Dan Perata Dog Training San Francisco, California

I found Dan, Natasha, and his staff 10 months ago after struggling to deal with a ridiculously rambunctious Labrador puppy. The puppy is now a year old and is well on her way to being a wonderful dog and companion. Through Dan's training methods and working with his knowledgable staff, it has been very easy to continue training and working with Gertie at home. Dan Camp and the subsequent training sessions have been fundamental to Gertie's great behavior at home. Dan and his staff really treat your dog like their own; I feel safe leaving Gertie with them. Not only has Dan continuously worked with Gertie, he and his staff work with you to ensure you are doing everything correctly. They have answered all of my questions and still continue to be an excellent resource on my journey raising Gertie. Dan and his staff have gone out of their way to set Gertie and I up for success. I highly recommend Dan Perata Training to any new (or seasoned) dog owner.

Like many folks during COVID, my girlfriend and I decided to adopt a puppy. We've both had dogs before, so we knew what we wanted, and were willing to wait. Then, when a second puppy from the same litter was available at the last minute, I said, "Let's get two!". Enter twin Swiss Doodle puppies, Otis and Emma. Of course, we planned to do our own training (with YouTube and all sorts of resources, why not?). But after we got them home, we realized precisely how tough it was going to be to train two at once while holding down full-time jobs, even if we were working from home. So, we looked for professional help. That's when Marjorie identified Dan Perata Training. We enrolled them both in "Dan Camp" starting in July 2021. I have to say, it started a bit bumpy, at least in an emotional sense. We had to wait for two open slots, and by the time they opened up, we had become quite attached to our new puppies. Sending them away for most of the week was tough. But, we understood that dog training is as much for the owner as it is for the dog, so we toughed it out, doing all the Zoom meetings, in-person training sessions, and weekend homework. In the process, we got to know both Dan and his trainers pretty well--I accepted primary responsibility, so I was on-site for DPT for four hours every week (two hours per dog), plus an additional hour on Zoom. It's a commitment. The effect was almost immediate. After the first week, our whiny, needy, new puppies who got us out of bed out several times per night were suddenly comfortable in either kennel or crate without much complaint, after a single "hush". Although the on-site sessions were pretty monotonous, progress was noticeable week over week, particularly seeing the new puppies going through the process and realizing "Oh, yeah. I remember when they did that!" There are immediate rewards, too. I remember having trouble with Otis biting my hand hard enough to draw blood while playing--I brought this up to Dan, and he gave me immediate advice. The next time Otis tried to bite me was the last time he ever did! Magic. As we got to know Dan better, it became more apparent how effective his methods are. He's no "biscuit pusher" but instead provides concise instruction to both dog and owner through consistency and tone of voice without resorting to treats. He's not a "dog whisperer" either (more like a "dog barker"!), but his methods are way effective if you're willing to suspend disbelief for a week or two. I've seen a few reviews that question DPT's business practices. That's not been our experience at all. From Dan through his trainers to the office staff, we have seen but one conspicuous characteristic--They love dogs. Period. Not the fees, not the upsells, but the dogs they send out into the world. There's some understandable pride there in making the world just a little bit better through responsible companion animals, and I have to say that Marjorie and I are incredibly grateful. If you decide to take your pup to Dan, you need to go all-in, but you won't regret it. As a heads-up, it took us some time to appreciate Dan's sardonic sense of humor and occasionally non-PC commentary. You shouldn't expect a warm and cuddly sales guy. Dan is more of a Marine drill sergeant. He personifies "tough love" but with the emphasis on "love". As a final note, Emma and Otis are doing very well after graduation, with a minor regression on neutering. Dan takes pride in his dogs and has been regularly available for all sorts of dumb questions (dumb in retrospect, of course) even after the dynamic duo officially graduated from the program. I wish all the dogs were Dan Perata dogs! The world would be a better place if they were.

I was taking my dog for his first training session and I brought my daughter who’s 13. During the session Dan made fun of my daughter and sprayed her with his spray bottle used for dogs, she was very upset and instead of apologizing Dan said our dog would have sprayed my daughter if he could. I will not be going there again and wouldn’t recommend this place to my worst enemy.

Best Dog Trainer in the Bay Area.

These trainers are pros. They also work with you by boarding your fur baby all week and teaching you skills to practice all weekend. They are training the owners as well as the pups.

Dan cares about dogs. There's no way around it. Him and Aaron have an established "tough love" approach that's helped my dachshund go from yappy annoyance to confident wonder-wiener. No shock collars, no physical harm on the dogs; just simple stern dog-parenting, lead leashes, and water pistols. Yes the place smells like dog pee, it's a warehouse refitted for doggy boot camp and for a reasonable price at that! (Compared to other dog training facilities) When we have our next puppy we will 100% take them here for puppy school. I can't recommend this place enough for dog training.

This is a horrible business. 1) our dog and other dogs got sick at Dan’s facility; 2) the owner tried to cover that up; 3) the owner then tried to blame our for an outbreak at his facility when he earlier told us no other dogs were sick; 4) DPT made our young daughter cry; and 5) our dog left untrained. When we complained, the owner verbally attacked and bullied us. These guys have a lot of bad reviews for a reason. They work through fear and intimidation, which is counter-productive for many dogs. If you don't see results, the owner will blame you. Just think - for $3000, you too could have a sick, untrained dog, and a business who thinks it's a good idea to personally attack people’s kids! Don't support a business that treats people and dogs this way. There are many other great options for dog trainers who actually support and care for dogs and their owners.

Expensive at $3,000 plus for about 20 days

The quality of the people who work here and there service,,,,excellent !! I would definitely trust my best friend with these people.....

Dan Perata and his entire staff/family is phenomenal. I rescued a beautiful black lab pit mix with an abusive and negeleted past. She was completely shutdown and fearful of everything. They will train your dog and they will train you. They will tell you they are in it for the long haul with you. They mean it. We did "Dan Camp" which is slotted for 4-6 weeks. Dan and his staff worked with us far past the 6 week mark for no additional charge. Additionally, outside having a great training regimen and great staff, these are high quality people. I encountered a challenging living situatuon where I could not have my dog in the apartment and needed to move immediately. I called Dan at 9:45pm on a Friday. He and his wife called me right back, we worked out a plan and they took my dog for an additional two weeks while I figured out my living situation. I went from having a nonresponsive, emotional wreck of a dog, to a happy, healthy dog I can walk off leash and get compliments on everywhere I go. If you sign up with Dan, buy into his program, and do what they tell you to do, you will see great results. I would give more than 5 stars if I could.

Quite expensive at $3,000 plus.

Dan Perata is an amazing trainer and an awesone staff and facility. He worked Miracles with my rescued stray dog who had some serious issues. He also taught me a lot about dogs in the process. I highly recommend the investment in training with Dan, you will have a wonderfully behaved dog, learn a lot and enjoy your years with your behaved dog and knew skills.

Very professional and amiable personnel

Amazing work with all sorts of dogs. We tried 5 other trainers, Dan was the only one that helped.

Miracle workers! Can't say enough good things.

Take my dog there every day! Best trainers ever!

I feel so lucky to have been introduced to Dan, Natasha, and the team at DPT. My dog had severe separation anxiety when I started working with them and they’ve trained her (and I) through it. If you are willing to put in the work, these folks can help you and your dog with most any issue.

One week at Dan's and I'm already seeing huge progress. I previously, tried positive reinforcement training for months without good results. Go Dan!