D For Dog San Jose, California

I have always wanted a dog in my life and thought pandemic is as good as a time to bring one home and so we did. What we did not realize was raising a puppy was a such a constant physical and mental challenge. Then I met Kaajal, As much as she trained my dog to be a calm and confident puppy, she helped me achieve the same state of mind too. She brought out my dog's true personality out, a relatively calm(he is a labrador :D), confident, loving dog who can even make people scared of dogs, start loving dogs. Around the 14 week mark, we enrolled my dog Milo in her calm and confident puppy day school program. Throughout the program and beyond I had a good communication channel with her and she was always there to help with the many challenges we faced. Kaajal as a person is extremely patient, kind, understanding and her love for dogs is really endearing. My dog loves her so much that I have been jealous of that :D. I am a small person with a very strong dog and walking him was a challenge even when he was a little puppy. She offered me even extra training during the day school so she can watch me walk him and correct my mistakes then and there. That helped tremendously. What I have understood from training with Kaajal is obedience comes from relationship with your dog and to establish a good relationship with your dog you need to be kind, understanding of their needs (moods, exercise, food, even the destructiveness, love). And with Kaajal’s training and help you don’t just get a dog who knows a bunch of commands, you get the whole package of how to raise and live with a dog.

Our 5 month labradoodle Aliki was full of energy, constantly barking, biting our youngest daughter, chewing on our shoes and digging holes in our garden, all apparently considered very normal with an untrained dog. She was very difficult to walk and have around other people as well as dogs. She was mostly afraid and would pull on her leash and run in a different direction, pee and or cry. We looked for help with a couple of different trainers in the area but were alarmed with the methods that were being used in the process. Luckily we came across KT (Kaajal @ D For Dog)!! She immediately made my family feel at ease. After hearing us out she recommended the Calm & Confident Puppy Program and boy has it made a difference to our little girl Aliki. KT tailored the training to our needs. it's almost graduation time and I must say we can't thank Kaajal enough for the time and love she has given our precious Aliki. If you are looking for the best trainer for your dog, look no more! Kaajal is awesome! She has helped our family enjoy every minute with our now calm, confidant, obedient and playful little Aliki.

We were really disappointed with our previous dog trainer and were looking for someone who really loves dogs and can understand them. Kaajal is exactly what we were looking for. She has an amazing relationship with Coco our dog and she loves Kaajal. Coco actually gets super excited for all training sessions with Kaajal. Coco had confidence issues, she would be scared to go for a walk outside, but Kaajal helped build her confidence. Coco now explores all new places and is not scared at all. I highly recommend Kaajal, as I completely trust her with Coco. She has helped me learn a lot about not just training but also how to read dog food labels and what food to feed her. She is an amazing person and I am glad we found her.

I met Kaajal back in January, with my pooch Duke. Quick background on Duke: He was found abandoned on the streets in Fresno, estimated to be two weeks old. We adopted him at 8 weeks old from an organization in Redwood City (Pound Puppy Rescue) in November 2019. His foster family determined he was a shepherd mix. We had a short stint with a trainer almost immediately after adopting Duke. While Duke was deemed highly trainable, we just didn't feel he was making progress as fast as we had hoped. He had body handling issues (growled when we would try to carry him or touch his abdomen/chest), treat/toy aggression (growled at our older, mild mannered dog with ANY toy or food), and darted all over the place when a walk was attempted (even in our own front yard). He seemed on the road to becoming a frantic hostile dog, and I had no idea how to gain trust with him. I felt nervous around him. Any puppy owner out there, you know this is one of the worst feelings to have when you have committed to raising this addition to your family. Following a DNA analysis, we found out Duke is a mix of Belgian Malanois, German Shepherd, and Chinese Sharpei. Any one of these breeds (especially Belgian) can be a challenge to train, and we got a mix of all 3! I've only had experience with my mild mannered older doggo, with no idea how to proceed with this pile of temper and boundless energy. Now what? Enter Kaajal (KT for short). She met us at my home for an evaluation. She had a calming sense about her, a relaxed professional, while friendly and focused as well. She had a command of Duke's attention, using only positive reinforcement methods. She has options that I didn't find with other local trainers, including board and train, dog day school, and private lessons (with flexibility within those options). We opted for dog day school. 3 days a week, 6 hours per day, with 30 minutes of each of those days working with KT and doggo together. In addition, this program included 30 minutes every Friday with a lesson catered to your concerns (mine included being in calm in public areas and walks with Duke keeping his mellow). We met in January, as previously mentioned. After coming up with a training plan and a set schedule, the coronavirus threw a wrench into our perfect set up. Miraculously, she figured out a way to adapt with training, and transfer lessons (dog, owner and trainer) adhering to safety recommendations. Masks and social distancing, she has this figured out even in "these uncertain times". She is also incredibly flexible. With the coronavirus, and also throwing out my shoulder in May, we had to make some schedule adjustments, and she made it all feasible, easily. Duke is nearing his first birthday. He's still a Belgian Malanois German Shepherd Chinese Sharpei. Now, he has impulse control. He follows commands. He looks to me to guide him, rather than melt down because his surroundings overwhelm him. He comes when I call him, even if his favorite past time (chasing squirrels) must come to an end. None of this would have been possible without KT. Her knowledge and guidance helped achieve what I wasn't sure was possible: a trust between my dog and I. She works with dogs and owners with needs on many levels. Reach out to her! You won't regret it!

