# Recommended trainers/classes in San Diego county?



## kmorrison (Mar 2, 2021)

I have a 7 month old golden retriever who is extremely smart and knows basic commands, but we are needing to practice them under distractions and I think starting classes will be good for us both! I'm feeling overwhelmed by all of the options available on Google, so thought I'd ask this forum first since I usually get great input.

Does anyone have any recommended trainers or classes in the San Diego area? I'm willing to drive anywhere within the county. Thank you!


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## goldielynn (Sep 5, 2020)

@Coastal Pup is in San Diego. I've seen her little Beckett get trained to do some amazing things -- I'm sure she'll be on here lickity split to give you some recs.


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## kmorrison (Mar 2, 2021)

goldielynn said:


> @Coastal Pup is in San Diego. I've seen her little Beckett get trained to do some amazing things -- I'm sure she'll be on here lickity split to give you some recs.


Wonderful, thanks!


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## SoCalEngr (Apr 11, 2020)

We are in San Diego and used a personal trainer for Kona. We started with one, and then switched to the other when we recognized the first trainer's approach wouldn't work for us. The second trainer was every-bit-as-good, but more adaptable to our needs and abilities. The fact that Kona is where she is is a testament to Kona's temperament and this trainer's skills (in teaching us).

If you're interested in one-on-one (this also included things like taking Kona to public areas to work on behavior with real-world distractions), let me know. You should expect sessions to run $150/hr-to-$200/hr. Group classes should be much less expensive (and may have the advantages of built-in distractions and a support group).


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## Coastal Pup (Jan 30, 2021)

goldielynn said:


> @Coastal Pup is in San Diego. I've seen her little Beckett get trained to do some amazing things -- I'm sure she'll be on here lickity split to give you some recs.


LOL!! Thanks for the compliments! Beckett’s teenage phase is coming out and he’s started resisting the nose trick with certain treats 😭


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## Coastal Pup (Jan 30, 2021)

Hi! Wait, did you get the Premiere pup??

Anyway, Beckett and I have gone to two training courses. The first was puppy and obedience 1 with Canine Learning Center up in Carlsbad. It’s more positive based, and 6-8 dogs per class - indoor with a little bit of outdoor, treats allowed (at least for the obedience 1 class) and mostly verbal corrections, though sometimes nudges or butt taps, stuff like that.








k9lrng - Canine Learning Centers


Dog Training CarlsbadNorth San Diego County AWARD WINNING TRAINER LAURA CHRISTIANSEN BEAUTIFUL INDOOR LOCATION IN CARLSBAD!! CLASS REGISTRATION OPEN NOW!!! WE OFFER A VARIETY OF FUN EDUCATIONAL CLASSES TO HELP … k9lrng Read More »



www.k9lrng.com





The second one was Finest City Dog Training, a more balanced training instructor and she teaches in a few locations around the county. 30 dogs in our recent class, all outdoors in a park. It was mostly leash walking- getting your dog to heel next to you with distractions while you walk in a huge group circle, and then getting them to sit/down/stay/etc. Almost every dog uses a training collar, no treats (encouraged), and class is the same every week. We just finished the puppy class and the next one starts soon in North Park. 
Finest City Dog Training | San Diego Dog Trainer 

I have likes and dislikes for both of them; it kind of depends on what you want out of a class because they’re very different! I think I, and Beckett, learned a lot in both. Both do Group and individual training classes, so you can pick what works best for you and your pup! They are also both evaluators for CGC if that’s something you’re interested in. You can PM me if you want specifics or text me if you still have my number,and I’m happy to answer any questions!

I also looked into the Hidden Valley Obedience Club in Escondido. Twice now I’ve missed the signup because they fill up so fast, but I am interested in doing classes with an actual club.

One called Heroick9s followed me on Instagram and I have been meaning to look into them as well. They look to be kind of a mix between both the ones I mentioned.


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

I've been training at Obedience Club of San Diego County for like 6 or 7 years now. I love it. 
Obedience Club of San Diego County Home Page (sandiegoobedienceclub.org) 

Classes just started end of July so I think the next session will be end of September.  Classes are held in the San Diego Zoo parking lot (and sometimes in the connected park depending on what's available).  

