Sit Means Sit Dog Training South Orange County San Juan Capistrano, California

I want to begin my review with saying how grateful I am to Stephanie, Nick, and the Sit Means Sit team for training my boy - a now 8 month old labradoodle to follow commands in the home and out in the community. At about three months old, he was disobedient, stubborn, and learned to bite as a way to escape/avoid my commands. His temperament was far from what labradoodles are described as. I made excuses for a while due to him teething and being a puppy! I was told these behaviors would pass with time. Meanwhile, his behavior just escalated - he even drew blood from my hands and arms several times which brought many tears and frustration. Prior to SMS, I had two separate and negative experiences with a private trainer and a popular training facility in South OC. I want to both COMMEND AND THANK specifically Stephanie and Nick for all of their communication, dedication, and hard work during my dog's training. I have witnessed positive outcomes in my pup's confidence, compliance, and socialization. The previous experiences made it beyond difficult to trust anyone with my dog, but Stephanie made it easy. She was beyond patient, empathetic, and kind. Without any hesitation or annoyance, she would answer my text messages and phone calls! Overprotective first-time dog momma, for sure! LOL. We began Jumpstart and I was assigned Nick as our trainer with few others in between to help my pup generalize the skills he was learning across different people and settings. Although the cost of training may be a little expensive, you get what you pay for. It eased my mind to know that it also comes with a lifetime warranty! Nick is knowledgeable and helped our pup acquire a great new skill set! He was thorough in his explanations of the process and the tools used to help train our dog. I was a little skeptical on if the e-collar will be used as a form of punishment or if it will hurt him. He went above and beyond to allow us to feel the e-collar in different settings and educate us in the manner it will be used which is to gain the dog's attention, especially my pup who is highly distracted and self-directed. This was reassuring! At every session - which was typically outside our home, in our community, or on a "field-trip," Nick would begin with the goals he would be targeting for the session and at drop off provide us with a very brief description on how our dog did. Nick is professional and personable. He worked really hard with our pup and showed us how to continue working with our pup to ensure that he maintains his skills. At our last check in, our pup was able to be off leash in a highly distractible area and heel for a few minutes. He is able to comply with all basic commands with minimal prompting/use of e-collar. One of the biggest accomplishments is that my pup is able to be pet by children without jumping on them. He will comply with sit or down and waits to be pet. At our last session, we allowed a 1 1/2 year old little girl with her mom pet him and he lied down with his belly up for cuddles. Made my heart melt! My pup has been transformed from a little T-Rex to a teddy bear! THANK YOU Nick, Stephanie, and SMS Team for this invaluable experience! Our pup is now able to join group classes. We look forward to this upcoming experience and future opportunities that our pup can continue growing with you. For those that are reading reviews for the purpose of making a decision, look no further! You are in good hands!!!

We are very impressed with the trainers at Sit Means Sit, especially Curtis. It’s evident that he is very passionate about his clients and career! Highly recommend this awesome company for your dog training needs.

Our 2nd Lil’ Graduate came home from the 20-day board and train! The SMS trainers continue to be the BEST!Gibbs has transitioned back home very nicely. The play biting has stopped (woohoo!). He can hold a place, sit, recalls, etc. while Ziva is in the same room/area (before he would be distracted and just want to play with Ziva ????)! We can’t wait to see how they will do when they are both in group class together! If you want a well-behaved, better-behaved, or even more enjoyable puppy/dog to be around…. Sign up for Sit Means Sit today!

Matt and the whole team at Sit Means Sit is amazing! I have a hard headed bulldog that needed extra attention and he got it all and more from here. They don’t end their work until your dog has mastered what they said he/she should. We love them!

We met with Mackenzie to review what we forgot. She was very helpful, knowledgeable and professional...we have homework and a going forward plan with another session scheduled to assess our progress.

The staff is extremely professional and always there for us. I will admit that I was skeptical of the price at first, however they made it so we could keep our dog. Our siberian husky was biting and would not listen...now he walks off his leach and no more biting!! Thank you!

The Sit Means Sit professional trainers, with the program they offered us, they enabled us to take our two puppies Luke and Lucy on long walks, to the stores, to In N Out Burger without worrying about them barking or jumping on other people or dogs. It’s wonderful and we can truly say our dream came true. We started a month ago and we still have long way to go, but in a month we saw a huge improvement. They are better listeners, less territorial and better behaved puppies! We now looking forward to attend group training which is so excited. Thank you beautiful souls at Sit Means Sit. We love you.

Before training I could not take my dog anywhere, he was so aggressive towards other dogs. Now, I can bring him everywhere I go. And no more pulling on the leash

Matt was great and helping me work with my puppy awesome instructor

Just had our second one-on-one session with Matt, after doing the 10 day board and train. My puppy, Tova was so excited to see him. He is very knowledgable and addressed all of our concerns and questions. We have learned a lot and are excited to continue our training.

Our 9 month old lab Paisley has been a wild child from the start and Mackenzie has been a life saver. She is teaching us the proper way to communicate with our dog and make these techniques last. Can’t wait to see the results!

I just recently had my schnauzer boarded for 20 days in this facility. I was attended by matt, Makenzie and Luana, and I am so glad that these 3 were there to take care of my dog. Great service and they were super sweet with my Mika. They treated her better than how I treat her (and I love my dog). Would recommend 100%.

Before Sit Means Sit, we could barely walk our dog she pulled so much. Now she’s responsive, listens, and enjoys learning. So grateful to everyone at Sit Means Sit for helping our Peach!

My puppy is a happy girl and is even more happy now that she has experienced some great training with people who speak dog and human!

