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    The Animal Academic

    5.0 (43 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Services - The Animal Academic

    Dog walking

    Pet sitting

    Private dog training

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    12 years ago

    We had Sydney watch our three dogs overnight. They were all happy and healthy. We will use her again!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - The Animal Academic

    Review Highlights - The Animal Academic

    Luckily, we stumbled upon Lisa here on Yelp and decided to give her a shot; we think we made the right decision!

    Mentioned in 37 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Bark Busters Home Dog Training - Justine with Jax and Willa.

    Bark Busters Home Dog Training

    (42 reviews)

    We've had a fantastic experience working with Justine from Bark Busters m. She works with both our…read morepuppy and our 4-year-old dog together while still paying close attention to their individual needs and personalities. Her calm, knowledgeable approach makes the training easy to understand and practical to apply in our daily routine. We've already seen great progress with both dogs, and Justine does a great job explaining the "why" behind the training so we can stay consistent between sessions. She's reliable, encouraging, and clearly cares about helping both the dogs and their owners succeed. I highly recommend Justine and the Bark Busters program to anyone looking for thoughtful, effective in-home training.

    Justine from Bark Busters came to my home for an initial lesson, and I paid $300. My dog Happy is a…read more4-year-old Maltipoo and a small dog. During that visit, Justine explained the Gold Lifetime program ($1,895) and said she would come to my home about every 2-3 weeks for continued training. Based on that explanation, I decided to purchase the program. However, the first session under the program lasted only about 30 minutes. When I asked about the next visit, Justine said future sessions would be done through FaceTime instead of in-home training. During the initial lesson, I clearly explained that Happy does not pull on the leash. Despite this, Justine brought a metal collar designed to prevent pulling and tried to put it on Happy, which was confusing and disappointing. I also explained that because Happy is a small dog, I wanted to learn proper heel training so he could walk safely beside me. Instead, Justine said it was fine for him to walk behind me. I do not feel this is safe for a small dog, as he could easily pick something up from the ground or encounter larger dogs from behind. As a result, I paid $1,895 but received only one 30-minute in-person session. My request for a partial refund or reassignment to another trainer was denied. I am sharing this experience so that other customers can fully understand the training approach and contract terms before committing. Clarification: The three-hour visit mentioned by the trainer, Justine, refers to the separate $300 initial lesson, which I paid for in advance and which actually lasted about 2.5 hours. The first session under the $1,895 Gold Lifetime program lasted about 30 minutes. Update: The owner responded claiming I "refused to book lessons." Attached are text screenshots proving the opposite. When I requested in-person visits every 2 weeks, the trainer replied: "I don't work that way" and offered only FaceTime instead. I did not refuse -- the trainer refused to provide the service I paid for.

    Anita's Loving Pet Services - Captured Anita in her natural element visually demonstrating for us.

    Anita's Loving Pet Services

    (39 reviews)

    Anita was truly an answer to our desperate doggie prayers! We have 4 dogs, all of which have very…read moredifferent personalities- but two of which were completely out of control. Taking them on their daily walks was very stressful because they would constantly bark, lunge, and pull on the leash when they saw anything that moved. It didn't matter if they saw another dog, a human, a squirrel, or even a leaf blowing by, they lost their minds and it took an act of Congress to get them to calm down and listen to us. They were so reactive, it was scary to take them out in public, so we started avoiding going out during the day. Instead, we opted to take them out in walks only early morning, or late at night when the chances of running into other people or dogs was much lower. It really limited our options. Anita came into our lives immediately helped to show us what was happening, and how we could start to unlearn the unwanted behaviors. She was so kind, gentle, and yet, she was also firm with our pups. And that's exactly what they needed! After training with Anita, all four pups are living their best lives out in public. They are so much more responsive to us and as a result, we can take them anywhere. Now we go looking for trouble instead of avoiding it Thanks Anita! You and your Malinois Essie are incredible!

    I have two young Boxer dogs who needed basic training as well as a regular place to safely run and…read moreplay with other dogs. Anita was an awesome positive trainer who helped and dogs AND me to learn new behaviors. The dogs can sit and stay for a long time, lay down, walk on lead, meet new dogs politely, and interact socially. Now Anita takes them on regular play dates with other dogs who have passed her obedience qualifications. My food loving Boxers would rather go on an early morning play date than eat breakfast- which is really saying something! She has changed our lives for the better. Happy dogs and happy humans

    Way of the Dog - Brian Lee's puppy and behavior program covers leash training to give you confidence on your walks.

