PROFESSIONAL DOG TRAINING in Los Angeles and Southern California
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GET HELP WITH:
Obedience Training (Beginning through Advanced)
Behavior Modification
Reactivity & Aggression
Sport Dog Foundations
Off-Leash Training
Puppy Training
Trainer: Kristin Burke
Specializing in obedience training and behavior modification for a wide range of dog behavior problems, including reactivity & aggression.
Testimonials
See what our satisfied customers have to say about our Los Angeles dog training services!
As a busy family with two kids under 3 years old, we were overwhelmed and found it challenging to find the time to train our new puppy. Kristin helped us jumpstart his training as well as socialize him.
After 2 weeks under her care, our puppy made an AMAZING transformation.
When he returned home he understood several basic commands and is also a calmer, more manageable and happier puppy!
Thank you Kristin, you're the best!!!
We bought a 4-pack of sessions and by that 4th session, Poppy was like a different dog. She was so easy, so much less fearful of any handling and just a generally happy and confident pup. And in the weeks after our sessions ended, she continued to improve and is now truly the best, cuddliest, most loving pup I could have ever hoped for. Kristin is really the most gifted and knowledgeable dog trainer we could have ever hoped to work with!
As anyone who's ever searched the internet for advice on correcting dog behaviors or basic training, you know that there is so much contradictory information making it impossible to know what you should or shouldn't do. Having Kristin to show us the RIGHT way to train, using positive reinforcement, alleviated so much of the confusion and stress of trying to do this on my own. I've already recommended her to one of my friends and they've also seen incredible results. If you are looking for the best trainer for your pup (and, let's be honest, for yourself!), you can't do better than Kristin!
When I first brought my corgi puppy home, I thought she didn't like me because she was very lethargic and wouldn't play at all. After Kristin met her, she immediately clocked her as having something not quite right with her. Turns out, Kristin was right: Story had come home with two parasites. So instead of being able to spend the first couple weeks out socializing her, as I had planned, Story was going to have to be quarantined and take some heavy duty medication.
Story ended up being violently sick due to an allergic reaction to the medication. After being up with her all night, I texted Kristin at 5a (before the vet opened). Even though Kristin had no outstanding relationship with me (we had only had the one session together), she called me and talked me through what was one of the worst experiences of my life.
As Story started to get better, it became clear that she was naturally very fearful (maybe the result of having been sick from the time she was brought home). Every little noise scared her, and everywhere we went, she would hide in the back of her crate. She was TERRIFIED of other dogs. We went to puppy kindergarten and she refused to play; just cowered in the corner behind me. I was so sad; I had gotten this puppy with the idea that she would come everywhere with me, and it was becoming clear that she didn't want to be anywhere except home. Kristin and I spoke again, and she thought that a three week puppy socialization program with her would be something that would help her get over her fears during this critical imprinting period. I said a tearful goodbye to my puppy, worried that she would always associate me with those early days of being sick and scared, and handed her off to Kristin.
Kristin texted me every day multiple times a day with pictures and videos of my puppy. She showed me the ways that she was introducing her to other dogs, including big dogs, and how she was introducing her to different stimuli (umbrellas, sirens, trucks, skateboards, etc.) so she would have neutral reactions in the future. For basic obedience training, she used 100% positive reinforcement - no use of NO, physical correction or any type of shaming - to EMPOWER Story to want to make the right choice when given a command. Story was so sensitive, but she could really come out of her shell with 100% positive reinforcement because she felt zero fear: if she made a good choice, she would be rewarded and if she decided not to obey, she simply would not be rewarded (i.e., she never had to fear a punishment, even one as seemingly innocuous as saying the word "No"). Each Friday night, Story would come home and Kristin would walk me through what they had done together so that we could continue to improve on her issues and continue her obedience training. Slowly, it became clear that underneath her fear, Story was a super happy and excited puppy. By the time Story came back to me at the end of the third week, I saw glimpses of the confident, joyful, affectionate dog she would become.
After Story came back to me, I knew I wanted to continue to keep Kristin in her life so that all of our hard work would not be undone. We started doing private lessons with Kristin, and having some overnights so that Story could continue to play with Kristin's dogs. We soon graduated to Walk N'Train, where Kristin's amazing associate Will would come over and walk Story, again using 100% positive reinforcement (no pulling on the leash, no use of "no") to train her to want to walk right next to him or me. Story came more and more out of her shell. We would address issues as they would come up, but the most important thing was that Kristin made me feel like I was never alone. Every issue was something we could work on, and any fear (mine and Story's) was something that could be addressed, albeit with time, patience and consistency.
Kristin's compassionate, intuitive methods set my puppy up for success in life. What's more, she helped train ME to ensure that I continue set Story up for success. Today, Story is a happy, healthy, well-adjusted and friendly dog. She walks politely next to me every day, stops to greet other dogs and people, and is so affectionate with me. I take her to work with me, to our coffee shop everyday, and to the dog park, where she even plays with the big dogs sometimes. These are things that seemed impossible when I first brought her home. Without Kristin, I know 100% that Story would not be the dog she is today, and the dog she is continuing to become. I hope Kristin will part of Story's life forever, because she has been so integral in shaping her into the amazing dog she is today. I can not recommend her enough.
