Britta’s Animal Training and Pet Services

We rescued Murphy, our Jack Russell Terrier (JRT), when he was one year old, from a home where he was left alone in a yard with a Chihuahua every day. He had not been properly socialized as a baby and his owners did not know how to train or socialize him. As a result he was very fearful of people and other dogs, which came out in aggressive behavior.
We believed he was at heart a sweet, smart, and loving dog and worked initially with a positive reinforcement trainer, but he was still extremely reactive to other dogs and strangers when she told us she couldn’t take him any further.
We looked for another trainer and found Britta’s website. We were impressed by her background and made an appointment to meet with her. After meeting him, Britta explained that due to his history Murphy would be stressed by too much stimulation and we needed to take it slowly and not push him too much, too fast. She had us list his triggers and explained how triggers worked with dogs and with Murphy specifically. Then she had us start on clicker training with positive reinforcement to begin to recondition him.
One of Murphy’s problems was that he didn’t growl if he was nervous but went right into snapping and even biting. Britta explained that he had probably been punished for growling and had us work to teach him to growl again. The first few times we said «Good growl» he seemed shocked that we were rewarding him for it, but then he began to use his growl when he was uncomfortable or nervous and the snapping and biting stopped.
Britta didn’t just train Murphy (and us), she gave us tools to understand his language and communicate with him. The first time I tried using calming signals with him he seemed surprised at first, but ended up on the floor with me licking my face and wagging his tail like crazy. It was probably the first time in his life he really communicated with a person, and it was a turning point for him.
Before Britta, Murphy tolerated (but didn’t really) like petting or too much physical contact. Now he can’t get enough. He initiates being petted and having his tummy rubbed and snuggles up with us when he is tired. He doesn’t freak out when he sees another dog on a walk, and he is confident enough to walk away from us if he needs his space at home.
Last week someone stopped my husband and said Murphy was the most mellow JRT she has ever seen! She said her 4 year JRT still couldn’t be near other people or dogs without going crazy. Murphy still has a ways to go to be the fully comfortable-​in-​his-​own-​skin dog we know he can be, but as we come up on the one-​year anniversary of having him it is amazing how far he has come thanks to Britta!

I got really lucky when I found Britta. I had heard of «clicker training» and thought it would be a lot of work but it was tons of fun and Britta made everything a game. He responded beautifully and loved having her come over. I had never tried some of her training exercises. For example, I would sit quietly and drop some treats on a mat to have Sammy relax and sit quietly. This worked like a charm. We also used high value treats like cream cheese and chicken that kept him very motivated. Sammy has been so focussed on me since our training with Britta. I’m certainly going to have her come back for some «tune ups» with Sammy. She’s the most professional motivating dog trainer I’ve met.

Britta is an amazing animal trainer. I used her for help with my dog and barking when people arrive the door. She is great to work with! Highly recommend her services!

We hired Britta to care for our dog, Obi, while we went on a vacation for a week to visit family in the Midwest. Traveling since getting Obi has been extremely difficult since he is a very anxious dog and also extremely reactive towards other dogs. Asking friends or family to watch him not only seems like an unfair favor to ask, but also potentially unsafe since others might not be able to recognize his triggers quickly enough. Britta and I had worked together in the past at the San Diego Humane Society and when I heard that she had started her own business caring for and training people’s furry companions, I was so excited to have a solution to our loss of freedom. During our employment, she was over and above a kind, gentle, and creative animal caretaker, always striving to keep the stress level of animal’s at the most minimum level and treating each and every animal as her own. Her love and compassion was not missed by a single animal that came through those doors and I couldn’t think of anyone more suited to care for Obi in our absence than her.
I am so glad that we hired Britta to care for Obi. While away, she texted us pictures of Obi sniffing flowers and taking walks (something we haven’t felt safe to do with him for the last two years due to his reactivity level). We came home to a more relaxed dog than we have ever experienced. He was so happy, loose, and mellow… I just can’t quite explain how amazing it was to see Obi this way. Britta used positive reinforcement clicker training and played ball with him so that he could get both a mental and physical workout. From my experience working with her, I also know she gave him a ton of love.
We were completely elated that we hired Britta to care for Obi. We felt completely confident in his safety and well-​being while gone and were able to enjoy our trip completely stress free. I cannot recommend Britta’s services enough. I knew she would be 100% loving to Obi, but I was blown away by her training skills and how many layers of anxiety and excitement were peeled off of our dog in the short week in her care. She truly is an amazing resource and a joy to work with for humans too!
–Alicia D

