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    The Better Dog

    5.0 (20 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Services - The Better Dog

    Dog boarding and training

    Private dog training

    Puppy socialization classes

    The Better Dog Photos

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    Reviews With Photos

    My wild child
    Felicia L.

    I was about to lose my mind with my young girl dog. I wanted a calm walking partner when I got her as a tiny puppy, the bigger she got the harder she was to walk. Constant pulling and no impulse control. Our walks were a disaster. Better Dog, Dennis and Ursula changed all of that and more. My girl isn't perfect (yet) but she is my most amazing walking partner. We work as a team and have so much more to learn. Trust these people with your most trusted pet! I am so happy I found them.

    Louie learning Place and waiting patiently for a treat!!
    Suzi Y.

    From my first phone call with Ursula I knew she was the one. We met Dennis at a later training and felt the exact same way about him. These guys are the real deal. We had a very challenging training situation - we were only in the Portland area for a short time. Dennis and Ursula developed a plan that we could all execute together to make the most of the short time we had with them. The training time we had with them was extremely valuable to us. We were so happy we booked a two-week board and train session (weeks later) for one of our dogs and drove 5 hours each way to get him there!! Totally worth the drive time! Any time we are in the area we will do refresher sessions. Lastly, Ursula and Dennis want you to be successful. They provide a thorough knowledge transfer after training, text messaging and video meetings to make sure you have all the tools you need.

    Slim and healthy Layla after behavior modification based on fitness training with The Better Dog Co.

    I write this review snuggled up with my 3-year-old black lab, Layla, listening to "Dogs and Banjos" with Dennis Dabbs from The Better Dog Co. Layla started her training journey with Dennis after two rounds of "cookie-cutter" training at a pet supply store. Just like no two people are alike, no two dogs are alike. Dennis created a personalized training program for Layla after discovering her learning style and what our goals were for her. We wanted Layla to be able to chill with us at the local breweries but also to be off-leash on hikes with pristine recall. I am here to say our goals were exceeded! Before training with The Better Dog Co., Layla was overweight. I am a full-time nursing student so I was giving her treats ALL day because I felt bad for studying for hours. Layla is also very food/treat driven so all of our training involved food or treats. She had a limp and would tire quickly on walks. Enter the miracle worker, Dennis. He introduced me to a world where fitness, play, and training co-exist. "Behavior modification based on fitness training", he calls it. Dennis taught us how to use play while training and now Layla is fit as a fiddle. Her limp has vanished and she can play for what seems like hours without tiring. Dennis taught us how to understand Layla from the inside out and how to work WITH her. He is a master at dog psychology and passed that knowledge along as we trained. "Why does she do this or that?" Dennis has an answer. For us, it was usually because of her "hunting drive". The solution was not to try and diminish that drive, it was to utilize it in our training. Just because Layla is a domesticated pet does not mean she doesn't have that primal DNA and genetics of a wild pack animal. You can't burry or mask that, you have you USE it. Although we had a lot of upbeat and fun training sessions, Dennis also taught me how to use "passive training". While at home or the park studying, Layla practiced just hanging out and existing (one of her biggest struggles) ...watching the world go by, not chasing squirrels or bugs. Dennis taught me how to use those times to connect with Layla through massage and just being present with her. Training days with Dennis quickly became the highlight of our week not only for Layla but also for me. I have never met a person more dedicated to their job. I wouldn't even call it his job...it is his passion. His passion for creating a connection between a person and their dog is exuded in every second of every training session. I cannot thank The Better Dog Co enough for creating this amazing relationship I have with my Layla. Without a doubt, Dennis and Ursula will be the last dog trainers you will ever need.

    Jonah M.

