D For Dogz Training - San Jose -

Janet Karzmark

Kati has been wonderful with our dog, Cara. Cara is a rescue and she is a breed that is naturally shy of strangers so we needed someone who understood her when we were looking for someone to board her. Kati handled their first greeting so masterfully I could tell that this is a woman who really knows what she is doing with dogs. Since that initial meeting Cara has boarded with Kati several times and also attended training classes in order to help Cara feel more comfortable in social settings. I love the conversational way that Kati talks to dogs because it's the way that I talk to my dogs. I love her philosophy of training - that the two most important things are for the dog to know how to be calm and to always look to you for direction. And I love the training videos she sends for practice because they show her working with dogs, not something she got off the internet. The dogs in the class love her because she is so generous with high quality treats. I can't stress enough how much she knows what she is doing. We've worked with a few other trainers who know much of the same information, but Kati just seems to be operating at a higher level. I can't recommend her enough. And as far as boarding, for the first time in my life with dogs I don't feel badly when I go on vacation because Cara loves going to stay with Kati and her husband. It's like going to her aunt and uncle's house. Kati has been a godsend in our life with Cara.

Debra McLaughlin

Kaajal is a highly skilled and professional dog trainer. We consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to work with D for Dogz. As first-time dog owners of a Miniature Schnauzer who we brought into our life towards the end of the pandemic, we found Kaajal through the many positive reviews we read about D for Dogz online. Our dog attended ‘Day School’ during which time he learned many skills including how to be a good playmate, recall, self-control, loose leash walking and more. Kaajal taught my husband and I every step of the way with an incredible amount of patience and grace.

As first-time dog owners, we had a lot to learn and are still learning under Kaajal’s guidance. From canine health to managing our own expectations and behaviors with our dog, Kaajal is a continual learner and is always studying and pursuing new certifications and she shares her knowledge with her clients.

We are also clients of D for Dogz boarding services. Kaajal takes amazingly good care of the dogs in her care, and we have peace of mind that our dog is safe, well-cared for and loved when he is boarding with her.

We have also done private training sessions and group classes with D for Dogz all of which have been extremely valuable. Kaajal is one of the hardest working, sincerest and caring people I know. She always goes above and beyond for her clients, and she is there when you need her. I highly recommend D for Dogz.

Micaela Moss

I discovered D For Dogz when I was looking for help with my 100lb, reactive, anxious, shepherd mix. KT completely changed the way I approached working with him, helping me to understand that it's more about shaping behavior and using cues rather than just giving commands. We worked on everything from leash reactivity, the art of being calm and relaxed, alert barking, cooperative care, and more. As a result of her help and guidance I now enjoy long, calm walks with my pup, and vet visits are no longer nightmares! But most importantly, my dog loves working with her - just look at that smile!

Sean Feng

I could not say more good things about Kaajal and D for Dogz. I had been struggling to find a place that I trusted for boarding for my two dogs because we’ve run into so many bad apples but the search is over!

Kaajal came as a recommendation from a force free trainer we work. We wanted a place that boarded at home, used force free training, and would keep our pups happy and healthy, but D for Dogz was so much more! Kaajal is extra cautious and her main priority is to keep your dog and all other dogs safe, happy, minimally stressed, and enriched. From our first encounter, she was very detailed and asked a ton of questions. She also asked for a stool test and vaccine records.

We did a meet and greet where she assessed both of my dogs and observed them and their behaviors for an hour. I was also able to see the space the dogs would spend time in and it is loaded with a ton of gates everywhere so she’s able to have separate play groups where their play styles are matched, or just a separate area for dogs that prefer to keep to themselves. She also told me about her passion for dog training, how long she had been doing this for (I think it was 12 years?), and how it all started with her pup Diesel <3. Just from talking to Kaajal, it was clear that her heart is in the right place, she loves all dogs, and is very knowledgeable about dog body language. We had planned to do a trial boarding a week or two before we were set to leave for our trip, but both of them got conjunctivitis! We told her and Kaajal was very firm that she cannot board dogs with conjunctivitis because it’s extremely contagious but was very flexible and accommodating in helping us reschedule, and even offering day care instead of trial boarding if it made things less stressful for the pups. Luckily, their conjunctivitis cleared a few days before we were set to leave so we ended up doing a trial boarding the day before so that we were in town and able to answer any questions she had while they were in her care before we lost reception. I appreciated this trial day greatly because it let me leave for vacation without worrying about my dogs and whether they were being taken care of, because we received lots of updates and photos, and I knew they were in great hands! She was also accommodating about feeding raw, all of their supplements, charging their Fi collars for us, and making sure they got pumpkin and chicken and rice at any sign of a bad poop. When I picked the pups up, they were of course happy to see me, but it was clear they were happy to be around Kaajal. She sent us home with a bunch of information - a verbal report card - and things we can do at home to reduce our pup’s stress levels next time for boarding and an overall evaluation of how they did. I am very happy to have boarded with Kaajal, and will definitely be boarding with her again in the future.

Ani Elmaoglu

KT is a wonderful dog trainer. She's very experienced working with dogs with big feelings, ones that might be reactive when walking on the leash, and training them without the use of any aversive tools. She's an excellent trainer for dogs and their people to set them up for success. Whether you take her group classes, do board and train, puppy day school, or take private classes, you will learn so much about your dog and how to help them. I highly recommend KT as a top choice for training your dog positively.

Leo Paskin

Working with Kaajal "KT" from D for Dogz was the best decision and investment we could've made as dog owners. KT started working with our dog when he was about 4 months old, and we were surprised at how quickly she could help. Cooper is a Frenchie, so we knew he wouldn't be learning tricks or anything like that, but we wanted to work with him on general good behavior and recall.

Based on our needs, we decided to start with the Day School option so that Cooper could get his training and socialize with other dogs. The program was highly successful at training him, but also us as well. 🙂 Once the program wrapped, we continued working with KT with Private Training to hone in and further reinforce our training. Regardless of the program, KT was a master at her craft.

During all of our interactions, KT was cordial, informative, and always very professional. I cannot recommend D for Dogz enough to help with your pup’s needs.

john foxcroft

We highly recommend KT for new puppy and older dog training. We really like her kind approach and sensible training methods for both the dog and untrained parents. We attended the "Basic Manners Group class" and "About Town Public Manners Group Class" with our Bernese Mountain Dog (Molly), starting when she was 4 months old. We have seen KT train all kinds dog personalities (timid to aggressive), with complete control and confidence. KT is a wonderful person we really trust and enjoy working with.

Liz Vrolyk McCabe

KT is wonderful. We attended many of her group classes when our two dogs were puppies, six years ago - we enrolled in basic manners, and later, the about town class. Both were excellent. Not only did our pups learn a lot, but even more importantly, she trained us - the dog-parents - on how to work with our dogs in a way that set us up for a peaceful and rewarding lifetime together. Six years later, I can say that it was worth every minute, and we still regularly reflect on things she taught us - and return to those lessons and approaches when needed. (And, hilariously, we’ve since learned that some of her lessons even apply to parenting human-kids, not just dog-kids!) Recently, we decided we needed some help with a specific challenge, so we hired her to do some private training with us. Again, she was fabulous - and gave us both the theory and the very specific things to try. It’s working like a charm. Thank you KT!!