Action Dog!

Our dog has been a member of the Action Dog pack for a few years now, and we feel really fortunate. Jeff and Elana do an amazing job. They are both extremely professional, very knowledgeable about dog training and great communicators. I love that they send us pictures of our happy dog out and about with them! We have also boarded our dog with them several times, which was a great experience. Overall, I highly recommend Action Dog! Your pup will come home happy, tired and well socialized.

Elena at Action Dog has been amazing! My pups, Camille and Orlando, have been taking walks with Action Dog for 2 years and they have had a blast. They are always excited to see Elena and they come home happy and tired. Sadly we just moved out of the area so they will not get to go on these adventures anymore. but I wanted to take the opportunity to share my appreciation for the past two years. It is nice knowing that there are good people out there that you can count on. Thanks for everything! Camille and Orlando miss you! I definitely would recommend Action Dog if you are looking for someone to take great care of your pup.

Jeff is our first dog walker, ever, and my partner and I have nothing but positive things to say about him. Our pup is an energetic herding breed mix, so Action Dog’s off-​leash hikes are much more useful to her (and us!) than leash walking around the neighborhood might be. We love seeing the periodic pictures of our pup on the Facebook page, and it’s just icing on the cake that he/​they are more affordable than the other dog walkers in our area we considered.
Jeff has been completely understanding of our «new-​mom» worries (once we kept her home because her stool was soft and we thought she had giardia… an unnecessary visit to the vet later and she was cleared to play), and great when our schedules have changed.
We are still learning our 1-​year-​old pup’s personality and temperament, and it turns out she takes a little while to warm up to new people. Jeff was professional and honest when he realized she needed to spend a few weeks on a long leash while they built up enough rapport for him to trust her recall. She’s been off-​leash for a few months now and doing great – she comes home exhausted and happy, and is always asleep within minutes.

10 stars is more like it! The dynamic duo at Action Dog, Elana and Jeff, have been taking my French bull dogs, Juan and Diego, hiking for 3 years now and I am so grateful for their excellent care. As an example of how cool they are I’ll tell you that Juan developed some arthritis this year and started not being able to keep up — Elana suggested we get a sporty all terrain pet stroller and offered to wheel him along so he can still come with the pack! The boys continue to express wild enthusiasm every time they come to the door. I even think they are excited when I pull out my suitcase as they anticipate going to stay them for a holiday– now I’m not jealous but really ;)
They are also great photographers and you can look forward to some epic shots of your pups on the trail. Hey, you might even make their fabulous yearly calendar!

When we had a baby our first «child» (Shiloh the black lab) found himself without as many walks as we were all used to (ok sometimes none…). Luckily we had a place with a yard so he had some freedom but we could still tell he was anxious and needing more exercise.
We finally decided to find him some relief. I liked the idea of an off leash dog walker, he is such a better dog off leash and he gets so much more exercise. Jeff and Elana are dog people to the core. We were all comfortable when we first met them and after over a year it continues to be a wonderful experience.
Shiloh is always happy to see Jeff or Elana. And those days when he has been with them he is calm and happy in the evening which is nice. He is also much more socialized then he used to be. We attribute this to his frequent exercise and Jeff and Elana’s consistency as handlers. Thanks so much for keeping Shiloh fit, happy and healthy!

Jeff and Alana are absolutely AMAZING. I don’t think I could be happier with their service. They are friendly, flexible, and just wonderful people in general. Not only are they the best walkers we have ever had for Cosmo, our 7 year old miniature pinscher, they have also helped us out enormously as first time parents. With a lot of our attention directed to our daughter, Jeff and Alana have helped us keep our other baby, Cosmo, happy. They really go above and beyond the call of duty. Just this month, my daughter went to daycare a couple blocks away without her food. My husband and I were desperately looking for a solution since we were both in SF and couldn’t get home in time. Then we remembered that Jeff was stopping by the house, so he dropped it off for us! I was astounded by his generosity and helpfulness. I literally could not function without these guys.
Cosmo has also always been a little tentative around big dogs, but under Jeff and Alana’s calm supervision his interaction with big dogs has improved enormously. We love the pictures we get of him and the other dogs on their hikes. If you need a dog walker I highly highly recommend these guys. They are the BEST!

