-
February 2024 by Jennifer Bustamante
We boarded Milo with James for 4 weeks. Milo was between 4 and 5 months old when he started. Milo learned so much self control and attentive listening. He is now a week shy of 12 months and he is still well behaved. Wherever we are with friends with dogs or in public people get amazed at how good Milo is compared to their own dogs. We always recommend James and his system! It's always great to hear people praise our boy, makes us feel like proud parents. This was the best investment we could have done for our boy!
-
February 2024 by Xirui Luo
We got our rott when he was 8 weeks, very energetic and headache, pee and poop everywhere, and kept biting us and everything he saw. We finally find James to train him. At the beginning we just want to find somewhere board and train closer to our house. And we found out it s so worthy to drop our Rusty to James. Rusty started to listen to orders, and not walking in between our legs anymore, not making mess like before, he turned from a little devil to a cutie, we really appreciate James trained him so well. He told us, we cannot use human thinking to make dogs understand us, which they wont. We need to use their ways to make them understand. Our Rusty has a huge problem of eating his own poop. After the board and train, he is making a big improvement of eat it right away to he walks away and gives us time to clean it up. We dropped Rusty at he was 4 months old for about whole month and 6 months old for about 2-3 weeks, the length of stay sometimes it may varies on how the dogs pick up from training. Also plus he has private lessons after the training. He gave us the collar, dog food, remote collar and other accessories to help with the training with no extra cost. We paid once and that s it. No hiding cost during the whole training. Maybe because majority is by James himself, he does the training and answer phone calls and return emails and msg by himself, that s why it make him delay of responding, but usually he will reply as soon as he is free. I dont have any problem of communicating with him. We are so happy that we dropped Rusty to him and Rusty loves him very much too.
-
January 2024 by Deepak Kanchan
We have put our lab for both boarding and training with James and had a pleasant experience! We’ve seen a drastic change in behavior as our dog now loves his crate, he’s more attentive and listens to commands better. James is very responsive to any questions you may have during training or boarding.Highly recommend this place!
-
January 2024 by D K.
We have put our lab for both boarding and training with James and had a pleasant experience! We've seen a drastic change in behavior as our dog now loves his crate, he's more attentive and listens to commands better. James is very responsive to any questions you may have during training or boarding. Highly recommend this place!
-
December 2023 by Respect H.
WARNING for all of you loving and respecting your dog as a true family member! Jason had our dog in his board and training program. At the pick- up date of our dog after completing the training, our dog arrived in the demo room with head down, looking fearfully right and left and finally lightening up when she/he saw us. During the demo given by Jason, clearly and doubtlessly, our dog followed his commands in total fear. We watched and did not understand what is going on with our happy-go lucky guy. At home, we discovered the burning marks right and left on his neck from the pins of the shock collar. The Vet noted this as device injury, confirming what it was obvious. This is just to emphasis that fact since Jason explains to you at the demo visit how his training program is not based on "brutal" dog training modalities, while he does let you know that shock collar may be used, if needed. We do know our dog well: she/he was not there because of being crazy, aggressive dog. If you ask too many questions about training modalities, and the facility, and housing of your dog, he gets defensive and rude. You are not permitted to see or "tour" the facility before boarding your dog, and there are no pics on where the dogs are housed. Where will they stay? Will they sleep on cement, directly on floor? Do they stay in full open space, in full sun? Or how about heavy rain? During the boarding for training, Jason refuses to keep you informed on how your dog is doing. This is a months-long training after all, and you do want to know how they are! You are prohibited to ask about your dog with the staff at the facility. Jason presents you a deceiving dog training demo when you go for interview: while impressive obedience representation from his demo dog, that poor fellow acts as a lifeless dog-robot, and after finishing his part, he lays in the cage throughout the entire remaining day of demo, with no expression, no feelings. You do not want your dog to be a machine reacting at the push of a bottom (your command). You want your dog to intelligently, not fearfully, react to your communication to her/him. During the few weeks of our board and train experience here, three (3), not one of the staff quitted their job at this facility. They did leave the place due to the conditions they were asked to work with the dogs and the conditions in which the dogs are kept. We did speak with them! And yes, Jason turns rude when asked questions he does not like to answer, with us or as we witnessed, his unprofessional interaction with an anxious young dog owner when she asked many questions prior to deciding if to board for training.
-
November 2023 by Joshua Smith
James has trained our dog since she was adopted as well as boarded her during many vacations. First off, James is straight forward trainer who expects a high-level of effort from his clients. If you don’t have time to put the training steps and methodology to practice, this may not be the program for you. We set aside time every day, hours every week, to train our dog and we saw the benefits of well-behaved dog from the insane squealer she was a few months before. Hard to recommend anyone but James for dog training since he made life and relationship with my dog so much better.
-
October 2023 by Trudy F.
