Pet Boarding Training near South San Francisco

“Our Meyer's Parrot, who is now 28 years old, has been a regular at the SF Bird Hotel for many years -- and it's always worth the 1.5-2 hour drive to get there! The staff are wonderful, and he is obviously very well cared for (in every sense of the word 'care'! -- including with fresh fruits & veggies daily) -- he's always very content and happy when we arrive for pick up. Our parrot is an absolutely BELOVED VIP family member, who has very specific care needs -- and I do not hesitate to frequently entrust him to the SF Bird Hotel.“

“Super friendly and my dog loves it there. They were great at training my dog to be better on walks, too!“

“Five months ago, I rescued a 10-month-old Great Dane who had a traumatic and limited start to her life. She was already quite large at 100 pounds (she weighs 125 pounds today) and, understandably, terribly anxious. We live on California Ave, right in the heart of Nob Hill, and I can honestly say: until I saw the world through her eyes, I had no idea how chaotic the streets and parks of San Francisco are—they are too chaotic for many rescues. What made matters even worse was that our dog was afraid of other dogs—terrified, in fact.

Trapped in our apartment with my large and very timid new best friend, I reached out to Natalie and Top-Dog for help: we needed a safe place for our rescue to get some exercise without other barking dogs, people, or anything else. Natalie was amazing, enabling us to use her facilities with no other dogs present. It was nothing short of huge for our rescue. She had an opportunity to run and play in an environment where she felt safe. Exercise is so important for dog happiness and good behavior.

Top-Dog has two great facilities, one in San Francisco and another a 30-minute drive south in Montara. The San Francisco location has a nice, clean, well-maintained yard, where they practice great doggie hygiene and ensure all dogs in the facility are healthy and stay that way. The Montara ranch is an amazing location: it is huge, at least 4 acres in two large fenced-in runs, all grass and very well maintained, without a single foxtail to be seen. We have utilized both locations continuously over the last five months, allowing our dog to get some real exercise.

Top-Dog's help and support with our rescue have been instrumental. Natalie is amazing, and her thoughtful and conscientious team runs some great facilities.“

“Dogpile is the best. Everyone is so lovely. I love the monthly flat fee option. Huge relief to find these folks! Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for doggy daycare or boarding“

“We rescued our two little dogs 6 years ago and they were good with people and other dogs, but after the lockdown, our Molly became aggressive with visitors to our home and out walking. Cyd came into our home to hear two barking, crazy dogs in their very large big bed (a pink cage); Cyd ignored them, sat down on the floor in front of the cage and we talked while they continued loudly saying they didn't want Cyd there. She threw healthy treats every so often and they calmed down. Molly learned how to walk without charging at other people and dogs and I learned how to help her calm down; Cyd was wonderful, explained everything we were doing and loves and understands dogs and how to help owners understand their dogs.“

“Thank you all at Prime Paw for sharing the knowledge of puppy training with my pup, Shadow. She's just graduated out of their academy program. They have helped a lot with the growth of my pup's behavior and understanding them better as a fur parent. I apply using their techniques on a daily basis and can assert it's a prime example how a puppy can be comfortable in their surroundings in any situation.

Seeing the improvements with Shadow has made with Prime Paw we're ready to level up with them and join in their group classes.

Thank you, Prime Paw!“

“We brought our rescue dog to Alicia's today and the team did an excellent job with our dog. We will be back! Thank you!!“

“Jeff helped us so much! We adopted our dog, Ted, from the SPCA in June, and he was very fearful. He was afraid of going on walks, he wouldn't let us put collars, harnesses, or leashes on him, he would bark like crazy if we had any guests come into our apartment, and he wasn't housetrained. We had one zoom session and 3 in-person sessions with Jeff, and now Ted is about 98% housetrained, has no problem with guests, and he loves walks! He used to hide, growl, and snap when we tried to put the leash on him, and we weren't able to walk him at all for the first two months we had him, but now he actually gets excited when we get the leash out! Jeff gave us excellent advice throughout the whole process and we couldn't have done it without him.“

“After having not seen these dogs for a little bit, they still remember me! I just love The Little Dog Chateaux doggies!!!“