We LOVE Kaajal and D for Dog! Kaajal is an amazing trainer who has helped so much with our hyper-active and anxious borador, Faye! As much as we love Faye, we wouldn't have been able to manage so many of her behaviors (leash aggression, chewing/destruction in the house, jumping up on EVERYONE she meets) without Kaajal's consistent, tailored guidance and tips -- inside her group classes, but also during private sessions! Kaajal is always willing to take a call or watch a video of any problematic behaviors, and give specific feedback about how to train those better! Kaajal is also available any time of day (I don't know how she does it!) to chat, and checks in regularly to see how we're doing, which has made us first-time pup parents feel so supported and like we're not alone in this! What I love best of all is that Kaajal LOVES every pet. She knows them by name, personality, and she's always so happy and enthusiastic, very patient and practices positive-reinforcement training only -- no choke collars, no loud sounds, only training that we feel GOOD about doing with our baby! Six months ago, Faye sitting this calmly and keeping eye contact would have been impossible, but look at us now!

We enrolled into day school with Kaajal for our puppy (Murphy) when he was 11 weeks old and we couldn't be happier. Kaajal not just did a fantastic job in training our pet, but helped us first time dog owners understand the ABCs of owning one. She has been instrumental in quelling a lot of anxiety, fear and misunderstandings we had about having a dog. Her patience and flexibility to spread out lessons and homework to suit our pace has helped immensely in settling in Murphy to align with our lifestyle. We are very glad we found her! We would highly recommend her to our friends. Walks in the neighborhood with Murphy is fun and he surely turns heads with his public manners considering he is only 5 months now.

Kaajal is AMAZING- I went to her with my 10-week-old puppy Chloe that was so hyper I could hardly hold her. I was so lucky to find Kaajal. She taught me how to control my puppy. When I open the door to the crate, she will not come out until …

We highly recommend KT for new puppy and older dog training. We really like her kind approach and sensible training methods for both the dog and untrained parents. We attended the "Basic Manners Group class" and "About Town Public Manners Group Class" with our Bernese Mountain Dog (Molly), starting when she was 4 months old. We have seen KT train all kinds dog personalities (timid to aggressive), with complete control and confidence. KT is a wonderful person we really trust and enjoy working with.

Finding Kaajal (aka KaTi) has been a godsend! She's one of the few force-free, positive behavior trainers who work with aggression and fear reactive dogs in the area. …

I was really impressed with Kati's technique to quickly catch my dog, Riley's attention and start listening from day 1. Riley, has been to Kati's basic manner and impulse control classes. When Riley started showing fear and anxiety to the vets office, Kati went with me to take Riley for vaccines and teach me how to train Riley to be more comfortable around these procedures. Overall, I feel very fortunate Kati is there for Riley and my many questions about why dogs do something.

This review is for D for Dog Board and Train Services. I cannot offer a strong enough recommendation for D for Dog's Board and Train program! If I could give them 100 stars, I would! Let me tell you why I feel so strongly about them. It all began when I was feeling a bit desperate, as other puppy families do, and my resources for training were not adequate. I had a 12 week old, high energy, uber-playful Bernedoodle puppy. She was adorable and loving, but she had not learned proper bite inhibition and she was not responding to my best efforts to curb severe puppy biting. I had experience with training prior family puppies, and I knew that raising a puppy was hard work--but even with a lot of effort, this one was beyond my skill level! I was even working with another trainer once a week and taking the puppy to classes with another service, so I wasn't leaving the training to chance. But none of the advice or techniques were working for us. One day the puppy bit hard enough to draw blood, and even though she was playing and did not do so out of aggression, I knew I was over my head. I needed serious help! At about the same time, I encountered a family emergency that would significantly impair my ability to spend the necessary time and attention with the puppy. That was when my normal puppy desperation turned into real panic. I even considered whether it would be better for the puppy to find her a new home where she could get more attention; but of course I loved her so much I did not want to do that unless it was a last resort. I talked to my veterinarian and others, and upon the recommendation of some of the best trainers in my area, I reached out to D for Dog. I will never forget my first conversation with Kaajal (aka KaTi). I was in tears and at my wits end, but she wasn't thrown off at all. She was kind and helpful, and I was immediately impressed by her responsiveness and her empathy. We arranged a meeting right away, even given her busy schedule. When we met, I watched with awe as my puppy fell in love at first sight the D for Dog team. After just a few moments in their presence, I knew that I was in the right place. Given the puppy's response and the sense of care I felt, I knew that I need not have any concerns leaving my puppy in KaTi's care. Beyond her kindness and skill, I want to convey that the model D for Dog uses is very smart; the best I have ever seen in a board & train program. The puppy spends 4 days of the week with KaTi and D for Dog, having continual lessons from humans and from other dog friends. So the puppy learns fast. The magic happens on the other 3 days of the week, though. The program offers a weekly transfer lesson, and then 3 days of practice together with the puppy, so I was learning as fast as the dog! We were able to practice the behaviors and techniques over thew weekend and then report to KaTi about what worked and what did not work before the next week of training. In my view, this is the ONLY WAY to do a board and train program that has the best hope of sticking over time. I will never use another program model - because the training is as much about the person learning the techniques as it is the puppy. The D for Dog model reinforced my bond with my puppy and helped me become a better family member for the dog. At the same time, an experienced trainer like KaTi, given constant interaction with the puppy, was able to instantly shift the play biting behaviors and the other behavioral issues that I could not handle myself. I was in such a difficult position before I found D for Dog--given the puppy's strong will and high energy, and my family emergency--that I was worried I couldn't be a good enough dog parent and I would have to find my beloved baby a new home for her own well-being. I can say with all honesty that KaTi and D for Dog's Board and Train program saved our family and and kept us together. I will be eternally grateful. And I know that D for Dog will be our go-to place for training for the rest of our lives together.