This is a long overdue review, Action Dog took care of my English Bulldog this winter and they did an awesome job. I was worried because he isnt’ the most athletic dog, and their servicie is catered towards active dogs, but they were very accomodating and reassured me that he would be fine. They even came over to meet him prior to his first walk to make sure he would fit in with the «pack.»
I loved knowing that I could come home after work and he would be so exhausted from his hike that he would be still asleep when I got home. I also loved the fithly towel by the door from when they cleaned him off after his hike, the dirtier the towel the more fun he had!
Their service is barely more than what you would pay someone to come walk your dog for 30 minutes on the city streets, and this way the dog gets to go into the woods, play with other dogs, be off leash and be out of the house for hours. All in all an awesome service and totally worth the money. Oh, and they sent pictures of my dog on his hikes too, he looked so happy!

jeff and elana have been taking my 2 year-​old, male & female staffordshire mixes – buddha & scooby on hikes for about six months. unfortunately, they can’t service my neighborhood anymore because there aren’t enough clients and it’s become off-​route for them. so i have to begrudgingly look for another dog walker. jeff and elana really love what they do and it shows. i’m a high-​maintenance client. i ask a lot of questions and i can be kinda demanding. they always treat me well and are patient and helpful with my queries. both of my dogs really love them and we are sad to have to part ways. this kind of outing is crucial for dogs because it allows them to be outside with other dogs – they are social animals and love to be together. my partner and i take both dogs out hiking & to the beach religiously but we can’t really offer them a pack experience. not like jeff and elana. their service is awesome and i’d recommend them to anyone. aside from being great dog handlers, they’re really kind people. they gave us a rad little calendar with pictures of past hikes and a cute rawhide for each dog. we will definitely miss them.

My little dog Taz loves going on hikes with the big boys. Action Dogs Sandy and Drake just love to play and wear him out! I love that I can trust the Action Dog folks to come to my house and pick Taz up to take him on a doggie frolic in the hills — they know all the sweet, hidden dog-​friendly spots. When I get home from work little Taz is worn out from hiking and socializing. Reasonable prices (I think a new customer discount?), and even overnight boarding! I totally trust them with my little guy.

I only have my dog’s response as feedback here. She was under Jeff’s care for about a month. I have a very well behaved dog that I have never had any behavioral issues with. Every dog walker I have had before has always said she was easy to handle and has been so excited to see them that she forgets all about me.
One day i was home in the morning when he picked her up. She was terrified of him. She slinked off the couch and cowered as she walked over to him. Then as we stood there and talked a bit she shook the entire time. Needless to say, that was the last day she went anywhere with him.

Jeff and Elana of Action Dog! are truly amazing. I signed my newly adopted 5-​year-​old Pointer mix up with them almost a year ago, hoping she would become more socialized and confident after spending two long months in the shelter. Also, I worked long hours in the city and needed to know my dog had a chance to relieve herself and get some exercise while I was gone all day. Jeff and Elana are so knowledgeable, patient and understanding of dog behavior and their quirks. They REALLY know their stuff, and I’d find myself (as a new dog-​owner) calling them up when I had a question about health-​related issues, behavior weirdness, the type of food I should be feeding my dog, etc, etc!
As far as the hikes they go on, my dog would go out for an hour with them a few times a week. They’d hike in groups of six dogs through the hills and forests and fields of Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda and my dog would return more pooped than ever! This is the kind of exercise you just can’t give your dog on a neighborhood walk. I’ve even joined Elana on a few outings with the dogs, and I can definitely vouch for her professional, fun and enthusiastic demeanor! Safety of the dogs and fellow hikers and their dogs is a top priority on these outings. The dogs truly love Elana and Jeff, and I trust and love them and appreciate having them in our lives!

