Leading the Pack Oakland, California

They have very poor customer service and they are very rude.

Since Alba took over the operation had done a 180. Caitlyn was amazing. I don’t think Alma Cares about people or dogs. You’re warned: Don’t go there. Also, she’s really kinda mean.

Alma did an amazing job on my Cardigan Welsh Corgi! Would definitely recommend!

Alma and her staff are extremely caring, kind, and dedicated individuals. Their love for dogs, their commitment to safety, and pleasant customer service is unmatched in this area. I trust them implicitly with my pets and can’t recommend their service enough. Prices are competitive and reasonable, and their work speaks for itself. Great eye for detail and knowledge that comes from a ton of experience. And it shows! I can count on them each and every time!

Too expensive. Owner rude. Better value elsewhere in oakland

Didn’t finish the grooming, told me my dog (who is incredibly low energy) resisted the grooming so she couldn’t finish. She was very rude, and told me my dog isn’t properly trained. She tried to charge me $180.00 for 20 minutes’ work. Pass on this one. She is a fraud.

They changed ownership. no longer offer hand stripe

After Petco called us to reschedule our reservation for Dog grooming TWICE in a row (leading to a several week delay and matting on our Goldendoodle), we decided to search elsewhere. Through those efforts, we soon realized that finding someone that was A) able to squeeze us in under such notice (since this was more of an emergency at this point), and B) Willing (since these dogs are already challenging, even without such deep matting), was going to be very challenging. Then we met Alma. Not only was she able to squeeze us in the very next morning (a few cancellations assisted in this Devine Timing), but she was understanding and put us to ease. Frankly, we felt quite negligent that we let our pup get to this point, but she let us know that these things are more typical than we'd expect, especially with this breed, and then began to suggest best practices in regards to preventative measures to assist in preventing this from reoccurring. We definitely feel like we stumbled across a gem, and are thankful for Alma and her business that does indeed seem to be "Leading The Pack" ???? EDITED 2 DAYS LATER: Apparently, this was too good to be true. The story above was written before we actually showed up. To start, Alma quoted $200-240 over the phone, knowing very well that our pup had been sent away from Petco due to the matting mentioned above. When we showed up, she then said it would be a minimum of $280. We were there, so we agreed. 30 minutes later, I got a call from Alma saying that unfortunately, she was not going to be able to complete the grooming. She had numerous reasons ranging from him moving around too much, to him being too matted, to him nibbling (he is not a biter at all, and I imagine the mats may have been a bit uncomfortable). Prior to this, he had regular grooming, and no one else had any issues with him in the past (minus him getting a bit fidgety around the ears). At this point, I felt hopeless, so I told her I could show up to assist (ie I'll ease his mind, and distract him so she could finish him up). She refused, saying it was against policy and COVID restrictions. I then asked what other "professionals" she knew of, since she was unable to complete the job she accepted. This definitely offended her, and I was quite shocked by her response. She verbatim said "you know what, you need to just stop talking and come pick up your dog". She then said people like me are the reason groomers no longer accept goldendoodles, and went on to say that it was because I was calling her "unprofessional". Not once did I call her unprofessional, I was simply asking for other professionals that she could refer me to since she was unable/unwilling to assist. My 3 year old daughter and I got there, and Alma seemed much more calm at that point (which was a relief, especially after how offended and agitated she had become earlier). I took one look at our pup, and was shocked that she had literally quit halfway into the grooming. He was shaved down on his body (she did a great job and the parts she did, just being honest with everything), but still had fur everywhere else. It was quite apparent I'd need to seek an alternative, and I needed it quickly. She had the audacity to then say, verbatim "you're only concerned because you don't want to walk him with him looking like this, not because you really care about him". Excuse me??? Yeah, while I am most definitely embarrassed to walk him when he looks like this ???? (because ALMA left him in this state), my main reason was to ensure no more matting took place, and that I could put this all behind me and never let it happen again. Before handing me his leash, she said she was "only going to charge for an hour"... which was also a shock, because she stopped grooming him a half hour in, and didn't even finish what she started, so now I was forced to find an alternative. I said I'd give her $50, but she refused and demanded an hours minimum ($80). When I began to explain why I felt $50 was fair (even then,it wasn't, because 50% of $80 is only $40), she cut me off. The End.

They gave my border terrier a great clean look. They were nice and respectful.

I recommend this place to everyone who asks about grooming. They're great at what they do - easy to communicate with - and patient with the dogs. Plus they even offer hand stripping for those of us with wire-haired dogs!

They're great! Reasonably priced. Very friendly. My dog looks and smells great afterward.

This place is perfect. It’s hard to find a place that hand strips a dog. Went to other groomers who claim they handstrip yet they clearly use clippers. The groomer was honest and transparent which is rare. I travel from the Fremont area and really dont mind knowing my dog is properly groomed.

Brian is wonderful- I often being stopped on the street with the question- who groomed your dog!! Highly recommended.

Brian is a dog whisperer! So calming and caring. We have now brought our 8 month old mini labradoodle to Brian twice and both times she has walked out more adorable than ever. We walked her down College Avenue in Elmwood and within minutes had two people asking where she gets her fur cut. Thank you Brian for always putting us at ease.

This place is great. Their web reservation system is easy to use. The staff is awesome and they always do a terrific job. Caitlyn is awesome. I've used 3 different people at Leading the Pack and they've all done a great job.

Caitlyn does a wonderful job with Hector, she is really professional and takes the time to really understand the cut you want. I travel a decent distance to go to Leading the Pack. Highly recommend!

My dog told me with his eyes that he wanted a new groomer. We'd had issues with a previous groomer he'd gone to for years, so I was skeptical about trusting a new shop. By chance, we met a woman and her similarly aged Yorkie while on a walk, and she said nothing but good things about Leading the Pack. A week later we were there. We met with Brian, who was kind and very gentle with my older, (13+ year old) Yorkie. In about an hour my dog was sweet smelling and properly groomed. An added bonus--my usually anxious furry friend was calm and playful after his shampoo and cut. Both my dog and I had an overall great experience. The shop is well put together and the staff is friendly. Thank you, Leading The Pack!

Thanks to Brian at Leading the Pack for giving our Mini Schnauzer his first styling! Superb service :)

I don't want to tell you how great this place is because I don't want to have trouble scheduling. They are terrific. Jennifer Riley is a gem.

Brian was amazing! He was so kind and patient with my sweet pup. I'll definitely be coming back soon!

I brought my 14.5 year old yellow lab in for a nail trim and Brian was super fast and gentle with the old pooch, and he seems happy to not be as clickety-clackety. I recommend.

LTP is my go to groomer! Caitlyn always takes such good care of Caesar and he always comes back looking super cute!

Love this place - a clean, pleasant environment; gentle and careful with my dog; and she comes out looking and smelling good

Brian did a great job and our pup looked great and was happy when he came home. We will become regular customers now!

Very patient with our newly adopted dog.

Loved the ability to make a reservation online. Great location and shop. My very matted puppy was very happy to get a good grooming. We hope to be regular customers!

always great with my dog. been going to her for years. Caitlin is the owner and my groomer!

Before Brian groomed my dog, people would ask, "what kind of dog is that??" After one session, my dog's true beauty as a black standard Schnauzer came out. I bow before Brian's greatness as a groomer!

Riley was patient, experienced, and good humored about our puppy's first grooming experience. Top notch!

They are simply the best!