Pawsitive Tails

This review is overdue. I’ve been taking my Aussie to daycare at Pawsitive Tails for — wow– almost 4 years. I had several good dog walkers before then but after a couple of months they were having to DRAG him out of my house for a walk. He didn’t like the other dogs or being in the back of the truck with them. Enter Pawsitive Tails. They «interviewed» him pretty thoroughly and checked him out with several of their dogs and then rejected him because he was not spade. They said it was dangerous for him and for the other dogs when they were out on walks. I was desperate. I got him spade. Fast forward 3 ½ yrs. Zeus ADORES his daycare. If I’m running late or make too many stops on the way he mopes. What works for him so well is 1. They crate each dog in the van that goes for a walk, 2. The staff there is knowledgeable, attentive, and tuned in to all the dogs, and 3. He’s got a lot of company and stimulation all day before and after his beach walk. Zeus was a pretty sensitive and anxious guy before I started taking him there. Now I couldn’t be happier for my calm, happy, boy when I pick him up at the end of a long work day. Pawsitive Tails is his second home — still — after all these years. Thank you SO MUCH to Emma and Kath and every one of the terrific staff that work there. We are so grateful.

These ladies are the best! I have been using their dog walking services for a little over two years. My Rhodesian Ridgeback can be a bit shy but has really blossomed in to a brave little guy with the help of Kath and Jess. Sometimes Emma will jump in too and I feel completely at ease with each and every one of them with my furry baby!
Thanks again ladies for the continued expertise and commitment to making me and my dog’s lifer better!

this place has great reviews, and thats what drew us in. but the bulk of the reviews are either for the dog walking certification or the dog walking service itself. this review is for the relatively new daycare service, and of a certain experience with the daycare– so i want to be clear that our dissatisfaction is over that specifically.
when we adopted our 5 month old puppy a few weeks ago, we were at a loss on how to manage her puppy energy. she was too fearful to be taken on a walk of any substance, and didn’t seem to understand how to play fetch or tug for more than a few minutes at a time.
enter pawsitive tails, where after our initial introductory weekend session with a few other dogs, we found out that while she didn’t quite understand how to socialize with humans, she was fantastic at socializing with dogs! she loves loves loves their daycare, and is already fast friends with many of their younger dogs. and she’s always much less fearful when she comes back from daycare, we could walk her back home with ease! we also thought the staff seemed great in handling her and knowledgable about dogs. we thought we had found a great solution to our problem and were so happy to have a well-​behaved pup!
on our fifth daycare session with them, we came by early to pick our dog up (around 3:40pm), since she had been sick the last week and we didn’t want her to be too tired and over extended. we arrived, rang the doorbell as normal and waited. no one came. the dogs barked and were clearly excited by the bell but still no one came. we must have rang the bell 12 times for over 30 min, waiting for a response. we ran every terrifying scenario over in our head — did something happen to whoever was looking after the dogs inside? were they ok?
cue a trainer walking up to the door, nonchalantly– «oh were you waiting long?»
we were stumped. WERE THE DOGS ALONE?
she tried to brush us off, «oh i’m just walking in… i don’t know if anyone is in there… we had an emergency, i went to help one of our dog walkers with their flat tire.»
ok. i pay for my dog to go to daycare for a reason. daycare means what? FOR HER TO BE SUPERVISED BY HUMANS. and i know firsthand that the few times i have been inside when the other dogs are around, there are a few who are bit aggressive or grumpy — there is no way i’d want my pup running around with them unless i knew there was someone to break a fight up if one were to occur. it is just unacceptable to choose to leave the dogs unsupervised. you really don’t have a better emergency protocol than to pull the supervising person at your daycare? that is all kinds of messed up.
worse than this is the fact that the trainer lied to us. after talking with the dog walker, we learned that she was the only one at the daycare when he called her for help. so the dogs were most certainly alone, and she tried to evade our very direct questions about it.
also we now realize that there is no way to contact the daycare directly by phone. the number always goes to voicemail, so if i were to have an emergency and needed to pick up my dog, i cannot trust that i will be able to promptly, given this experience.
the management did email us in the evening apologizing for leaving the dogs alone, and explained the situation, which i do appreciate. but i do wonder, would they have even told us if we hadn’t shown up when we did?
i get that this is a once in a blue moon situation. i really do. but the way they decided to handle it makes me question whether i would really recommend them as a good daycare facility, and second guess my pup’s love affair with the place. we’re not certain that we won’t use them again, but its something my husband and i are going to do a lot of thinking about.
and i certainly think that this is something clients of theirs should know about. especially in san francisco, where dogs are loved as much as children, it is unacceptable not to be upfront and honest about your daycare practices, even if the incident in question was a rare one.