    It is hard to put into words what Ursula has meant to my family, and our dog, so this Yelp review may be a tad long! If you're interested in hearing the whole story, read on - but if you want a quick summary: Ursula is simply amazing, and I cannot recommend her services enough. She is an exceptional trainer, very knowledgeable, clear, and communicative, and a joy to work with - and she truly gets results. It is clear that she loves what she does, and cares so so much about the dogs she works with. She has changed our lives, and helped us forge the kind of relationship with our dog that we always hoped we could have. So some back story: my partner and I adopted Frank - an 8 month old (at the time) cattle dog mix - about 6 months ago from a for-profit animal shelter (a grim story, for another Yelp review). Sadly, we were quite deceived by this shelter, and not informed of any of the challenges we would potentially face with Frank, due to some of his history of troubled behavior (which was well-documented, but not shared with us). He was adorable, and seemed sweet enough, plus he really liked belly rubs, so we were happy to give him a new home. We quickly found out however, that this sweet little guy had some pretty-serious problems. Like, a lot of them...you name it, he had it - resource guarding, snapping, snarling, no training what so ever, aggressive towards other dogs, towards us, towards small animals, small children, strangers, and pretty much anything that moved - including his own reflection in a mirror. I did a little more homework, I discovered that we were actually his 4th owner (remember, he's only 8 months old at this point), and that the three previous owners had returned him due to - I'm sure - any one of the multitude of issues we were dealing with. My partner and I were frustrated and sad, but determined to make this work. We both grew up around dogs, and as a couple - we had wanted one for the 5+ years we had been together. So onward we pressed - working with 3 different trainers over the course of the next 2 months. The trainers we worked with focused on positive reinforcement - food, and reward-based training. Boy oh boy, did this create problems. Working with these other trainers, Frank became more unruly, more problematic, and just didn't seem to listen at all. Our last trainer before Ursula, really made us feel terrible, as though we were not fit to take on the challenge of this dog. We were at our wits end when I went out of town on a business trip, and my partner was home alone with Frank for the week, and all kinds of calamity ensued. Ever determined, we found Ursula via Yelp - and decided to give training with her a shot. We had our consult, and I explained our challenges - that long list I mentioned above. I was shocked that Ursula not only didn't blink at any of the behavior I reported, but that she genuinely seemed excited to take on this challenge. At the time, I truthfully thought she was nuts, but at that point, we had nothing to lose! I'll spare you the details of what our specific training program included - because this review is already too long, and because I think you will learn all of that from Ursula - but fast forward 3 months, and we have a completely different dog, but in all the best ways. He is still as cute and sweet as ever (he has actually always loved cuddles and pets, despite his sometimes salty demeanor), but man oh man, has this little guy grown. Frank listens to us now, and understands the dynamic of our relationship. He no longer snaps, snarls, or growls at us, and his resource guarding is no longer a major issue. We feel so much more comfortable taking him on walks now; he can see other dogs, and not react. He can pass moving objects without literally jumping and thrashing to go towards them. Just today, we took him to a very crowded water-front park, with many triggers all around. He handled it like a champ, and with a calmness that I would have never thought possible 3 months ago. My partner and I were honestly overwhelmed with happiness; it was such a special feeling. Ultimately, we do still have more training to go, and Frank is far from perfect, but I think the beauty of working with Ursula, is that she has promised from day one that she will continue to work with us until our goals our met. The changes we have seen so far are literally astounding, and have enabled us to have the kind of relationship with our dog that we had always hoped to have. If we hadn't met Ursula, I don't know if we would have been able to keep Frank, and to be honest, I don't think that with his rocky history, he would still be alive. This was a dog that seemed unmanageable, and in the span of a few short months, Ursula has completely flipped that script. If you are looking for a dog trainer in the Portland area, your search should start and stop here with Ursula and Better Dog Co!!!!