I wish someone would have rated this woman either on Unilocal or Facebook. I have NEVER seen anyone train dogs as poorly as this woman. I’m surprised she even worked for the zoo. She had chicken, potato and meat cut up and began spreading it all over the kitchen floor that I just had professionally cleaned and the grout. I was dumbfounded when we went outside and she began throwing food all over the patio in the same fashion. She called that «scattering» to stimulate the dogs.
My dogs learned nothing from her but how to dive for food that was being thrown everywhere. If you don’t want to mop your floor and have ants gather outside from this mess of food missed I suggest you find a «REAL» dog trainer. What a horrible experience this was!!! I had to have med’s called in from the vet as all 3 of my dogs got major diarrhea from the table scraps she feed my dogs. Prior to Britta coming here my dogs were fine. No problems with diarrhea and then they got Kennel Cough from her being here. My vet bills are still mounting and she said she had insurance of which I have yet to see any proof of that.
I don’t care what her credentials are that DOES NOT make her a good dog trainer. I should of thought something was really odd when she was available anytime or any day to come out to my home. My dogs get plenty of exercise in the backyard and are loved and cared for by the best Dr’s and the best care. They are socialized all the time and have great manners.
I wanted my Rottie’s to learn to leave it when picking something up that I didn’t want them to have. Britta «KNEW» the reason why I was going to have a dog trainer come to the house to give them one on one training of that. I wanted my dogs to learn to leave it in their own environment She found it «hot» outside and wanted to go inside after I had a mess everywhere from her «food scattering». I have had a dog trainer in the past for my other dogs. Never Britta!!!
She didn’t teach them anything when she was out here on a «PRIVATE» LESSON that you pay more for than a «GROUP» lesson when your outside. My floor looked like the street by the time she was done. I trusted her since she was a DOG trainer… I didn’t realize how bad she really was. What a HUGE mistake this was. Putting down her training doesn’t make her a good trainer. My results left me a filthy house and a vet bill with med’s to help all 3 dogs from DIARRHEA!!! Is that what you would sign up for? Called my «old» dog trainer to help me after Labor Day. I went with Britta because she was «closer» what a BIG mistake that was. My old trainer «trained» both of my dogs in one hour to stay off the furniture, bed, and lawn chairs because she needed an operation and the Dr. said she couldn’t jump up there any longer. Britta in 2 hours didn’t know how to get my dogs to «leave» it when there’s something on the ground. SAD!!! BAD choice for a «DOG» trainer…
Britta saw that my dogs go in their crate at night to sleep when I go to bed which is very late. All my dogs have full run of the house and their is usually someone here all the time. They get plenty of exercise in their back yard with throwing the ball and playing with them. They very seldom use the exercise pen that is up in the kitchen. It is a very large exercise pen and the only time as I explained to Britta that they go into it is seldom when no one is home.
To recap I have 3 dogs sick from Britta throwing her scraps of food of which I have no idea how it was prepared or how long it was in her hot car. They all 3 got sick from her food and my vet bill is hundreds of dollars not to mention how expensive the med’s are. I’ve asked for her insurance to file a claim and she has not given that to me of which she claims she has insurance. The dogs also got Kennel Cough and they aren’t around any other dogs. They didn’t have that either prior to her coming here to my home.
I wanted my dogs to learn to leave it and that was discussed on the «phone» with her. One of my problems is that I dont talk stern enough to my dogs. Yelling at them is not what I do with friends or family let alone my dogs. I learned from a very highly rated dog trainer about the coins in the can as well as the squirt bottle of water from trainers as well as my other friends.
My review came on Unilocal first and then it got followed by other people she contacted to write a review. If you really care about your pets I’d truly find another trainer. This was a very costly experience not to mention how sick my dogs are from her coming here. I should have asked her to leave when I saw nothing was getting accomplished except a huge mess everywhere.
Little did I realize how sick my dogs would get. The proof is in the Costly VET bill I have to date. All from the result of having Britta come to my home.

We’ve taken several of Britta’s puppy training «good manners» classes. She is a wonderful trainer and our dog has come SO far since we started working with Britta. I would unhesitatingly recommend Britta to anyone who loves their dog and just wants a good training experience that is built around positive reinforcement. Patty G.