In November I rescued my 4 year old German Shepherd, Cash. He knew his commands however did not always listen to me, he pulled on the leash, and reacted to dogs on a leash. We completed the 4 day jump start, and just started group classes. I am so thankful for sit means sit! They taught not only dog to respect me and listen to me but have given me the tools to help him be the best version of himself! A month in and cash can stay in place, heel, stay, lay down, sit and be in a room with over 30 plus dogs and not bat an eye! I recommend sit means sit to anyone who has a dog!

We just completed the 10 day board and train program for our 4 month old puppy.... I told them when I dropped him off, I wanted him to come back with a levitating halo where his current devil horns resided. And that's exactly what happened. Baxter now properly walks on a leash by my side, sits, stays in "place", doesn't bark incessantly or bite. It definitely made him so much easier to have in the house. The Sit Means Sit staff supports you through the whole process with in-home lessons before and after the board and train and we look forward to continuing training with group classes. Curtis, the trainer assigned to our dog, was incredible. He explained things so well, took the time to answer our questions and work with us to ensure we understood everything. It was also apparent he really cared about our pup and enjoyed spending time with him. I would highly recommend their program!!

The trainers at SMS are the best around. They have taken Leaf under their wings and it looks like he has stolen their hearts. Leaf did the 20 day boarding training and he has come home with so much knowledge and discipline. I highly recommend using these guys to train you pups! Thanks for everything! Leaf & Eric

Sit Means Sit has been a game changer and a relief for us. If you want a loving, responsive, obedient dog who can become a stress free member of your family, you need Sit means sit. Don’t waste time and money on anything less. When we started the program, our Golden Retriever was 5 months old. She was sweet and wanted to please us, but never knew what we wanted from her. I remember being so stressed when I interacted with her. We wanted Ranger to join us on family adventures, but she was only willing to listen to our commands when she felt like it. Whenever there were other distractions around, she would lose focus entirely. Our training with her was also very treats-driven, and she wasn’t as healthy as she could be. We signed her up for the 20-day program. It was an investment in her future and our future with her as part of our family. Throughout, the staff was very communicative and caring. Ranger came back to us healthy and happy. Within a few days, after we had a chance to practice with her new Sit mean Sit commands and program, we found that we could finally speak the same language with her. We could communicate what we wanted her behaviors to be, and she was happy to listen. Additionally, she listened to us even when other distractions were around. Our first weekend having her back, we were able to enjoy the beach with her and take her to see our nieces and nephews she did great throughout the day and was safe and responsive. I feel so much less stressed now. I’m relieved and I can enjoy my puppy, without worrying that she won’t listen to me. Thank you, Sit means sit, for allowing Ranger to become such a wonderful part of our family!

I have a dog that I adopted last year who is dog reactive. The trainers at Sit Means Sit are amazing with her. She has definitely come a long way and I get compliments from my neighbors as to how much she has improved.

Trainers are great to work with. Thanks SMS dog training.

Wow, we sent our beautiful little puppies to SitMeansSit for a 12 day training and they came back like perfectly trained dogs. Really can't say enough on how friendly and caring the staff was with our dogs. You can tell that they are all dog lovers ! And for that reason I can highly recommend this company.

I can’t believe how well my 7 year old Weimaraner, Roscoe, responded to the classes! He’s a great boy but always pulled hard on walks, is a serial food beggar, and burglar. After a week of training he’s walking beautifully. Matt also showed us how to to stop the begging and how to handle him around food. On the first night I told him to go to his place during dinner time and he actually did it! No begging! They’re all very friendly, helpful, and all have a great love for dogs. I wish we did it sooner!

Matt is awesome! He works so well with our Aussie puppy and helped us have stress free walks. Highly recommend sit means sit and Matt!

Walking Rags on a leash was like being tied to a 50 lb Tasmanian Devil. Within a few minutes, Chris was holding the leash with 2 fingers... Wow. We also had an issue with her bolting through any opening... No more. We reviewed our …

We love Sit Means Sit!! Matt the trainer was incredible. Our 16 week golden retriever has learned all the commands and we are so excited! Worth every penny. THANK YOU MATT!

We love Matt from Sit means Sit at San Juan Capistrano. He did a fantastic job training our dog, Rosie. Rosie is a golden retriever puppy and she is shy but can easily get distracted. She sometimes did not follow instructions and could get very excited when she saw people and other dogs. After training with Matt, her behavior improved dramatically. Now she follows instructions and commands, which makes a lot easier for us to walk her. We highly recommend Matt at Sit Means Sit at San Juan Capistrano for dog training.

I adopted a 2-3 yr old Chocolate Lab who had been surrendered by her previous owner. When I adopted her she had already been in training for three weeks at Sit Means Sit. I knew from the moment I met Charlie at Sit Means Sit that the training she had already received was going to be priceless! What I didn't expect, more importantly was the training and guidance I would receive as well. The owners and the staff are top notch and I could not be more grateful for their knowledge and helpfulness! I look forward to Charlie and I continuing to gleen from them.

Our 5 month old Goldendoodle went to the 10 day training camp and came home with incredible skills and manners! Owner Whitney is so sincere and her follow-up is fantastic! Trainer Matt did the follow-up visit today and coached us on how to get even better results! He is so patient and such a great trainer not only with JoJo but with us humans too! I highly recommend SitMeansSit and Matt!

Wow. Great job. Our puppy is much better trained. With some follow on reinforcement she’s ready for off leash walks

Amazing! The trainers are so patient and loving, they really take the time to make sure everything is working and to step in when you need help. My dog has come so far in such a short time! Luana is Amazing!