    I connected with Ursula after having my 2yo adopted Border Collie for about 7 months here in Portland. Gambit is a smart and sweet boy, but like many herding breeds, didn't yet have the tools to deal with his drive. After 7 months of trying things on my own to combat his pulling on the leash, he developed a new reactivity towards other dogs -- especially moving ones. On-leash dog meetings were turning sour at every encounter, and our daily walks were becoming less enjoyable. I was a busy law student at the time, and taking Gambit to school with me often. Determined that Gambit reach his potential, I decided to reach out to Ursula. I was blown away after our initial phone consult -- I had A LOT of questions and she spent the time to explain her techniques and understand our goals. With just a few sessions, Ursula taught me how to communicate with Gambit effectively, and he was eager to learn what was expected from him. Now, when faced with stressful circumstances, he's more likely to look to me for guidance or use one of the tools we've given him to deal with the world around him. Ursula always has thoughtful answers to my questions and continues to be a helpful resource for Gambit and I going forward. I am so thankful I reached out early on and made this investment in my dog's future! Ursula helped me give Gambit a job to focus on -- every herding dog's dream -- and he is much happier for it. I have no doubt that she approaches every client with the same thoughtfulness and expertise as she did for us.

    Training session

    After rescuing our dog Pancho when he was around 18 months old, we did what a lot new dog owners do and tried to start "training" him on our own. This consisted of YouTube videos and taking him to a fenced-in dog park to socialize. After a few months, we realized that he wasn't making any progress with listening or obedience, especially at the dog park. We would yell his name and tell him to come back to us, but he would just look over and pretty much ignore us! After Pancho had several incidents of fighting and aggression with other dogs at the park, we finally decided to get some help. Dennis and Ursula were great from the very beginning, listening to how it had been with Pancho and observing our interactions. We enrolled in the Dog Training Foundations program, which was a series of weekly lessons, where we worked on foundational tools and techniques to develop Pancho into an "everywhere" dog. Slowly, but surely we started noticing changes in Pancho's behavior. He loved his training sessions and quickly became hyper aware of our signs and verbal cues. It began to feel like we could "talk" to Pancho and he actually understood what we were saying. Dennis and Ursula struck a nice balance between some sessions focused more on play and games and other sessions focused more on obedience and behavior. Overall, it was just great to have them as real partners on our journey. We could reach out with any random questions and they were always very responsive and helpful. Pancho just completed 4 months of training and now has our trust to be "off-leash" in many situations in and around Portland. We never thought we would get to this level with a rescue dog, but Dennis and Ursula proved that wrong! Now we have the freedom to take Pancho basically anywhere and have the tools to make sure he is safe and happy in all those situations. I would highly recommend working with the Better Dog Co. if you are looking for cool, down-to-earth trainers in Portland. They also offer pack walks and other continuing activities with their clients which is great to keep the relationship going.

    Working on "Place" commands on a busy hiking trail.

    Ursula and Dennis are fantastic dog trainers and caring humans. We have seen great results from their private sessions. Our dogs really struggled with aggression, and it got to the point where it became a burden to walk them in our neighborhood. Their training method has totally changed that. They are a joy to walk, and the dogs themselves are so much more confident and comfortable. Ursula and Dennis's communication and correction suggestions instill confidence in the handler, which ultimately leads to improvement in the dogs behavior. They are extremely knowledgeable about training, and they continue to research new techniques while keeping clients in mind. They will stay and answer any questions or concerns you have even after your session is over. You can tell they really care about their clients. Highly recommend.

    I've been working with this team for my 3 year old English Mastiff's private lessons, and I've been blown away. Moose started to struggle with impulse control and lunging on walks along with a few other quirks, and it made everything from walks to traveling a lot harder. Within 2 weeks of working with this team, walks were already more manageable. At this point I can confidently walk Moose in new places, and his anxiety had noticeably improved after a month or so of lessons. I appreciate that they are focused on finding common ground between you and your doggo, and enhancing communication. It's not about intimidation or the alpha mentality. It's all about engagement, consistency and trust. I'm definitely going to hire them for workshops after our private lessons are finished. This has changed both of our lives for the better and I'm extremely grateful.

    Luna's first year of life!

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    Ask the Community - The Better Dog

    Review Highlights - The Better Dog

    Ursula helped me give Gambit a job to focus on -- every herding dog's dream -- and he is much happier for it.

    Mentioned in 17 reviews

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    Wonder Puppy

    Wonder Puppy

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    I cannot say enough good things about Casey and the team at Wonder Puppy. We have been customers…read morefor two years and our puppy has taken every class that they offer. Casey has helped us navigate Annabelle's individual needs, development, and training every step of the way. Both my husband and I come from the veterinary profession but I do not think we could have managed puppyhood and adolescence without Wonder Puppy. Thank you!