Kristen was our second trainer but she taught the positive reinforcement way. In her eyes, Paloma was a sweet dog and an attentive girl. ..and she turned out to be right.. The most important thing Kristen did for me was she helped me understand the beautiful personality of my dog. My dog wasn't "misbehaving" but instead she was sensitive and needed time and encouragement to adjust for the better.
Kristen will be proud of what has come out of Paloma. We still have our daily challenges, but she is soooooo much better now, and at the end of the day we only have praises for our dear girl. So thank you Kristen. 🙂
This is my 3rd toy poodle and my 4th training experience, so I have a pretty good feel of the differences between effective and not so effective. My dog was about 7 months old when I started with Kristen. I had her in 4 weeks of boarding training prior to this. Over $3,000 later, I felt I got nothing for my money other than 4 weeks without my dog.
When I met Kristin, we agreed to 2-3 weeks of boarding training with followup in home sessions. I still have at least 3 of the in house sessions left. During the initial consultation, she spends a lot of time talking about dog behaviors. At first my gut feeling was less presentation, more training. I guess I was skeptical due to my last experience. She proved me wrong, as after just the 1st week, I noticed an enormous improvement in the behavior of my dog. My dog was and still is very spunky, but we were having major potty issues, lots of barking, she didn't know how to walk outside without hopping really fast on her back legs like a kangaroo, wouldn't warm up to anyone, she was just so wild. Kristin helped me understand that forcing the dog to do behaviors it doesn't want or isn't ready for is counterproductive. Instead, we worked on giving my dog more freedom, but in a very measured way. We worked on positive reinforcements including positive distractions when something might make my dog nervous. Know right up front that your dog will be getting a TON of treats during this training, but try not to let that bother you and focus on the fact that you'll be getting so much improvement if you make the effort to supplement her training with what you are also taught as an owner. It is critical that you make the effort. You can't just expect miracles if you don't contribute to the dogs training.
I don't know if its appropriate to put the price here, she ain't cheap, but we felt it was money well spent. My dog is much more relaxed, much happier, much more balanced....its hard to put it into words. I feel like she went away for 6 months when it was only 3 weeks and I got a much more mature dog back. Kristin also was very helpful coming up with a plan with regard to how to handle my dog in different situations within my own house....like when I'm working from home and I need quiet during a meeting I'm running. 4 weeks ago, my dog was peeing in her crate, she was in her crate most of the day crate training, barking, crying. Now, she has a very large pen which she has connected with going out on a balcony to a grass square, she sleeps all night in our bed, she gets much more free roam time in the living room, she learned several commands including, sit, stay, down, paw, go sniff...her outdoor walking is dramatically improved. She hasn't had an accident in the house for over 3-4 weeks. Still need some work on 'come', but we will get there.
I highly recommend her. She knows her stuff and she is an expert in dog behaviors. She is the real deal which is hard to find in LA. She's also a super nice person..the kind of person that sort of lights up the room, so its no wonder dogs love her :-).
Thanks for reading. Message me if you have any questions.
After just a few sessions I could see a noticeable difference in Zen. He was more obedient and responsive, and knew that I was in control. When I had to go out of town for work there was no doubt in my mind I should leave Zen with Kristin. As a new dog owner, I was anxious about leaving him with just anyone, especially since he was so young and not fully vaccinated. Despite my anxiousness I felt a sense of peace knowing Zen was in the best care possible. While I was away she constantly sent me videos and updates on how he was doing. I loved that he had a yard to run in, and Kristin's dogs to play with. He seemed so happy!
By the time I got home (she had him for four days) I was truly blown away by how calm and well mannered Zen was. She taught him how to sit and go down on command, and come when called for. Instilling these behaviors helped lay the foundation for Zen. It was obvious that she put the time and energy into training him. Her training is EFFECTIVE-- and it was amazing to see the transformation right in front of me.
Whenever people stop me to pet my dog, they always notice how well behaved he is. I have Kristin to thank for that. She is an incredible trainer, but also an amazing teacher. Thanks to her teaching I am able to reinforce good behavior with Zen.
Kristin is a God sent, as it is extremely difficult to find people you can trust in LA (especially with your baby!) She will be in me and Zen's life forever.
Her method is so easy and fun to work with. I can't recommend her highly enough. To say Mingo is not only doing so much better, but is also Happier dog because of it, would be an understatement.
1 review
5.0 star rating
6/10/2016
I had a first consultation with Kristin and thought I got it all - I was wrong. I exchanged a few emails with her afterwards regarding my puppy's issues and finally decided to purchase one of her package. Best decision I have made. Within days I could see a big improvement in our dog's behavior. She is an AMAZING trainer and also an awesome person. Not only she is training him, but also giving us the tools to ensure we work with him appropriately between sessions. She provides detailed notes on our session, training tips, videos, and so on. She is always easily reachable via email or phone if need be. Thank you so much for all your help and also giving us hope in our little guy that we love so much. I highly recommend her services!