Antonia is the best! She has helped me SO much with my dog Douglas. Any behavioral issue he had, Antonia had a solution. It's not just about obedience, but helping my dog live his best life! I can't recommend "The Spirited Canine" enough! read more

The Spirited Canine - Dog Walkers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Antonia was a miracle worker! I was having issues with my dog jumping on people and taking food hard from my hand. She took the time to get to know him and gave me clear instructions to follow. I now have a dog who I can more reliably take into public and I'm not worried about losing my fingers trying to give him a treat. read more

Antonia inspired me to adopt a dog and has been my go to for training advice ever since. She has worked wonders with my anxious, skittish, and all around weird dog. When I got her she was afraid to leave the house and I can now take her to bars, shops, walks around the neighborhood, dog parks, off-leash hikes, anywhere I can imagine! She has worked wonders. Beyond that she has trained me and has instilled in me the confidence and knowledge to confidentially work with my dog. She is incredibly knowledgeable, kind, responsive, accountable, and an all-around incredible trainer! Can't say enough about what a pleasure it was to work with her. Highly recommend her! read more

My partner and I adopted a particularly challenging pup earlier this year, and found Antonia on Yelp and reached out for help. Frank - our approx. 1 year old Cattle dog mix - was a handful for sure (very reactive towards strangers, other dogs, small animals, us; just about anything that moved), but we felt like if we could find the right trainer, we could make things work. After explaining the challenges we were facing - during our initial consult - Antonia felt confident that she could help us a lot with Frank's behavior. We were very excited, however once training kicked off, things really did not go very well. In our first training session, Frank displayed all of the behaviors we had mentioned previously - but Antonia seemed surprised and frustrated by said behavior. My partner and I felt like we were being scolded, as though we had programmed this behavior (we'd had the dog for 1 month at this point), and like we were doing something wrong in the session. Not only that, but very little constructive feedback was offered. It didn't really seem like Antonia knew how to handle the behavior Frank was displaying. She opted to cut that first lesson short, to 'talk with some other trainers' and promised to follow up with 'tons of good information' that we could use. What we got instead, was a couple of paragraphs in a Google doc, that looked like they had just been copied and pasted from an article somewhere online; no mention of anything specific to Frank at all. We had another lesson or two, and encountered more of the same - basically what felt like a lot of criticism, but very little applicable feedback. At our final lesson, Antonia advised us that perhaps we were not the right owners for Frank, and suggested that we move towards a board and train and spend several thousand dollars, or potentially return Frank to the shelter we got him from. This was probably the most frustrating part of the whole ordeal, primarily because we had been given next to nothing to work on with Frank; it just felt like Antonia didn't know what to tell us, or how to proceed in training. Rather than saying that SHE may not be the right fit, the onus was put onto us; as though we were just incapable of executing. That last lesson really made us upset, and my partner was in literal tears. We would have felt so much better if Antonia had simply said 'I'm not sure how to help you, but here are some other resources...' Anyways, we didn't hear from Antonia after that - no follow up, no checking in to see if we were still interested in training, or how things were going - which led me to believe she ultimately did not care about how this would work out for us, or for Frank. All of this to say, we found another trainer shortly there-after, and have had amazing success. It has been a ton of work, but after a few months - Frank is doing fantastic. I really don't like writing reviews, and certainly not negative ones, but I felt it important to share our experience. While I'm sure that Antonia does very well for some clients, if you find yourself looking for someone that specializes in reactive dogs, I'd advise you to look elsewhere, and avoid an experience similar to ours. read more

Without a doubt, this is the best dog training service on the entire west coast. Antonia is a "true" dog whisperer, having trained our French Bulldog, I can attest first hand to her awesome ability and skill. We wanted our dog to be a good citizen and she taught him: sit, stay, down, leave it, place -no jumping on people. French Bulldog are smart but stubborn. In all my experience with other trainers and obedience (puppy etc) training, Antonia is remarkably intuitive, patient, consistent, gentle. She is firm and in charge when necessary. She understands dog behavior and uses rewards and motivation , not punishment or old school correction. It works and the results we achieved are the ultimate proof. She also works closely and listens to the owners needs and concerns and help is to continue with reinforcement and training. If you have any dog training needs, from puppy to difficult behavior, including aggressiveness, this is the individual you want. And, Antonia is smart, has a great sense of humor, is highly educated, and just a delightful person. Simply stated "the best of the best"- and head and shoulders above the rest!! read more

We just finished up our first month of Dog Walking Services with Au Pied and we couldn't be happier. Antonia is super professional and I've never once worried about my pup, Toast, when he's with her. She came over for a meeting before we officially signed up for services, where she provided ample information and asked lots of relevant questions. She has a very comprehensive form/contract that made me feel even more confident that the business was well organized and legitimate. She occasionally texts me pictures and posts a ton to her Instagram page so we can see how much fun our little guy is having! Toast is looking forward to many more walks with Antonia and the Pack! read more

The Spirited Canine - Pupdates from Antonia! - Dog Walkers Near Me - Portland, Oregon

We highly recommend Antonia for dog training! She has already helped us so much with our almost-2-year-old Golden Retriever who gets a little tooooo excited about people, leaves, squirrels... you get the picture. Antonia was great since the first point of contact, and has only continued to make us feel even more trusting of her ability to help us and our pup since then. She is calm, clear, fair, and understanding -- able to apply her expertise in a way that feels very much tailored to our personal situation and dog. We've had her do private sessions at our home, day training where she takes Luna with her, and we'll soon be starting a 3 week board-and-train too. Needless to say, we can't get enough of Antonia's guidance and are so grateful for all of her services! read more