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    Broken glass with food is not a good mix. I apologize for the length and I'm not usually a negative…read morereviewer but... full experience: We recently relocated to Portland from Sacramento, Ca and were so excited to find a passionate group of folks to take care of our three cats and 70lbs dog in-(our)house. We used Tails and Trails 3 times with mixed results. Important to know- you create detailed notes with the owner (Jeff) on how to access your building, routines, where leashes are, etc., etc., when you have your introductory visit. Our instructions ask that the handler only feeds the cats their canned food, nothing else. 1st time, week-long trip (June 2024)- handlers were 2+ hours late regularly. While this wasn't the biggest issue, we don't have a doggie door and that level of lateness pushed the pup's bathroom breaks longer than we're comfortable. But, we liked the service offered and adjusted how often we scheduled handler visits for the second and third visits. 2nd time, 1 week of walks while both of us were gone for longer than 8 hours (September 2024)- Great! Annie (I'm not disclosing employees' full names for their privacy) had no problems and was very helpful. 3rd time, overnight away- 4 visits requested: Sat afternoon and evening; Sun am and afternoon (October 2024)- Day 1- We left the house at 8 am and scheduled feeding/walk visits for about 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm. Around 1:25 pm, Chloe (office manager) texted me to ask if we had scheduled for 7:00 am that day. When we said we hadn't, a communication between Chloe and a handler led to the 1:00 pm visit being skipped. We talked with Chloe that evening and she said the handler would roll the afternoon and evening visits together, apologized for the miscommunication between herself and the handler, and credited our account for the mistake (all great). The handler arrived around 7:00 pm. They had a difficult time accessing the building so Chloe texted us to say the handler would hang out for a little longer before leaving if they couldn't get access. Once they did get into the building, they couldn't find the food or leash. The access information, food instructions, and where the leashes are were all in the instructions. The handler fed the pets and took the pup for a 15-min potty break. Since we were only gone for a night, we didn't book anyone to stay overnight. We considered cutting the trip short and wish we had. Day 2- Oscar was our handler. We got notifications that both visits were completed and everything seemed to have gone smoothly. When we got home, a glass jar with cat treats had been taken from the closed closet and left open on the counter. When we got home, there were treats all over the counter and SHATTERED GLASS MIXED WITH TREATS all over the floor. All three cats had engorged stomachs. While Chloe apologized and said she'd speak with Oscar the next day, we didn't hear back from Tails and Trails' manager or owner. We'll be anxiously monitoring our furbabies for a few more days.

    Off Leash K9 Training

    Off Leash K9 Training

    4.4
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    My wife and I can't say enough about how Ryan and Mandy have changed our lives for the better…read morebecause of the training they did with our beagle Bumper. We tried multiple other training classes and techniques in the Portland area but none of them were able to help us with Bumper's leash aggression, pulling, and stubbornness. We were at the point where we were hesitant to take him anywhere because of how naughty he was. After doing much research and reading all of the excellent reviews, we decided to try Off Leash K9 Training. Although Ryan and Mandy were located in Eugene, we decided do the two-week course where Bumper stayed with them 24/7. We had doubts about whether or not it would work because of how stubborn our kiddo was, but he came back a different dog! No he is not perfect and he still acts out, but he is soooooo much better than before and we feel comfortable taking him out in public. Ryan and Mandy even extended his training for an additional week at no cost because he wasn't making the progress they had hoped he would. When we finally picked up Bumper after the three weeks, Ryan spent over two-hours with my wife and I to go over Bumper's trainings and commands. He was very patient and did a great job explaining everything. Yes the training is very expensive, more than I ever thought I'd pay for dog training, but the benefits of a well behaved beagle are priceless. Ryan and Mandy also run a dog rescue on site so it was great to know Bumper would not be alone. We will definitely be using Ryan and Mandy again for all of our training needs. Thank you!