James advertises that he has small classes but that does not mean that everyone gets equal amounts of time. Rather, James will pick out one or two couple and spend the majority of the class with them. For single females you get 11 minutes while other are getting double the amount of time. For the chosen couple(s), he will make make sure they understand everything. If they are not getting something he will demonstrate with their dog to show them how it is done or tailor an exercise for them to get the dog to do it. He will demo the exercise for you once, instead of the more hands on experience for couples. If you ask questions as a single females he will just say I don't know how else to explain it to you. At the end of the couples turn, he will ask if they have any questions. As a single female, if you try to ask a question he will just tell you your 11 minutes are up even after he spent double the time with the couple. If you push back on how he is treating you, he will just treat you worst. You have to pay in full before you start the first class and will not provide any refunds. I continue to go to the class and point out the unfair treatment. I refuse to be bullied and treated unfairly for being a single female. As such as a single female felt it was my obligation to warn you about this business before you pay for the service and not be able to cancel it
-
October 2023 by Marissa Gracey
Bruno became a part of our family in October 2022. Several of our family friends who went through Bay Area Family K9 highly recommended James and his programs. I left James a message and he returned my call immediately. We were set up for the group puppy training classes the following week.In the group classes, we briefly socialize with other dogs and then get down to business. Every week we shared the hour with others in class. We only had approximately 15 minutes or so to work directly with James. We learned new commands and received our weekly homework. DO NOT...I repeat...DO NOT come to class WITHOUT doing your homework! It will show when it is your turn to demonstrate what you practiced at home. Do not waste your time, your classmates' time, and especially James'. Do not go into the classes expecting James to train your dog for you. You need to put in the time and effort in class and at home.After the puppy classes were over, we decided that Bruno needed to partake in the board and train program. As a Cane Corso, we could not take the chance that Bruno would overpower us and/or possibly hurt anyone he would come across. After 5 weeks of the board and train program, talk about a drastic change! Bruno was more attentive, actually listened, and responded appropriately to the commands on and off-leash. Can I just tell you that his recall is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! We learned how to communicate on his level and collectively work together. Bruno has become THE most well behaved dog everywhere we go. Especially when we take him to the softball fields people are amazed at how obedient he is. He rarely barks, is always at our side, and is nonreactive and unfazed towards other dogs. He just plays fetch, naps, and watches the kids play!If you are still on the fence, do not procrastinate any longer and just do it! It will be the best investment you will ever make for yourself, your family, and mostly your dog. We are truly thankful for all that, James has done for Bruno. If you are looking for the best dog trainer in the Bay Area, we whole-heartedly recommend Bay Area Family K9!
-
June 2023 by Quynh Smith
James is amazing! It all started when we had a puppy who was teething, jumping, and just would not sit still! James was able to get us in that same week for a quick lesson. By that weekend, she became very obedient. We then went to his puppy classes, which were nice because she got to meet other dogs. The puppy classes are great for socializing and for learning a few basic tricks, but we got a lot more out of the private classes, especially since we can pick the days that are most convenient. James will go at your pace, and even in between sessions, he is always available by phone and email. His schedule is flexible so were able to come in on weekends as well! We made a lot of progress with the private sessions, but we ultimately decided to do board and train for our puppy when our baby daughter was born because this was by far the fastest and most effective method. James was flexible and able to incorporate the training she did thus far and gave us a very reasonable price. Our daughter ended being born early James was able to fit us in his schedule for an earlier-than-planned drop off. By the time our daughter was a few weeks older and we were ready to pick up our puppy, we met with James and the puppy and were astounded by her progression! She was obedient and able to sit still for several minutes, was calmer, had stopped nipping, and walked without pulling. She has been wonderful around our daughter. Every now and then an issue may come up, and even though we are done with the board-and-train, James continues to be available. I would highly recommend him !
-
June 2023 by Joshua S.
Adopted a puppy from East Bay SPCA with some pretty serious anxiety issues, hence the free prescription anxiety medication we were given to help "ease" her transition to her new home. Unfortunately the dog was a demon off meds and would constant jump, surf, bark, bite, and require intense supervision or destruction was to be had. After a few sleepless nights and restless days, I spend hours researching, emailing, and calling trainers. James happened to be one of the rare professionals to work with puppies. We scheduled a demo, and eventually a private training session. Within minutes our puppy Ethel was learning commands and discipline. The change was immediate and that night, we all slept through the night without any howling, nipping, or anything. Miracle. With such promising results, we signed up for puppy training, completed an additional obedience course, and eventually did a board and train to finish all courses. Ethel returned a new dog, more disciplined than ever and more respectful of us. We constantly teach her new tricks and now have the tools to take her anywhere! I look forward to owning more dogs and working with James to keep them happy.
-
June 2023 by Quynh N.
James is amazing! It all started when we had a puppy who was teething, jumping, and just would not sit still! James was able to get us in that same week for a quick lesson. By that weekend, she became very obedient. We then went to his puppy classes, which were nice because she got to meet other dogs. The puppy classes are great for socializing and for learning a few basic tricks, but we got a lot more out of the private classes, especially since we can pick the days that are most convenient. James will go at your pace, and even in between sessions, he is always available by phone and email. His schedule is flexible so were able to come in on weekends as well! We made a lot of progress with the private sessions, but we ultimately decided to do board and train for our puppy when our baby daughter was born because this was by far the fastest and most effective method. James was flexible and able to incorporate the training she did thus far and gave us a very reasonable price. Our daughter ended being born early James was able to fit us in his schedule for an earlier-than-planned drop off. By the time our daughter was a few weeks older and we were ready to pick up our puppy, we met with James and the puppy and were astounded by her progression! She was obedient and able to sit still for several minutes, was calmer, had stopped nipping, and walked without pulling. She has been wonderful around our daughter. Every now and then an issue may come up, and even though we are done with the board-and-train, James continues to be available. I would highly recommend him !