I have had the good grace to have come across Pawsitive Tails. I started out with their School for Dog Walkers and have taken other classes, most recently the one called Drama Queens and Divas. I have a leash reactive dog. I also am pretty good at training a dog. But I couldn’t keep my Chi-​Weenie in check with others dogs while on leash. So I took this class with Lillian and what a transformation. My dog Buddy has gone from a scared maniac on the leash to looking at me when we see a dog as if to say, «I know it’s okay, Mom». He’s a completely different dog on leash now.

I am getting my Dog Walkers certification from PT’s School for Dog Walkers and I recently completed PT’s month long internship program. The experience and education PT provided me is invaluable (with an extreme emphasis on Invaluable!). To be honest, when I initially found out that the internship was a month long, I thought to myself was that absolutely necessary?
Let me tell you that every minute I spent there was more than worth the time. PT’s approach to teaching people like me looking to get into the Dog Walking profession is impressively comprehensive. Not only did they give me first-​hand exposure to several types of dog walking business models, I got a detailed introduction into dog theory as in dog behavior, training and how dogs learn. More importantly, PT instilled in me that you can never stop learning about our canine best friends and they encourage further education throughout your career in the dog world.
Anyone considering a career in dog-​walking, I would highly, highly recommend you learn the ropes from PT’s School for Dog Walkers. My decision to go to PT’s School for Dog Walkers and participate in their month long internship program is one of the best career decisions I have ever made. If not the best. Every single person I met at PT is a true dog professional and more importantly, they really love dogs!

I was fortunate to complete an internship at Pawsitive Tails for the month of June. I drove and walked with several of their walkers for a week at a time. Everyone was pleasant, professional, and knowledgable about dog walking, training, and sitting (via their on-​site day care). They take great pride in the safety and enjoyment of their customers pets.
It blows me away that they will drive to your house 5-​days a week, pick up your dog, drive out to Fort Funston, run along the sand dunes/​beach and then drive them home. In total, your dog has a nice ~3 hour trip out of the house and comes back pooped (but w/​o needing to poop!).
I can highly recommend this crew to safely care for your pet and provide them an amazing experience.

Very, very reliable. My dog goes absolutely bonkers when she sees her friends from Pawsitive Tails show up at the door. Because Pawsitive Tails is also a dog-​training school, I can rest assured that she won’t pick up any bad behaviors while she’s out.
My dog is absolutely exhausted at the end of the day. She’s also very well socialized thanks to Pawsitive Tails.
Because they have a number of dog walkers working for them, it’s easy to get someone to board my dog at their home while I am away.
The prices seem high but they’re in line with other dog walkers in the city. Plus, they come to my home for pickup and drop-​off; I don’t have to go anywhere. Also, other dog walkers just take the dog to city parks: Pawsitive Tails takes them to Fort Funston every day.
Wonderful people. Kind, accommodating, reliable. Highly recommended.
November ’15 update: I still love Pawsitive Tails. I refer everyone I know to them.

Just wanted to give this gang a shout out.
My dog and I happened to get to walk with Kath and her more ‘rambunctious’ crew this morning. All the dogs were having a fantastic time and Kath clearly knew all their needs and personalities perfectly. I wouldn’t hesitate to trust her with my rambunctious one.

Emma and team have been walking Penny, our maltepoo, for almost two years and we couldn’t be happier. Penny runs to the door, giddy about her daily visit to the beach and comes back completely exhausted several hours later
They are flexible with her schedule and easy to get in touch with. We also did puppy classes here and enjoyed them
Wonderful people, great service, happy dogs.