“Lena has changed our lives. She built the confidence our anxious dog needed and set up a foundation from which we could build. We are better equipped to handle anxiety related situations and our dog is more relaxed, confident and patient. Truly life changing.“

“My pup usually got really nervous going to the groomer, but she looked happy, relaxed and very pretty after being groomed at Lnimo. Linda and Derek took good care of my dog and the atmosphere is relaxing, with their shop dog hanging out too! High recommend!“

“I have used Karma both previously in Texas and now in the bay area. I have a leash reactive Labrador and was paired with Viviane. Viviane was so excellent and within three sessions my dog was more calm, more responsive, and happier in high stress situations. Viviane did a great job training me as well to better communicate with my dog. She was great, she met me first at my home in San Francisco, and then we met in the middle in San Mateo. Karma and Viviane provide after action reports and items to practice in between sessions.HIGHLY RECOMMEND!“

“Just wanted to update to emphasize how wonderful, patient, and flexible they are! Our dog has had a couple of medical things come up, and we had to cancel some trips. Lucky Paws was super compassionate and understanding and willing to work with us to see if we could make things work. 100% recommend their business! They care about you as a client.“

“I was searching hard for an in-person class for my reactive pup. After searching for a few weeks, I stumbled across Just Rewards. I sent an email quickly to make sure that classes were actually going to be held. We specifically took the Rowdy Rovers class with Wendy. I want to start off by saying that Wendy is an amazing trainer. She is super knowledgeable and genuinely cares about the success of your pup/dog. She also wants owners to be successful. It's important to note that you should take this class with realistic expectations. Don't go into this thinking that 5 weeks later, you're dog will miraculously not be reactive anymore. She makes sure you have the tools to continue working on your dog's reactivity well beyond the class. Since the end of class, we have made strides. However, we still have a long way to go. Because of this class, I've been able to take my dog outdoors more often, which is what I've been wanting to do from the start. I have been eyeing some of her online courses, so hopefully we can take classes with her again in the near future.“

“I highly recommend Doggie Business! Janet, the owner, is great with our three year old Yorkie, Buddy. It is more than a dog walking service-Janet trains and socializes your dog. She takes her job seriously and you can tell she genuinely cares for the dogs and their well-being. She picks up the dogs in a lovely van, with separate crates for each dog. I know Buddy is in great hands with Janet.“

“We love expert pet! Definitely a one stop shop for pet needs like grooming, doggie day care, pet supplies, and I think they even have veterinary services too. I love their bulk treat section and doggie apparel. The groomers there are wonderful with my senior pup and it's nice to stock up on treats after he's all done.“

“Laura is awesome! We first met when I was running with my pup and she was running with the Trailpals in the East Bay hills -- I was so impressed with how gracefully and skillfully she managed the dogs, and I knew that my pup would love to be a part of that and that I would need a reliable safe place for her to stay when I travel. So I asked Laura for her card, and signed up, and am so glad that I did. My dog *loves* Laura and I am immensely grateful to know that she is safe and happy and in good hands, whether she is out for a day on the trails or staying with Laura for a week or more while I am out of town.“

“Mike is fantastic! He works with our 1.5yr black GSD who is beyond energetic and a little psycho with strangers. The first time they met, she kept barking at him and he was completely unphased. He knew exactly how to handle and behave around her to get her more comfortable. The first 2 times he picked her up, she was a little wary. However, by the third time she knew what was up and looked forward to going with him. We love Mike because he took his time to talk to us and the patience he showed Nezzy. Not only does his walks help with her energy management, but she has also become so much better overall. At the park, her recall has improved significantly. On the walks, she's not as reactive anymore. Mike is hard working, no nonsense, and dedicated to his craft.“

