Bay Area Dog Trainer - Clayton, California

Kody Meginnes He-Him

Dan was a fantastic wealth of knowledge as a behaviorist and trainer. I needed more than just dog obedience 101 to understand what was going on with my rescued lab. With Dan’s help I have an entirely less reactive dog and as I continue the work I am confident that the behavior will be exterminated. Thanx Dan for all the advice and support.

Naomi Powell

Dan was recommended to us by Gentle Care Vet in Hayward for our extremely anxious mini dachshund Maple.

Our home is a small zoo with three dogs, a cat, and three humans all under one roof. Dan immediately came in and was able to assess and address the many dynamics at play.

Since committing to Dan's recommendations and advice, we have seen significant improvements in Maple's anxiety. We are also now able to leave all three dogs at home while at work (not in kennels). Barking at the door and chasing the cat have also drastically improved.

Dan is extremely personable and absolutely ADORES dogs. It meant so much to us that he was able to create a safe space for Maple during our training sessions. We never felt rushed during any of our sessions. Dan has always been available to answer phone calls and texts. Several times I sent him videos in between sessions to ask questions.

My biggest advice if you move forward with Dan. COMMIT TO WHAT HE RECOMMENDS! Everything takes time but if you commit and change YOUR behavior you will slowly start to see your dogs behavior improve too.

THANKS DAN! Maple no longer runs from cars and is so much more confident on walks and leaving the house!

Photo of all three dogs and the cat cuddling. Which NEVER happened before working with Dan.

Mark Brackett

We were amazed how quickly our Yorkie responded to our newly acquired training techniques. She is quick, intelligent and fairly dominant. Daniel’s dog physiology helped our family, (including a 3 year old granddaughter) apply his strict but gentle techniques
It was extremely helpful getting us into real life scenarios, giving all of us a great reset.
Many thanks ❣️

Stella P

Our family's experience with Dan was exceptional. He is an expert in his field, knowledgeable, patient, great to work with, and our dogs loved working with him. We have two 20lbs chihuahua terrier mix rescues that we adopted as puppies at separate times, the second of which was a constant puller on leash, under socialized, extremely anxious, leash and fear reactive toward dogs, and terrified of people and the world in general. After a year of other training programs and trying on our own, we were told that she was never going to be a social dog. Then we contacted Dan. Dan guided us to success and proved that our pups could be successful with the correct tools, approach and consistency, and that the process could be fun and sustainable long term. He made us the experts our dogs needed. I am happy to report that my pups are doing amazing socially, even at the dog park, love our family and friends and their dogs, and join us on vacations and now love new experiences. Our anxious pup became confident and more secure every day since working with Dan and is so happy and enjoying her life fully. They love to train, walks are fun again, and we can enjoy life together with our dogs as we always had imagined. Dan really can help every dog. Thank you Dan for everything!

Shelley Doppe

I wasn’t just looking for help training my Dog. I wanted to understand the WHY behind his behavior.
That’s when I contacted Dan. As an animal behaviorist, I knew from our first phone conversation that he would not just train, but teach me the behavior from my dog’s perspective.
Dan got to know the personality of both myself and my dog (a high energy Vizsla), enabling him to tailor our training, giving me the insight I needed to regain my confidence and effectively train the correct behavior. With consistent training, I now have a well rounded, confident (still high energy) Vizsla who stays, comes and waits patiently at the door.
Thanks Dan, both Drake and I are grateful to have met you.
PS: Thanks for the cat tip, it’s working.

Nicole Potter

Recently adopted the most difficult dog I’ve ever had… was scared to take him on walks because he would lunge at everything (border collie mix). i also have a 2.5 year old and was worried to have such a wild dog around him. The difference before and after training is remarkable, and Dan was and still is always available for help and questions.

Rachel Mauldin

When we started searching for a dog trainer, we were desperate. With two Mini Aussies who we loved so much but were struggling with aggression issues between the two of them, excessive barking, lack of socialization and much more. From the first visit with Dan, he truly started making a difference with our two pups. I love that he came to our house and really worked with them in their own environment. We had a goal of being able to finally take them to the dog park at the end of training and sure enough, they now go on a weekly basis and love it!! Dan has given us the tools to continue their training and has truly helped us keep both of our two amazing pups! Thank you Dan!! 110% recommend!!

Michelle Batesole

Dan helped us tremendously with our rescued Shepard mix who was out of control on walks and terrified of everything. That was in 2020. We recently had him back to "fine tune" some behaviors that arose since then. We have learned so much from Dan and has made our dog much happier too!