Amazing business run by amazing people. Our dog loves going on walks with her dog group and the dog walkers are fantastic.
They are very accommodative, helpful and our dog loves being around them.
I highly recommend them to anyone that has a dog in their service area.

This review is long overdue. We did the Sunday Stroll session over the summer and it was truly amazing. Our Bernese puppy used to be incredibly distracted by other dogs and people on every walk. After learning the positive training from Gee and her team, Kona is a much more well behaved dog. Incredibly valuable lessons for both Kona and for us! I highly recommend this class for anyone wanting to sharpen their walking skills. Great value too in my opinion!

Pawsitive Tails is amazing! This crew is extremely reliable and flexible. My pug always seems happily exhausted by the time I get home from work. Best part of all, the walker leaves a little note about their adventure for the day. Very attentive care takers. Owner Emma even had my pug come hang out at the office with her because my pup’s stiches (from getting fixed) were too sore/​swollen to handle the group outing for the day. Only good things to say, highly recommend them!

The best dog service you can get in the city. These dog walkers should be called dog experts. They are very honest, personable, friendly, knowledgable, responsible, educated, considerate, and pro dog. You could tell management took their time to select, train, and educate their staff. Staff is a small group, which makes communication a breeze and easy to get to know your dog walker.
Their walks could be described as little adventures through Fort Funston. They also are able to go to other parks as well such as McClaren for non-​beach dogs.
My dog has been going on their adventures daily for over a year and everyday my dog comes home happy and tired, which is exactly what I want.
Classes are also excellent since Emma is dedicated to educating dog owners and training dogs. There is a class to suit every one of your doggy needs.
I would recommend this business for those who want their dogs to have an adventure to exercise and engage in pro-​social activities. I would also recommend this business for those who never took any puppy classes or dog training classes before to help gain a deeper understanding of dog behavior and training.
Highlights are (because there is no negative feedback whatsoever):
Amazing and personable staff
Great service
Reasonable prices for the excellent service they provide
Convenient, since they drop off and pick up
They assess each dog to make sure the program is a good fit.

This review is for the Dog Walker Training I received at Pawsitive Tails School for Dog Walkers.
Last October I signed up for a Pet CPR/​Dog Training class with them and was so impressed, that I ended up going through the entire Dog Walker Certification program!
I had just started my dog walking and pet sitting business and wasn’t too busy yet so had the time to do it right and train with the best… boy am I glad I did.
Completing the course boosted my confidence because I truly was trained the proper way in handling off leash dogs as well as basic obedience skills using only Positive Reinforcement training.
The webinars taught by Emma Clarke were invaluable to my understanding of how dogs really think and how to deal with situations that can and do occur. Emma’s knowledge of the canine psyche is unsurpassed and I can refer back to the webinars at any time to study, practice or get a question answered.
The hands on training I received with Lauryn was probably the most important and useful training I will ever have. Riding in the van, picking up dogs in San Francisco, then taking up to 8 at a time on off leash excursions at Ft. Funston and McClarran Park was mind blowing. She has the ability to transfer her knowledge in an easy to understand way and her expertise with dogs is incredible. I find myself referring back to her teachings on a daily basis with my now thriving business here in Concord, Ca.
Emma and Lauryn know their stuff so if you’re thinking about becoming a dog walker or just looking for the right place to take your pup for training, then look no further. Pawsitive Tails and it’s crew are the real deal. Highly recommended.