“Infinity stars! Shelah has been an absolute life-saver for my dog Eleanor, who underwent double TPLO surgery on both hind legs due to tearing her CCL (canine cruciate ligament) in each knee. Although her right knee healed up well with just the basic after-care from our surgeon, Ellie's left knee had much worse damage prior to surgery and was much slower to heal as a result. For reference, she was fully weight-bearing and walking normally on the right leg prior to surgery, but was 100% non-weight bearing on her left going into surgery. So although the left leg surgery was successful and she was weight bearing a few days afterwards, she was still favoring the leg and showing lots of lameness from activity, even many months after her bone healed from the TPLO. My regular vet and even Sam's clinic were less than helpful as far as providing a rehab program to follow. They also still will not see clients in person due to covid, meaning they could only talk to me on the phone and send me videos of the exercises I was supposed to be doing with my dog. So although I was following their program and advice to a T, Ellie kept having setback after setback and didn't seem to be improving. Even with very light activity, she would still hold her leg up sometimes and not want to put weight on it. I felt lost and that my pup might never be able to run or hike off-leash ever again. Enter Shelah - she comes by in person and is an absolute wizard at reading Ellie's (and my) body language. She designed a custom exercise/physical therapy program for us and also was able to train ME on how to train Elle to do the exercises properly. I actually work with dogs for a living (I'm a dog walker) and am well versed in training methods, but training a dog to execute specific physical therapy exercises is a totally different ballgame. Shelah is able to watch me work with Ellie, and give me simple pointers/instructions in order to get optimal results with each training session. We had to start from square one with really basic exercises, as the ones given to me by Sam's clinic were (to my surprise!) far too advanced. But, with consistent work we've been able to get Ellie's leg much stronger, to where she can finally hike and run off leash without lameness afterwards. It makes me tear up to have made this breakthrough and for Ellie to finally have her quality of life back, after almost two years going through surgeries and rehab. I cannot say enough positive things about Shelah. She is clearly an expert and has a wealth of knowledge, but is also just a phenomenal human being and clearly cares deeply about each dog (and human) she works with. She is always available to help with any questions that pop up, or snags that we run into along the way. I shudder to think where Ellie and I would be without Shelah. I can't recommend her highly enough!“

“Positive Force Dog Training w Lilly has helped our 8lb Yorkie Buster sooo much. He broke his leg when he was little and it lead to a whole host of on leash aggression. We did all kinds of dog groups to help w this and Buster was always the star of the class because his issue is w stranger dogs once in a class these dogs are no longer strangers thus it did not really help us in the real world. Through the Art of Dog (his dog walkers) they told us about Lilly and at this point we were at our wits ends and had spent thousands of dollars w not much success. Positive Force owner Lilly was very detailed in her research going all the way back to talk to our breeder about Busters parents and his walkers and she interview w us very extensively and she came up w a plan just for buster that spanned 6 weeks about 4 days a week and training w us as well w him. For him she had also hired other trainers w training dogs to come to our neighborhood to work him. They had walkie talkies and throughout the neighborhood they planned times for these dogs to walk past buster on the side walk they used big dogs, small dogs and every time she used new dogs so they would always be dogs Buster did not know which is no small feat in of its self. She would send us a full report each week and go over our homework and communicated very well w us. Buster was also in love w her every time she came over he was so excited to see her. We still have work to do but he has done a 150 and that's mostly we have more work as handlers of him he is fine it's how we respond to situations we are still learning. Lilly is in high demand so it could take a while to get to you but in all of the time and money and trainers we have worked w I wish we would have known about her sooner it's worth the time and money and really w the amount of time she puts in and the other trainers and dogs she employees it is pretty cheap actually. Look no further and don't waste your time or money on anyone else trust me as a researcher we tried everything, Positive Force and Lilly has been a God send“

“We used Michael when we brought home our 8 week old Golden Retriever. The classes were 1 on 1 Zoom calls during COVID 19 and the results were no less effective than in person. We got our pup started off on the right foot thanks to Michael and was able to stop unwanted nipping/biting, get basic obedience commands down, and also speak with Michael about our new daily routine with the dog which helped us so much. Would recommended Michael“