Couldn't be happier with D for Dog and Kaajal. She's helped our enthusiastic Aussie Bernedoodle learn to control his impulses. He's still very affectionate, but no longer jumps on people and she's taught us different tricks and tips to manage all sorts of interactions. She does all of this with tremendous knowledge, expertise, care and love. Fantastic all the way!

KaTi is the most amazing trainer for both dogs and their humans. She was assigned to be my mentor for six months through a nationally recognized dog training program I was enrolled in. I had never met KaTi or even heard of her before I …

I took several classes with D for Dog and loved all of them. I really enjoyed that many of the classes are held in different locations around town, so your dog gets to practice these skills in the real world. KaTi has some really great and …

What a world of difference training has made for our wild and crazy out of control puppy. She pays such good attention to us and I love her manners, which were non-existent before. Just the best!

Enrolling my 3 month old Australian Shepherd puppy in the Puppy Day School was a lifesaver for me and a game changer for our pup! I had 3 primary needs that Kati has met (and exceeded expectations on!): (1) Safe day-time training option -- I work in a dog-friendly office but was entering a busy period at work and wanted my dog to spend his days more productively than sitting in a crate. He also hadn't finished his puppy shots so standard daycare was out of the question. Kati's Day School option fit what I needed perfectly! Kati was super flexible in working with my varying drop-off / pick-up times and was very communicative about what Wilder was working on each day and week and how I could help reinforce those skills at home (more on that later). (2) Life skills - From day 1, our pup learned tricks really quickly and easily but teaching him actual life skills of settling, dealing with frustration, controlling his impulses was very very difficult. Kati has transformed him from an easily frustrated and vocal pup to a thinking pup that can now settle in high-distraction setting, wait for things he wants, and be alone more peacefully. Given the type of lifestyle we want with him long-term (travel, outdoor adventures, going to work with us), his ability to focus on us and trust us to tell him how to respond in changing environments is so so important. (3) Learning how to reinforce training - Kati has done an excellent job at teaching me to teach my dog. She really goes deeper than instruction to explain how a dog thinks and to "train" in a way that works for both you and the dog. She takes what looks like magic and breaks it down so that you can continue to build on the work she's done with the pup. She takes the time to listen to your concerns and questions; she addresses these thoroughly and continues to check in with you to make sure you feel set up for success as well! I strongly recommend Puppy Day Care / D For Dog for busy dog parents who still want the best for their fur babies! I plan to continue learning from Kati and taking advantage of the other class options she offers.

Tl;dr – Great trainer and training program for puppies and adult dogs, highly recommend. Board and train is perfect if you can’t spend as much time with their dog as you would like. Value of services is exceptional. …

I launched a rescue last year and I am so fortunate to have KaTi, a wonderful trainer that we can turn to when our fosters and or adopters need help. KaTi offers wonderful group classes for adults and puppies. She also offers …

I was referred to Ka Ti at D for Dog Training for my 3 month old labrador retriever's biting problem! She was biting me, and it sure seemed to be more than "puppy nipping". I called Ka Ti one afternoon and by 7 pm that same evening she …

My husband and I read about KaTi on Yelp, and when I contacted her, she was very quick to respond and we set up the initial meeting at our home. …

I wholeheartedly recommend Kaajal Tiwari with D for Dog! I am a first-time puppy raiser for an organization that provides service dogs for children with autism. We had a dog for 12 years, but we never were successful with training her to …

KT, is truly amazing, in simple terms, she is the best!!! She shows true and genuine care for her customers and their pets. When I saw her authentic passion for dogs, that's when I knew I was working with the right trainer. KT has been …

D for Dog is wonderful.!! Kaajal is extremely knowledgeable about dogs and the dogs love her. I have have been a dog owner for 25 years and I went to D for dog to socialize and train my new puppy, She taught me lots of new information on …

Where do I begin? I left my Golden Retriever puppy Roxy with KT when she was around 5 months old. …

I have been working with Kati for about 3 months now and could not be happier. Our puppy Alfonso is a maltipoo and is now 6 months old. We received him when is barely 8 weeks old and he was no bigger than our palm. We have been working on …