    Way of the Dog

    (121 reviews)

    We started working with Brian last year after a really scary situation--our dog bit our 12 month…read moreold daughter, and we were honestly desperate for help. Like any parent and dog owner, we were heartbroken and overwhelmed, not knowing how to move forward safely. After reading so many incredible reviews about Brian across different forums, we decided to reach out--and I'm so grateful we did. Brian helped us understand Hudson (our dog) on a completely different level. He took the time to explain the fears and anxiety driving Hudson's behavior and gave us practical tools to help him feel more secure and confident. Instead of just addressing the behavior itself, Brian helped us see what Hudson was experiencing and how to support him in a way that actually works. Over time, we've seen such meaningful progress. Most importantly, I now feel so much more comfortable and confident with my daughter interacting with Hudson. That peace of mind is something I truly can't put into words. If you're dealing with a challenging or scary situation with your dog, I can't recommend Brian highly enough. His knowledge, patience, and ability to help both dogs and owners understand each other is truly remarkable. We're incredibly grateful we found him.

    TL;DR: The Way of the Dog is, quite literally, the best dog training experience in Los Angeles…read more Brian Lee is a pillar of the South Bay dog community. Across Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance, Palos Verdes, and beyond, a surprising number of dog owners I've met have trained with him at some point -- and without exception, they speak highly of the experience. That reputation alone says a lot. What you get is not a typical obedience class. The program consists of five focused, no-nonsense behaviorist sessions grounded in a deep understanding of dog psychology, plus ongoing, supervised pack-socialization events (think structured dog parties, not chaotic dog parks). The emphasis is on how dogs think, not on rote commands. The training style is dense, unconventional, and unapologetically dogmatic -- in a good way. Brian does not start with commands. Instead, he teaches you to understand your dog as a born hunter with physical, mental, and social needs. Once you understand that framework, behaviors fall into place naturally. Watching him settle a dog mid-zoomie without a single command honestly looks like magic. If your goal is to teach tricks or formal commands, I'd recommend pairing this additionally with a balanced-method obedience school. I would not recommend "positive-reinforcement-only" programs like Zoom Room. In my experience -- and based on what I've seen firsthand -- that approach often fails in real-world situations. Many of the worst-behaved dogs I've encountered came out of those programs, including ours. So why listen to Brian? He has over 40 years of experience and has worked with more than 40,000 dogs. And in a time when "positive reinforcement only" has become the fashionable -- and often misleading -- default, The Way of the Dog is one of the few remaining programs that actually produces calm, stable, well-behaved dogs. We ended up here because Zoom Room training failed us badly. Our puppy was biting us so severely that I seriously considered rehoming her. This program changed everything. We learned how to be kind and strong leaders, how to meet our dog's core needs, and how to train both her and ourselves consistently -- especially through the very real chaos of the "teenage dog" phase. This business deserves five-star reviews across the board. If you look at the rare one-star reviews, they simply don't add up -- and Brian has already addressed them directly. Complaints about "teaching commands" are fake; and complaints about "fear-based training" miss the entire point of the program. Brian is direct, honest, and doesn't sugarcoat reality -- which is exactly what many people need, even if they don't want to hear it. In short, based on both my own experience and consistent feedback from other dog owners, our dog now behaves 10x better than most dogs we encounter -- calmer, more disciplined, and far less reactive. And yes, I'm officially a dog snob now. I have zero tolerance for poorly trained dogs at parks -- especially humping, biting humans, or owners who excuse bad behavior. Once you've seen what good training actually looks like, there's no going back.

    Zenni Dogs - I never thought I could walk Dante without a harness, a lead around his snout, and with another dog! Thank you, Yasmeen!

    Zenni Dogs

    (112 reviews)

    We saw improvements with our dogs after our first session with Yasmeen! We highly recommend working…read morewith her if you want to learn more about your dog and what you can do to make improvements with behavior.

    We couldn't be happier with our experience working with Yasmeen at Zenni Dogs!…read more My husband and I are first-time dog owners with a happy, energetic black lab. When we started looking for a trainer, we received two separate referrals for Yasmeen -- and we quickly understood why. At about seven months old, our pup had unfortunately been bitten by another dog, and we wanted help reintroducing him to social settings with both people and other dogs. We also wanted to learn tools and techniques to feel more confident managing him both inside and outside our home. From day one, Yasmeen was patient, knowledgeable, and genuinely invested in helping our dog (and us!) succeed. She took the time to understand his personality and tailored her training approach perfectly -- we started seeing improvement after just the second session. Her positive, effective methods made training fun and engaging for our whole family. She also shared practical tips we could easily use every day, which made a huge difference in reinforcing progress at home. Thanks to Yasmeen, we now feel so much more confident with our dog and better understand his needs and reactions in different situations. We're so grateful we decided to work with her -- highly recommend to anyone looking for a skilled, compassionate, and professional trainer who truly earns the trust and respect of both her clients and their dogs.

    The Animal Academic - dogwalkers - Updated August 2026

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