Antonia is a sage and there is a special place in dog heaven for her. There are a LOT of dog trainers out there and Antonia is the pinnacle of calm, clear, loving, and knowledgeable. She set exacting, compassionate, and non-judgmental limits for our dog, and for us, in training our pup. I rescued an almost one year old Shepherd. Since I raised other dogs in my life, I would be competent to train this one too, right? Nope. My shepherd is smart and sweet, but also intense, loud, and insecure. She bared her teeth at every dog we saw, went into barking conniptions over most moving things (squirrels, yes, but hummingbirds?!), and threw whining tantrums if she couldn't be playing off leash with my children everywhere. Antonia expertly taught me how to set and communicate clear directions and limits with my dog via positive praise and feedback. She has rescued and rehabilitated far more difficult dogs than my own and will use her own dogs to help your dog learn too. If you are looking for a dictatorial trainer who will teach your dog to tremble under your authority, keep on looking. If, however, you seek a **brilliant woman who understands the nuances of dogs and people** and who guides you into a loving canine relationship where your dog respects and adores you, call Antonia. My whole family, and dog, are smitten with her. read more

Antonia is a gifted dog trainer. She helped me raise my wild little puppy into a cooperative, loving, and confident dog. She understands a dog's mind and heart inside out, and was able to help me with every training need that arose. Through working with her, I developed a beautiful bond with my spirited canine. I give her my highest recommendation. read more

Antonia is simply fabulous! It is tricky to find someone you fully trust and she is that person! She is deeply committed, has lots of experience, and most importantly she gives you and your four-legged beloved her undivided attention. Antonia walks and boards dogs and provides dog behavior consults. I learned so much and thanks to her made the appropriate adjustments for our foster dog. Hence, I would highly recommend her!!! Antonia has the biggest heart and is very dedicated to dogs and their families! When having issues with our foster dog, she was simply the best and offered us such generous and fabulous support. read more

I would highly recommend Antonia! My husband and I just got home from a pleasant evening walk with our two energetic pups, which wouldn't have been possible 4 months ago. Our dogs were leash pullers, reactive, and an overall handful, but Antonia gave us tools and techniques that solved our challenges. read more

Antonia is amazing! We hired her to watch our dog, Mongo, while we went out of town for 4 days. She took him on long walks (and trips to the dog park), stayed the night with him, and even gave him a bath. She sent lots of updates and photos. Mongo absolutely adores her and gets very excited any time she comes over. She helped us to treat him for a skin problem as well. We wouldn't think of using anyone else for pet care, and would recommend her to anyone. Her prices also seem very reasonable for the level of care that she gives. read more

I am so grateful to have found Sit Stay Play Dog Walking! We've been clients for a few months, and my dog is definitely calmer and happier since she started her 3x/week walks with Antonia. I've noticed that my dog's manners with other dogs seem to be improving as well (which is quite impressive, since my dog can be a slightly cranky old lady at 10 years old!) It gives me great peace of mind to know my dog is in such good hands when I'm at work. And I always enjoy the sweet photos & updates that Antonia sends me from her walks. Thanks a million!!! read more

I highly recommend Antonia. She is wonderful with dogs, trustworthy, and timely. She takes our dog three days a week and stays at our house when we're away. It is a frequent conversation in our house about how lucky we feel to have her. read more

Antonia is wonderful! She has an amazing, innate sense of how dogs think and feel. She is also so calm that our dog knows he is in the presence of a guru as soon as he is near her. She is super smart and also really funny so it's always a pleasure working with her. Antonia has really helped our family (two parents and three kids) to create good boundaries and good habits with our labrador puppy. I highly recommend her! read more

Antonia and her heard of pups are AMAZING! She is organized, prompted and beyond loving to our pup. Every day our labrador runs with her crew, she comes home happy and spent - Antonia is amazing! We couldn't recommend Au Pied more! read more

I totally trust Antonia with my dog. Antonia took care of Dolly and my house for a week. While I was away Antonia walked Dolly 3 times a day, played with her, gave her a bath and worked on Dolly's behavior problems. Antonia sent me up date pics which made my vacation even more relaxing! Antonia's prices are reasonable and are a great value. If you are looking for a responsible and knowledgeable dog walker, sitter or trainer I highly recommend Antonia. read more

Antonia is the best! She walks and boards my dog, and my dog absolutely loves her. She also does training, and my dog always comes home super well behaved. I highly recommend her! read more

Antonia gave my pup, Marley, and I hope! I rescued Marley from a remote Caribbean island when she was 3 weeks old and brought her to the states when she was 9 months old. Adjusting to cars, airplanes, bicycles and people was a challenge! As Marley reached 2 years old, we found that there were some serious residual genetic behavior from this "island" dog mentality. I came to Antonia will little hope that I would be able to curb Marley's anxiety and aggression. Though Marley posed unique challenges for Antonia, Antonia remained hopeful. Antonia took the time to not only train Marley but train me in how to be a clear and consistent owner. Her patience, thoroughness and approach to our situation put me at ease and allowed Marley and I to further build our relationship together. We primarily focused on positive reinforcement and snacks as rewards and layered in a prong collar & e collar as well. Antonia has given Marley and I a fresh start and I cannot recommenced her enough! Thank you, Antonia read more

My regular dog walker recommend Antonia. We have a pretty high maintenance German Shepard. When Antonia came to meet us we could tell that she had already. met Buddy and he really liked her. With that we knew we could go away and he would be well taken care of by Antonia. She took him out for walks every day and sent us some great pictures which made us smile. She gave updates when needed. She stayed at our house and when we came home the house was perfect and Buddy was sad to see her go:). She is amazing and we highly recommend her. read more