, and Sasha has become wonderful friends with San's dogs, as well as other dogs he has for daycare or boarding because he takes such care to provide them with proper introduction. I've learned so much from San about how to read dog body language and meet my dog's needs and I know we can come to him with any issues or questions we have regarding our pup! We all love him! read more

Ruff Roll Academy - Training and relaxing with a snuffle mat - Pet Training Near Me - Arcadia, California

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San is very passionate about not only his training but about your dog. He helps you learn along with your dog to build that relationship. I highly recommend him and his services. I am part of his first group class and so far it's been great. He always checks in to make sure you're doing well and to see if you have any questions. read more

San is extremely helpful and knowledgeable I highly recommend him to help with your dog behavior or if your planing on a new dog he can give you valuable information and his response time excellent he is there for you .Thank You San for your help . read more

Update: we've continued to work with San and I have seen a lot of progress with my fearful/ reactive pup. San uses ethical and science based methods and is such an empathetic teacher. Highly recommend read more

This person boasts "certification" and utilization of training techniques. No two dogs are the same. His approach was extremely snobbish as if a certification would make me feel better about being my pups handler. Our pups are family to us, and there is much more than "education" when it comes to handling and training them. His attitude towards us is just a representation of how he would be towards our pup. I am leaving this review as not to his services, because I chose another better fitting handler, but as a fore-warning for others. read more

San is the best! We are so lucky to have found him for our pup. He started one-on-one training right after we adopted her at 6 months old. The results were almost immediate. He is very kind, professional, flexible, and responsive. We have also used San's boarding/day care services and that has been invaluable. Highly recommend San! read more

San was really helpful in providing us with a training regiment for our Bergamasco. Would recommend for any new dog parents!

I had a consultation with San that went really well, I appreciated how he had lots of good ideas for how to work with my fearful reactive dog that I hadn't yet considered, I hope to keep up the work and see progress with our training! It's clear to me that he's invested a lot in his education and is eager to help others have better relationships with their dogs. I appreciate the content he shares on Instagram as well, it's given me a lot to consider as a new pet parent. It is a wild world of dog training and there are many opinions about how it should be done, but San is fully dedicated to positive reinforcement methods that are humane, science based, and effective. I believe they'll help you have the best relationship with your dog that you can build. San has good vibes in general and I think he's really well suited for this work! read more

San is very detail trainer. Our two dogs Hana and Nova have been with San for many years. Hana is 13 years old. She enjoys training classes with San. I highly recommend San to train your dog. read more

San has worked with my dog and I on her behavioral issues. She is a rescue who was abused so she can be very timid. San was very patient and kind, and our sessions were a success. read more

I could not possibly find a better person than San to work with my dogs. He has made such a huge difference not only in my dogs lives but also in mine! Both of my dogs were a bit of a challenge when I got them because I got them both off the streets (strays) so they came with their fair share of behavioral issues. After some time with San they both learned to be well behaved babies (for the most part) and more importantly he gave me the tools as an owner to really work with them myself at home. Between the training and awesome adventures he takes them on they couldn't be happier! My dogs love San and I wouldn't trust them with anyone else! Very highly recommend! Thanks San! read more

San is a great guy , he takes the time to really assist each pup and pet parent according to each specific need . Thoughtful and reliable

Very thorough and knowledgeable. He takes his time and explains dog behavior and your dog behavior. He recommends the best plan for your dogs growth and training. So I would say it is very customized. It's a smaller population of dogs which is quite nice.. it doesn't feel like a zoo like some other large places. You can tell he really cares for animals and will care for yours like his own. He incorporates very cool activities for exercises which to me are great for busy city life. I definitely recommend for any new pet owner, or anyone who needs customized or 1:1 help or socializing your pup! read more

Very rude and unprofessional. Has lost dogs multiple times. Has mistreated my dog. DO NOT RECOMMEND.

San has been instrumental in helping me improve my dog's bad behavior and has been an absolute pleasure to work with. He fine tunes and tailors his lessons to the needs of your dog, comes to each session with handouts, lesson plans, all the necessary tools and equipment needed and not to mention he is very polite, respectful and punctual. He even comes to your home and takes all the COVID-19 precautions. He will teach you and your dog how to achieve your goals in very accessible and reachable steps to "set you up for success" as he likes to say. Through our lessons, my dog has formed such a strong bond with San and when she sees him she jumps for joy and wags her tail in excitement. She really adores him so much. What San has done for us is invaluable. We now have a better behaved dog and a happier household because of it. I really can't thank you enough San, but again, I would like to say thank you for everything. You are greatly appreciated. read more

I am so glad we found Ruff Roll Academy. San is wonderful with our dogs. They love to go there to socialize. I appreciate that San takes the time to really get to know each dog and work with them on an individual basis. He also gives me lots of feedback about how my dog is doing. I highly recommend Ruff Roll Academy. read more

San's the man! I'm lucky enough to bring my handsome little guy to work with me. Unfortunately I get too busy sometimes and it gets a little hard to take him out and stretch his legs. I found San walking with a pack of doggies on myrtle ave in old town Monrovia. I greeted San and instantly thought, "this guy knows what he's doing!" Sans been walking my pooch for about a month know. I couldn't be happier with ruff roll services. Highly recommend! read more