STOP looking and
call jeff. you will find none better. ditto on all the reviews below.
thanks jeff & elana

I’ve now used Action Dog twice to take care of my dogs while we’re on vacation. The dogs stay in my parents home while Jeff and Elana take them out for daily hikes. This regular exercise makes them so happy they are great guests for my senior citizen parents. I get the additional benefit of improved behavior from the two dogs when we return — their recall is excellent! Jeff and Elana are always professional and reliable, so I don’t worry about their care during my vacations. I only wish I lived closer to the East Bay so my dogs could regularly enjoy off-​leash hiking with Action Dog.

I have a 2-​year-​old mutt named Zulu. He’s got a lot of energy and loves to let loose on the trails!
I get a warm fuzzy thinking about how much fun he’s having when he goes on his hikes with Jeff and Elana. I fully trust them as pack leaders, and he comes home tired and happy. His social skills have improved, too!

Action dog was the best investment! We come home to a happy relaxed Boston.

Jeff has «doggy-​sat» our 2 dogs in the past and we have been extremely pleased with the service. Roma & Dal barely knew we left for a week (or that’s how we felt when we returned) and that’s always a great feeling!!! Jeff managed our love to walk and hate to walk twosome and sent us updates on their progress. We have a new puppy and I would hesitate to have jeff and his team take care of my dogs in the future. So happy to have a reliable source to walk our dogs when we are away!

Jeff is fantastic. When he started working with my dogs, one was only 4 months old and a little out of control being a typical puppy. He did a great job in training him and getting him used to a pack. Mack and Sweetie love Jeff and have so much fun swimming, hiking and playing with the other dogs. I wish had my dogs’ life! Thanks Jeff.

Jeff from Action Dog is so great with dogs! He is always calm with our wild girl and you can tell he truly enjoys what he does! Our dog comes back from adventures happy and tired! I think she is being very well socialized too, as I have seen a difference in her interactions with other dogs since Jeff has started working with her. I highly recommend Action Dog! :)

I have a 2 year old French Bulldog who was in need of some ACTION! I heard about Action Dog through a friend and liked their philosophy of off-​leash walks, hiking and dogs enjoying healthy dog-​pack activities.
Ace (my little frenchie) got dropped off at Action Dog! on Friday and was staying until Sunday. I was a little concerned that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the hikes and that the other ‘big’ dogs were too big for him to play with. Jeff and La immediately put my mind at ease. They told me how friendly their dogs were and how they would watch out for Ace’s energy level with other dogs… But what really put my mind at ease was the pics they sent me!!! They sent me pics of Ace on his Action! hikes and I was so impressed. He was smiling in the woods and running on trails. He looked soooo happy! Which made me feel so stoked! When I picked him up on Sunday Ace came home dead tired which was a good thing! I knew he had a great Action! packed weekend because he slept for 2 days afterward.
I would recommend Action Dog! for overnight boarding as well as daily adventures for all dogs that love to have fun and need some Action!

Action Dog is awesome! Jeff has taken
my 1.5 year-​old border collie/​lab mix, Levon, on multiple long
weekends when I have been out of town. Levon is a highly energetic
dog, and the reason I choose to leave him with Jeff instead of taking
him to, say, Wag Hotels or some other boarding place is because I know
Levon always has a great time when he is out on trail walks with Jeff.
Jeff also is great about varying the walks, taking the dogs (his and
mine, and other dogs he is walking at the time) to different parks
and/​or lakes.
When I pick Levon up afterward, he is almost always extremely tired
and content to just spend the evening snoozing on my living room rug
(normally he’d be running around my house with a squeaky toy or ball).
I have never had any issues with Jeff. He is very reliable and
trustworthy and I am sure Levon will enjoy more trail hikes with Jeff
in the future!