“We've never done any type of dog training, but we were having a hard time with our puppy's high energy and never-ending biting. Youtube videos were helpful, but not cutting it. I found Sirius online through an article that recommended it as #1 best. It felt like a little bit of a leap of faith since there wasn't much info I could find and they are doing online classes now due to the pandemic. But, we were desperate and I wanted to be able to progress with my training and interact with a trainer that I could ask questions to. I had read the reviews on yelp recommending Leanne, so we signed up for Puppy I class. Within the first class we felt like we learned so much! Having the classes through zoom was actually great because there were less distractions for our puppy and we could more easily fit it into our weekend schedule without any commute time or hassle. Leanne was so welcoming, friendly, and funny. We loved the classes and saw the benefits early on of working with our puppy that we signed up for Puppy II and completed that also. I love Leanne's positive reinforcement approach which was exactly what we were looking for. Our puppy has responded really well to the approach and we feel confident in our training and I actually look forward to it. We can now communicate with our puppy which is extremely helpful. We've now completed the 10-weeks between Puppy I and Puppy II. I find myself missing it every week because I actually had so much fun doing it and learning also. I might sign up for some of their other classes to learn more tricks later on. Looking back, we can see that the training classes with Leanne were the turning point for where we were thinking, "Uh oh, what did we do getting this puppy? Did we make a mistake?" to "We love our puppy and she's so smart". Leanne was the best trainer we could have imagined for us. She went above and beyond to answer questions both in and out of class, does great demonstrating the training "games", provides explanations that explain that rationale behind the training techniques, and you can tell she knows what she is doing. Having other puppies around the same age was helpful to learn from the other dog owner's as well when they asked questions/had similar struggles. Also having a live trainer providing feedback and offering suggestions when she sees how your dog is responding is priceless. You don't get that from dog training videos online. We definitely found that having live training was worth every penny and would do it again in a heartbeat. Thank you Sirius for the amazing training!“

“Working with DPT was unequivocally a 5 star experience. I'd give more stars, if I could. I was both pleased and impressed with the training that my dog and I received there. Dan, Natasha, Sydney, Bryn, and every staff member I dealt with demonstrated skill, competence, and commitment to ensuring that my dog was trained and prepared to live her life as a happy dog. We attended many classes where we addressed her various issues. I was initially attracted to Dan's training philosophy and witnessing his intuitive and effective interactions with dogs is truly an amazing thing to behold. You should take your dog in and see it for yourself! My dog adores him and is always glad to see him. Follow up and questions are always welcomed and advice is freely given. When DPT says there is a lifelong commitment to your dog, they mean it. I have also used boarding and daycare. She's happy to see me when I pick her up, but in the meantime, she has clearly been well cared for. Sometimes we even stop by for a visit. DPT is the best and you can't do better than the best.“

“We have been taking our Black Russian terrier, Chungles, here since she was a pup. She’s a working dog and has guarding tendencies and this really gave her the mental stimulation she’s been craving. My husband and I take turns doing the training sessions. I love the group classes because our dog is able to learn from the more experienced dogs. Larry did a great job of adjusting minor things like where I was holding my treats and how I was using my leash. He is great at giving suggestions and corrections. The truth is, Larry’s job is to train YOU in how to better handle your dog, not to train your dog.
We noticed a significant difference in our dogs behavior after going to these group sessions.“

“Picked up agility as a hobby with my younger shiba who needs to burn energy and it’s been really fun for the both of us. All the trainers have been really great, especially Lynna. Definitely recommend if you’re looking to teach the right foundations for your dog!“

“We have been training with Jean for the past six months with a combination of online and in-person classes. As I am in a wheelchair, our goals for our dog Nuka are to assist me in activities of daily living & accompany me into the community for companionship and mobility assistance.Jean has extensive experience working with clientele experiencing a wide range of disabilities and helping them to thrive in both residential settings and public spaces where a service dog accommodation truly equalizes their owner’s access to the community.At first I had my doubts that we could really train our dog with a remote instructor on zoom, but Jean’s a natural with digital tech; and she carefully structures our zoom training to reach a milestone at each session. At our in- person trainings we meet at a park where we can challenge our dog’s ability to remain focused in public. Jean is worth the drive   - 78 miles each way!Jean is helping us get the fundamentals with Nuka down rather quickly. Currently Jean is training us to help Nuka reduce his excitement and distraction around other dogs. It is very challenging, but she’s taught me a variety of positive reinforcement and classical conditioning techniques to get the dog to focus on me. We are also learning tasks that the dog can do to help me while I am in my wheelchair.“