Urban Dog House - Milpitas, California

Jinghong

A fantastic experience.
The pool was impeccably clean, which is always a top priority for me. Trainer was incredibly patient, guiding my dog through their first time in the water. They made sure my dog had a positive experience without becoming too exhausted. Overall, I highly recommend this class for anyone looking to introduce their dog to swimming in a safe and supportive environment. The most important thing is - my pups really had fun!

Lyndsay Donhoff

Our 1.5-year-old German Shepherd, Claire, has been attending training classes at Urban Dog House once a week and boards there whenever we are out of town. Our experience with them has been nothing short of transformative.

When we first adopted Claire from a shelter, she had a challenging past—raised mostly in a crate with minimal human or canine interaction, and a survivor of a car accident. She was anxious, unsettled, and lacked basic manners. However, from our very first private training and assessment with Dexter, the owner of Urban Dog House, we noticed a change. He provided invaluable initial tips and integrated us into their Level One Obedience Course. The course covers all fundamentals and basics, crucial for Claire’s development.

One of the highlights of boarding at Urban Dog House is the personalized care Claire receives. We always look forward to receiving her report cards, which include pictures, videos, and detailed updates on her progress. It’s comforting to know that we can also plan extra sessions with obedience and agility trainers during her stay, ensuring continuous and comprehensive training. Additionally, the option to have her bathed and her nails clipped before pickup is a wonderful convenience that adds to the seamless experience.

A special shoutout goes to Steve, the agility trainer who also taught Claire how to settle and decompress at home. His impact on her ability to relax and feel at ease, especially after her past confinement, has been remarkable. Claire adores him, and his training methods have greatly contributed to her improved behavior at home. We've even signed her up for swim lessons this summer at their on-site dog pool, excited for her to enjoy another fun activity under their care.

The community at Urban Dog House is fantastic; fellow dog parents are passionate and supportive, creating a nurturing environment for learning and growth. The structured training has not only helped Claire but also us as pet owners to understand and manage her needs better. The ability to observe advanced classes was a bonus, giving us insights into future training opportunities.

Boarding at Urban Dog House is a worry-free experience for us. Knowing that their team upholds our training methods during Claire's stay gives us immense peace of mind. After a recent two-week boarding during our Europe trip, Claire returned even more well-behaved. We were particularly impressed with her improved ability to settle down and relax at her designated “place,” something she struggled with immensely due to her past crate confinement.

Urban Dog House has played a pivotal role in transforming Claire from a skittish, anxious dog into a confident, well-mannered companion. We could not have asked for a better partner in our journey of pet parenthood. Highly recommended for anyone looking to enhance their dog's behavior and welfare.

Shelley Davis

Urban Dog House is a great training school and I highly recommend them.

Both Dexter and Steve truly care about the dog's being compliant, happy in their compliance, with fewer and ultimately no corrections. This philosophy is reinforced in all their training regardless of who you work with or whether you do private, public, or pack walks. You get the sense the trainers really care about your dog and they care about teaching you so BOTH parties are happy and successful.

Some highlights:

-They offer so many opportunities to train your dog (group classes, private classes, swimming, agility, pack walks....) I have done group classes (currently level 2), private lessons, and have participated in a pack walk. I appreciate the real life settings to put into practice what has been learned in group classes. Additionally, the private lessons I have done with Steve have been very effective and really encouraging.

- Dexter and Steve are willing to work with different training tools (flat collar, martingale collar, prong collar, e-collar...). I really value this. They don't force a "type" on you. They also care about the tools being used correctly and that your dog is not being over corrected. I see consistently that they care about your dog and want to make sure communication from the handler to the dog is clear, appropriate, and effective. I think this is super important and I think Dexter and Steve do a great job with this.

-They welcome all family members to participate in classes or pack walks (or whatever). It is important for family members/handlers to hear the same message and have the opportunity to practice and ask questions. Not all training facilities allow this and I am thankful Urban Dog House not only allows it, but encourages it. My daughter has done most of the classes with me and therefore the training at home has been more effective.

Some notes:
-Classes/pack walks etc... tend to run over the allotted time. You can always leave when you need to, but I just plan cushion in my schedule.

-The trainers talk a lot (something I notice about most dog trainers 🙂 and sometimes I wish we practiced more, but what they share is valuable.

Bottom line - I am learning, my dog is learning, and our relationship has significantly improved because of the training we have received at Urban Dog House.

Give them a try - I believe you will be glad you did 🙂

Paolo Zambon

We have a difficult German shepherd. Urban dog house is the only place which consistently has been able to handle our dog that really thrives at this place. All employees are very friendly, helpful and cheerful. I warmly recommend Urban Dog House.

Bert Walker

I did a private lesson with my dog and Dexter was hands on and open and passionate about his training methods. I learned that mostly the dog owner is the one that needs to be trained to manage his loyal pet dog. I will be returning for more training.

Omar Gutierrez

We heard about this place and decided to give it a try. We put our dog through obedience training. Prior to enrolling my dog, he lunges at people and other dogs, to the point where my wife and I don’t look forward to taking Milo in walks anymore. Fast forward to today, we are currently 1 week away from finishing our level 1 class (out of 5 sessions) but I can honestly say that I have seen a HUGE improvement on my dog. The training is not for the dog, but they train you to train your dog. I love being in class for two reasons; socialization for my dog and it’s affordable. Dexter (owner and trainer) is a very hands on with the people he works with. Special shout out to Steve and Juan as well!!

If you’re looking to train your dog and ready to do the work, I recommend to give this place a shot!

Kristie Kretschmann

We've taken our dogs for training and recently tried the pool and swimming. All great! It was our dogs first time swimming. They were nervous but did ok. We'll be back to give it another try. Great way to exercise and tire out our hound dog!

manish ranjan

We just visited this place today. The staff were very attentive to details. There were no forced sales pitches. It looked like dogs were comfortable in their pans and having access to walk areas nearby was definitely comforting to see.