-
June 2023 by Adamisha H.
I seriously cannot thank James and the Bay Area Family K9 Training team enough for their help training my goldendoodle Max!!! As a first time, dog owner, I had no idea how challenging it'd be teaching a puppy obedience training. After having my dog for a month and feeling helpless, I came across Bay Area Family K9 Training on Yelp. After seeing all the great reviews, I deceived to give them a try, BEST DECISION I'VE EVER MADE! I initially brought Max in when he was 6 months old for private training sessions. During the consultation, James was very thorough and professional explaining what the course would entail and that ultimately I needed to make sure I was consistent with the trainings at home. James was very engaging and enthusiastic during our sessions and always answered any questions I had. During our sessions, Max and I would demonstrate trainings we went over in prior sessions and always learned a new one before leaving each class. He did a outstanding job reassuring me when I was unsure if I was doing things right and was quick to help with any necessary corrections. A month or so into private trainings, Max(who can be stubborn at times) began showing up to some trainings "unmotivated", even though I was very consistent with his trainings at home. After a few sessions and expressing Max's increasing separation anxiety when I would leave him home alone, James recommended that we move to the 4-5 week boarding training. He again, took his time communicating the details of boarding training and promised that by the time I got Max back I wouldn't even recognize him. Boy he wasn't joking!! Fast forward to 4 weeks later, I was in complete awe picking up Max! Talk about a night and day difference! He is a lot more calm and super obedient!! We also had 6 follow up sessions where I was able to learn all the things that James taught Max. Complete game changer!! Now Max is known as the "best boy" by family and strangers alike. I highly recommend attending Bay Area Family K9 Training!! I learned so much during our time but the biggest take away was that it's up to the dog owner to stay consistent with training! James is an incredible and knowledgeable teacher(a true dog whisperer if you ask me!). These trainings are just as if not more important to you than your dog! As the owner it is up to you on how successful your obedience training will be, and your commitment and consistency is vital piece of it. Although we have completed our sessions I am so grateful for the impact James has had on me and Max. I also appreciate how he is still always available if I have any questions or concerns via text or email. Thank you Bay Area Family K9 Traning
-
December 2022 by Raji Sahota
There isn’t enough that I can say about James and his training program. Me being a first time dog owner…I went to him in tears because my puppy Goose an American Pocket Bully who was about 8 months old at that time was a nightmare. He was impossible to train and was very aggressive. I had gone to various other trainers who just threw in the towel and told me that my dog was just crazy and not trainable. Even my vet told me that maybe he should be put down because of his aggressive behavior. My first meeting with James shined a lot of light on the issues at hand with my puppy…he was very honest and straight forward. But the one thing he said to me that stuck was that “every dog should be given the opportunity to be trained.” So I left his facility and while driving home I thought about all the things he said and I wanted to give My Goose a chance to be the best dog ever. That evening I spoke with James and he got Goose scheduled in for a 5 week Board and Train for February. This 5 week program was a total game changer. Goose came back a completely different dog for the better. All the follow up training sessions we have been doing have made us better dog owners because now we can communicate with Goose like never before. James is seriously a God send for us and Goose. We can’t thank him enough for all he has done for us and Goose.
-
November 2022 by Joyce L.
This is a long overdue review for James/Bay Area Family K-9. First thing to note, this program is NOT for people who expect a dog to be dropped off and magically trained and perfect when they are done. YOU MUST BE TRAINED AS WELL. This is a program for HUMANS not dogs. You need to be willing to learn just as much as your dog has to make this successful. So understandably, this may not be the right place for you and your dog if you aren't willing to put in just as much effort. Your dog IS in fact trained when James is done, however, the training doesn't work unless you keep up with what your dog has learned. The training James provides is effective if you're willing to learn from the basics. You NEED NEED NEED to be involved in the process and learn to communicate with your dog or it will absolutely not work. I've learned so much from him and till this day, he will provide his feedback and work with us if we run into any issues. For example, after we brought our dog home, we ran into a couple issues, and James invited us back (multiple times) to give us training to correct it. He goes by his word and sticks to it, which we've appreciated so much. On a side note, for those who have complained about any consultation fees, we were lucky to have paid and gotten the scheduled time we asked. For the other people who complained, just know that his time is just as valuable as yours - respect it. James runs this business practically on his own and I respect the fact that he doesn't get back to us "immediately" as he may be training YOUR dog when people are trying to get ahold of him. If I were him, I would be charging people for cancellations or reschedules!
-
November 2022 by Stephanie S.
I had spent 3500 on training he is a total brat still and I might have not even spent the money. I want a full refund. Do not do this. .
