Animal Minds Behavior & Training - Sacramento Dog Training -

Rubi Carrillo

Susan is nothing short of a miracle worker when it comes to training dogs! We recently adopted Dakota, a one-year-old Malinois mix who had been a stray. From the moment he entered our home, it was clear he had no training or manners. He was high-strung and completely out of control – constantly yelping, unable to stay still, jumping on furniture and people, crashing into things, and harassing our other dog. To top it off, he destroyed everything in his path.

We were overwhelmed and at our wits’ end when we reached out to Susan for help. She responded promptly and scheduled a time to meet Dakota. From the very first session, Susan immediately recognized the issues we were facing and took control of the situation. Her expertise was evident right away.

After eight weeks of dedicated training, along with several follow-up sessions, Dakota returned home as a completely different dog. He now has manners, follows commands, and is calm and manageable – the transformation has been night and day! We were honestly worried he might be untrainable, but Susan worked wonders.

Susan is not only incredibly knowledgeable but also a joy to work with. She’s friendly, flexible, and a fantastic communicator. We especially appreciated the photos and videos she sent to keep us updated on Dakota’s progress. It’s clear she genuinely cares about the dogs she trains.

If you’re in need of a dog trainer – especially for high-energy breeds like a Malinois – we can’t recommend Susan highly enough. She truly changed our lives and gave Dakota the skills he needed to thrive.

deanna vigil

We became aware of Susan through a family referral. We had recently adopted a puppy (Chloe) from a rescue organization and unfortunately had no clue what we were in for. We didn't know anything about her, her bread, her parents or where she came from. We soon found that this was not going to as easy as any of our other pups. We were struggling with training her as she was highly reactive to sounds, and when triggered by loud noises, her immediate response was to attack our other dog. Her energy level was through the roof, and it was often difficult to calm her when the house was busy. During the 2nd instance of her turning on our other dog, I was also bitten by her. I know she did not mean to bite me, but her energy was being exerted in such a negative way, I quickly lost trust in her and felt that we couldn't leave her alone with our other dogs at any time. When I met with Susan, she had high hopes for Chloe and assured me that this type of behavior could be corrected, and we could gain so much with proper training. We agreed to sending her to Susan for her board and train program. To this day, I am confident that this was a wonderful use of the money we paid. Chloe was bit harder to break of her negative behavior, but Susan was committed and continued working with her until she felt she was in a good spot. She kept reassuring me that she would learn how to behave and handle her emotions with proper training., even when I was doubtful and not as confident that we would be able to maintain her training at home. I can't say we are perfect, and for sure she could use some refreshers as I am sure we are a bit more lenient to her at home. We have had a few follow up sessions with Susan and Chloe has done a few short stays for boarding since being home. We are looking forward to Chloe spending time with Susan later this month for a refresh during her boarding time. I 100% trust Susan and her abilities to provide our pup with the training and care she needs. You saved our family life, our sanity and our safety. Thank you for all you do for the animal community.

Stacia Philipp

I highly recommend Susan if you’re looking for a behavioral trainer. We had a scary situation happen between our dog and baby but weren’t quite ready to give up on our dog just yet. I found 2 behavioral trainers online, the 1st trainer I contacted I did not care for our conversation, they felt very cold and detached. I contacted Susan next and she was extremely kind and understanding to the sensitivity around our situation. She came out to do a meet and greet and see if our dog would benefit from this type of training or if she would be considered a liability. Susan had our dog for about 6 weeks and upon getting her back she was like a new dog. We’ve been able to take her out in public and do things with her where we could not before. She is much more well behaved in our home and I can tell she is thriving with the guidance she was provided from Susan and now by us in her home. Thanks to Susan we did not have to re-home our dog and having a trained dog has been so worth going through this process

Isaiah Loyd

Susan did an amazing job with our rescue dog, he was a menace around the house and eating shoes. We tried another trainer before finding Susan and she said he was a lost cause and we were running out of options. After he came back he was a completely different dog. Thank you for helping us!

Zachary Heath

Prior to bringing our puppy home my wife and I decided we would commit to a trainer and not do everything ourselves. This was the best decision we could have made for our Toller, Maisey Mae as we received more correction than our puppy did.

Terra was very quick to communicate after I sent off my email and was 2 of 5 companies that even returned my email as I searched for a trainer. I appreciated her time and ability to give me some guidance prior to even having or even knowing what sex my puppy was going to be.

After our first session with Terra we were quick to book the package and continue with not only training Maisey but training us. We found that we were making multiple command mistakes that lead to confusion and communication breakdown with Maisey. After just one session we saw Maisey paying attention more, less distracted, and we were set up with a clear plan.

Maisey was quick to learn from Terra and Terra was quick to adapt her training plan to meet Maisey's needs. After our package plan ended we are continuing our training with Terra performing private lessons with the Ecollar. I can't recommend Terra enough and those that I have referred have had great experiences with Terra.

Maisey has a lot to learn and Terra has a lot of knowledge to teach. Excited to have such a great trainer!

Brian Stewart

Susan at Animal Minds is fantastic!! We had an aggressive dog that we had difficulty training on our own and with another trainer. We sent him to Animal Minds for several weeks of in-depth training and received such a wonderfully trained pup back. Susan worked with us on several occasions at the end of his training so that we could also be trained about how to be with him in different environments. We also have queried Susan about food and other behavior issues since then and she always responds promptly and with great information. When we leave town, we turn to Susan for short-term boarding as we trust and value her influence and ongoing contribution to our furry friends well being. I'd give 100 stars if I could!

Brent and Linda

We can't recommend Susan highly enough! We enrolled our dog, Mochi, in her board and train program, and the transformation has been incredible. As first-time dog owners, we learned so much about dog psychology and behavior from Susan's expert guidance. Mochi not only developed essential skills but also formed a strong bond with Susan’s dog, Meatball, which gave us peace of mind knowing she was well cared for. She’s also helped us with at home greetings with our friend’s dog and better understand Mochi’s personality and how to advocate for her. We are grateful for Susan’s knowledge and dedication, and we truly feel like we have a different dog now!

Allison Noren

We adopted a puppy (Levi) and decided to adopt his mama (Annie) as well since she hadn't had any applications. Annie was found pregnant on the streets so we had no idea what she had been through. We instantly fell in love with them, however Annie became extremely challenging with her dog reactivity and excessive barking. Levi, the puppy, was better behaved than Annie. After 6 months of trying everything we were capable of doing, we decided we needed a professional. I am so glad we found Susan at Animal Minds. Annie went through the Board & Train Behavior Modification program for about 7-8 weeks. When I say she was a completely different dog, that would be an understatement. Of course she was still her lovable self, but she was so well behaved, didn't bark at every dog walking by, and followed our commands almost perfectly. In fact, Levi and Annie switched places because he was the one who was hard to control when she came home for her overnight visit. We were so thrilled with her progress that we decided to put Levi through the Board & Train as well once it was time for Annie to come home. Now we have two dogs who are still as lovable as ever, but seem happier without all the anxiety & chaos that being untrained can bring them. Thank you so much Susan! You have changed all of our lives for the better.