Testimonials

We recently adopted a 40 lb, nine year old pointer-mix from the San Diego Animal Shelter (with no info on her background) and needed help seeing how she was with socialization and training.  Our dog had been very well trained by someone and has a sweet disposition, but has trouble being over-excited/anxious when meeting new dogs. Some good friends mentioned Julie, and we realized we knew Julie from our neighborhood where we'd seen her running and walking her own dogs for years.  We immediately cancelled private training with a big pet store chain and got in touch with Julie.  We [...]

Julie is an amazing dog trainer. She not only works with the dog on basic obedience, she works with the humans when it comes to positive training techniques. She is very hands on with the 1 on 1 training and slowly introduces the dog to new environments. She also tells you proper etiquette for going to dog parks and out in public. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a great dog trainer. Our family and Dusty are very thankful for her services!

Very positive first encounter, and second and third..... Referred to us via (a boarding facility), our first trainer that was a real Human Being (not a book or TV) proved to be just the ticket!. We are long time Basset Hound owners, (all rescues), who would have known you could get a Basset to listen? Oscar & Mya are both year olds from different families. Julie's instant mind set with the the two put us on a course of calm confidence. The result is two Mules that act like Quarter Horses. We are going to continue having Out N' About [...]

We adopted a loving rescue dog who had zero training.  She barked at other dogs, yanked on the leash so we couldn't enjoy walks, and constantly potty'd on the carpet.  I was always a cat owner and never owned a dog before and needed some help.  I called Julie Schmitt based on the great reviews I read online and am so glad I did. Julie was personable, professional, and a great listener who responded to our needs.  She personalized the training to fit within our family and our lifestyle.  We have a 4 year old child, and Julie (who's also [...]

I have a  2 year old Shiba Inu named Corner who has the name for a reason... Julie was an amazing dog trainer and a very professional person! I have never gone to a trainer or had one come to the house before because I was afraid of how they would treat Corner since he is like a kid to me. But I knew Corner would not benefit from something like pet store training because of two things; he already knew basic commands, and his behavior is totally different out in public versus being at home. I found Julie online [...]

WOW!  I had almost given up on being able to take my boy Leroy for a walk without him reacting to every dog he sees.  He had been at another in-kennel training program for 5 weeks with mixed results, so I decided to try one more time with a different trainer who incorporates a more positive approach.  What a difference Julie's techniques have made on our walks!   I can honestly say that after the first training session with Julie and some homework practice, Leroy has been transformed into a different dog.  I've also been transformed during our walks.  The [...]

Julie is an excellent dog trainer! Let me start by saying that in case you just want to skip the rest of my review. We contacted Julie to address a behavior issue with our 3 year old poodle/terrier mix (Louis) - he did not like people or dogs, would bark at everyone passing by or entering the house, he even bit a couple of relatives. On our first session Julie got to work right away by conducting an assessment and explaining the techniques to apply to help out Louis; she did not waste a single minute with non-value added information; [...]

Who says you can't teach old dogs new tricks? My dog Jack, 9 year old Papillion, had 3 individual sessions with Julie and he is a changed dog! Jack would become extremely anxious when he saw other dogs and had difficulty socializing with them once they got close to him. With the positive reinforcement training Julie uses, Jack quickly became more comfortable with the neighborhood dogs. Jack used to whine excessively and pull the leash every time he saw another dog. This behavior created an uncomfortable and anxiety producing environment for both of us. Now after our short time with [...]

Julie is AWESOME!!! My puppy was out of control & never listened to a word I said. I wanted to make sure my pup was trained properly not only for her healthy life and my sanity but also for my two toddlers. Julie had an in home visit where she pointed out many things and taught me many things I never thought of before. I then took my puppy to her 6 week puppy class and now she is a completely different dog. She was definately the crazy dog in class but by the end she was keeping up with [...]

“My family’s six-month old Weimaraner had grown to be a big, lovable puppy who was trying to rule the household and everyone in it! She was more than our family could handle – but Julie’s three week Board & Training course was just the answer for her. Julie got to know our dog and our family, created a training plan that fit, and then kindly and firmly taught our dog how to be part of our family. At the end, we had the tactics and tools we needed to help the dog be well-behaved, and still remain an exuberant bundle [...]

Julie has been a tremendous help in teaching me how to handle my 80-pound puppy, Buddy!  While I was clumsily attempting to teach Buddy simple commands like “sit” and “down,” Buddy was teaching me more complex ones (using visual aids!!!), like bringing me his leash when he wanted to go for a walk or a ride or rattling his dish when he was thirsty or hungry.  Clearly I needed help and Julie’s been a remarkable trainer.  She taught me to give a name to the things he does on his own and helped his socialization with other dogs.  Buddy has [...]

Lucky would not walk out the front door. She would sit down as soon as we put her collar on and she'd dig in her heels if we tried to move her. This has gotten progressively worse over the last few months. Julie had Lucky walking out the front door in the first five minutes she worked with her! And, using the techniques that Julie showed us, we've now gotten Lucky out the door, out the gate and down to the corner. Needless to say, we're huge fans. Thank you Julie! Dan, Carol, and Lucky