I've also trained at Hidden Valley Obedience Club but ultimately choose OBSDC b/c it's closer to me and it's easier for me to get to. But if you are in North County, HVOC might be a better fit. Hidden Valley Obedience Club (HVOC) - Home Page 

There's also Agape Ranch in Escondido but they are more for dock diving than classes. But I think they offer classes, but I'm not that familiar with them. AMENITIES | Agaperanch (agaperanchdogsports.com) 

If you want to try out Agility, the Agility Club of San Diego is in east county.  
Classes | Agility Club of San Diego


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## kmorrison (Mar 2, 2021)

Coastal Pup said:


> Hi! Wait, did you get the Premiere pup??
> 
> Anyway, Beckett and I have gone to two training courses. The first was puppy and obedience 1 with Canine Learning Center up in Carlsbad. It’s more positive based, and 6-8 dogs per class - indoor with a little bit of outdoor, treats allowed (at least for the obedience 1 class) and mostly verbal corrections, though sometimes nudges or butt taps, stuff like that.
> 
> ...


Hi - YES! Premiere's Boot Scootin' Boogie (aka Bodhi is wonderful) - SO smart and curious. I unfortunately missed out on the puppy training, and now am looking to get into some obedience classes. He does GREAT training when it's just him and I, but he's SO friendly and wants to say hi to every person/dog that walks by, that we need some additional help with obedience in distractions. I cannot seem to keep his attention when another living thing is nearby  I was just looking at Canine Learning Center since it kept coming up as well recommended, and likewise tried HVOC but it's booked up again. I'll check out Finest City Dog Training too. Would you recommend Canine Learning Center first, and then moving up to Finest City? Are you planning on continuing with either of these training centers?

I emailed Obedience Club of San Diego County today to see if they have any room in their next class and am waiting to hear back! Now that everyone's fully vaccinated, it would be fun to get the brothers together again for a meetup!


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## kmorrison (Mar 2, 2021)

Brave said:


> I've been training at Obedience Club of San Diego County for like 6 or 7 years now. I love it.
> Obedience Club of San Diego County Home Page (sandiegoobedienceclub.org)
> 
> Classes just started end of July so I think the next session will be end of September.  Classes are held in the San Diego Zoo parking lot (and sometimes in the connected park depending on what's available).
> ...


Wonderful, thank you! I emailed Obedience Club of SD today to see if they have room in their upcoming class. Would love to get into agility in the future! HVOC unfortunately is full for their next round of classes, but I'll check out Agape Ranch as well!


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## Coastal Pup (Jan 30, 2021)

kmorrison said:


> Hi - YES! Premiere's Boot Scootin' Boogie (aka Bodhi is wonderful) - SO smart and curious. I unfortunately missed out on the puppy training, and now am looking to get into some obedience classes. He does GREAT training when it's just him and I, but he's SO friendly and wants to say hi to every person/dog that walks by, that we need some additional help with obedience in distractions. I cannot seem to keep his attention when another living thing is nearby  I was just looking at Canine Learning Center since it kept coming up as well recommended, and likewise tried HVOC but it's booked up again. I'll check out Finest City Dog Training too. Would you recommend Canine Learning Center first, and then moving up to Finest City? Are you planning on continuing with either of these training centers?
> 
> I emailed Obedience Club of San Diego County today to see if they have any room in their next class and am waiting to hear back! Now that everyone's fully vaccinated, it would be fun to get the brothers together again for a meetup!


 Omg HIIIIII!!! Beckett and Bodhi, our two little cowboys! I love his registered name!
Bodhi sounds like Beckett, he’s majorly over friendly and gets distracted so easily. I absolutely would love to meet up sometime, I bet they would have a blast!

anyway, I like Canine Learning Center because the class was smaller so the instructor had better focus. And because it was smaller, there were fewer distractions for Beckett which was helpful for maintaining focus on me! I worked a lot with Beckett at home because I hand feed him, so I did feel that we were a bit ahead of the class every single week. You could probably start with a higher level class right off the bat though.
In hindsight, Finest City may have been _too_ much distraction for Beckett because there were so many dogs, but I didn’t know that before starting the class. I personally got bored with walking in circles, but one of Beckett’s biggest weaknesses is leash walking, so it was good practice. And as much as I like training with treats, it was refreshing to take a step back and train without them - so that we can learn to not rely on them.
I would probably recommend CLC over FC because it’s more intimate, but again it depends on what you’re looking for. I am thinking about doing the CGC class at Canine Learning, but I haven’t checked the schedule in a while!

I would love to meet up sometime, I bet they would have a blast! I’ll message you later!


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