    This is a warning to all families who are considering using Off Leash K9..they almost killed our…read moredog. She was found unresponsive in the crate she was kept in on the last day of her week long board and train at trainer Myriah's house. Our dog spent 8 days 7 nights in the ICU at Dove Lewis fighting for her life. The Doctors all suspect heatstroke; although we will never know what truly happened. The story we got from Owner Trish and Trainer Myriah is that everything was totally fine and normal until my perfectly healthy and strong 3 year old husky was found with no pulse. There's so many things that just do not align and are very suspicious. Do not trust these people with your dogs. If this story does not deter you, and you still believe these people could be your life-changing opportunity to better you and your dog, ASK MORE questions. Do not trust the professionals. Trust yourself. Ask to see where the dogs will be boarded, ask for more detailed updates about eating/drinking/potty breaks etc. , ask for the daily schedule about where they transport the dogs, what they will be trained on that day and how long they will be kept in a crate. Ask, ask, ask whatever your concern is and then make the decision to NOT USE THEM. These people are dangerous trash and should not be working with animals. Save yourself the torturous heartache we suffered. My dog will live. Yours may not.

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    I have three little dogs and when I moved to Portland, my littles needed some extra training…read more Having had some issues from before I got them, then moving from the country to a city was a lot of change. I checked out some other trainers and none of them had the experience, patience or knowledge that Rick has. He has been great at training me to better train and understand my dogs. He has been patient with my energetic little dog, tips and ideas based on his behavior and communication style teaching me how he will help teach my other littles. Rick is always available for questions and if something isn't working, he helps me understand why and how to overcome it so we can keep moving forward with the training. While I have a great connection and love my pups, this is helping me to give them a better life so we can have better adventures. More sessions with Rick coming up and they cannot wait for their "friend" to come over.

    I'm only a few sessions into training with Rick at BonesPDX, but the progress has been notable - I…read morecouldn't wait to share! His approach to dog training is backed by his deep expertise in animal behavior, including his experience as a former lead trainer at the Oregon Zoo. This unique combination makes him an exceptional choice for anyone looking to improve their dog's responsiveness, learn obedience, or master advanced skills. My high-energy Goldendoodle is already showing notable improvements. Best of all, I'm able to communicate with my dog more effectively. One of the biggest surprises? My dog who used to inhale his food at mealtime, actually asked to do training exercises and eat his dinner as the reward! That shift shows how engaged and eager he has become through Rick's positive approach and the changes I've made by learning what to do. Rick is not only a highly skilled professional dog trainer but also incredibly patient - with both my dog and me. He picks up on the tiniest cues helping me better understand my dog and is always eager to answer questions. His follow-up is outstanding, ensuring we stay on track. I highly recommend Rick. His knowledge, patience, and ability to connect with both dogs and their owners make him a stand-out in the field!

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    Update! Our other dog passed away a few weeks ago, and Coach struggled to find his footing without…read morehis sister, and we lapsed in our reinforcement of training so some new behavior issues began popping up with our boy. I reached out to Dick to inform him of our loss and of Coach's subsequent problems-he got out to our new house as soon as he could, we worked him for a couple of hours this morning. We are so grateful for Dick, he's always there to answer questions, he's upfront and honest about what we're doing that's creating issues and he makes the training fun and enjoyable for all of us! I know he'll help us guide Coach through his grief and when we're ready to add to our family, we know Dick will be there to help every step of the way!

    Dick, has been a blessing to work with. Trusting someone with my little old grandma of a dog Hazel…read moreis not easy, especially when she's so set in her ways. Dick was able to identify Hazel's problems immediately and right away organized a game plan to minimize her bad habits. He reiterated that training is not going to be an overnight thing, however after the first day of training , I can tell Hazel was reacting positively to the certain changes. She is still stubborn and sometimes going back to the bad habits, but I can always know that I can contact Dick if I ever need help with anything. It was a pleasure to work with him and just know that if you sign up with him, you'll have a person in your corner no matter the time or day.

    The Better Dog - pet_training - Updated July 2026

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