This review is mainly for Pawsitive Tails’ program «School for Dog Walkers.» I began it in Fall 2013 to help me get my professional dog walking career off to a good start.
I’m so grateful to have found out about Pawsitive Tails School for Dog Walkers instead of just going with the very popular dog*tec. Dog*tec is a wonderful resource for dog walkers and dog trainers. Dog*tec Dog Walking Academy has a great reputation and I’ve only ever heard positive comments about it from people and I assume it’s fantastic. But Pawsitive Tails SFDW does seem to be even more thorough — more hours.
Its 40 hours includes four 1.5 hour webinars, a hands-​on pet first aid and CPR class, a hands-​on training class, and four full days shadowing a Pawsitive Tails dog walker. I love the webinars cause I could watch them at my own pace, pausing and repeating whenever I wanted so I could take really thorough notes (really helps me retain information).
But best of all was shadowing Lauryn four days. She is really fantastic at what she does, and also a great teacher. I was deeply impressed with her attention to detail and how she trouble-​shoots, observes, understands, trains, manages and respects dogs. It was fascinating to talk for hours with her as we drove around picking up and dropping off dogs in the van, getting very professional answers to my many questions, hearing about her dog experiences — then to join her for hour-​long off-​leash hikes with over seven dogs at a time. It was moving to see her patiently click-​/​treat-​train a very nervous, challenging private walk dog to walk with her on the sidewalk and hear about how much training has already improved his life and how training can sometimes literally save dogs’ lives.
A couple people at San Francisco dog care business Small Club are similarly impressed with Lauryn: «Oh, you got to train with Lauryn? Isn’t she such an amazing Dog Whisperer? She has such a gift!» I’m so happy I got that experience. Just in time too because I heard she left the dog care field shortly after that.
Anyway, training through Pawsitive Tails really set the bar high for me and was a great experience. I hope to take more classes with them in the future and have heard positive feedback about them from several people so far.

If you are looking for any kind of dog/​puppy training, look no further. I initially contacted Pawsitive Tails last year for help with my Goldendoodle who has some anxiety issues. I emailed 5 – 10 different trainers about the issue and how they would work with us, and Lisa was the one of the first to respond. She spoke on the phone with my girlfriend about the issue for at least 30 minutes. Unfortunately we went with someone else initially, and didn’t get much resolved. We then got back in touch with Lisa and signed up for the Drama Queens & Divas class. It was clear from the start that Lisa and Lauryn were professional, and knew a LOT about dog behavior. They also care a lot about the dogs, and making sure people are responsible owners.
The class helped a lot with identifying the bad behaviors, and provided many good ideas for how to keep them under check. We will be going back for the follow-​up class because we know it will help. The class price is also very reasonable. We had 5 classes for $ 150, and for the most part, there were only 2 dogs in the class, so we had 1×1 time a lot. Probably won’t always be the case, but it was awesome.
My girlfriend and I have decided to rescue a lab puppy and are already dealing with some of her issues. She is enrolled in the puppy Just the Basics class, and we are enjoying it as well.
Back to my first line. If you have a puppy or dog with some behavior issues, I highly recommend PT. They are very knowledgeable, friendly, and will work with you on specific issues.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I am so glad to see that this place has gotten almost straight 5 stars. Even just thinking about writing this review, mulling over the impact the trainers at Pawsitive Tails had on my life, I almost start tearing up.
My boyfriend and I adopted an adult dog last spring who turned out to be quite fearful. Lisa and Lauryn took us from feeling panicked, guitly, and helpless to feeling confident and savvy with managing our dog’s behavior and setting her up for success. Lisa and Lauryn were so dedicated and focused when working with us. They are great listeners and were constantly looking for solutions or new strategies to help our dog as she changed and grew over time.
We completed Cautious Canines, Just the Basics as well as a few private lessons. We learned specific skills, but almost more importantly we learned general training techniques and philosophies as well as how to read our dog’s responses and body language to better understand how she was coping with a given situation. As a result of this improved communication, our dog trusts us more and is more confident.
A few specific things that might be of interest to prospective clients:
1. They keep class sizes small; no more than 5 dogs. By luck, our Cautious Canines class only had 2 dogs in it (us and one other dog), which made it easier on our dog and gave us lots of individualized teaching.
2. Lisa and Lauryn are both CPDT-​KA certified and value evidence-​based training methods
3. Fringe benefit– their location in Dogpatch has plenty of nearby street parking and is pretty quiet/​empty which minimizes stress getting to and from classes.
Working with the trainers at Pawsitive Tails has transformed the way that we interact with our dog, and has made our life as well as her life a lot happier.

These guys are just simply awesome. Lisa and Lauren give so much special attention to each dog. So they can really read what’s going on and deal with the problems with the best approach.
I’ve got my dog in the Divas and Drama Queens class because she’s really aggressive towards other dogs when she’s on-​leash. Now after 4 classes, I have the skills to distract her from the things she wants to bark at. She pays so much more attention to me and we’re both more confident about walking.

I love the classes and the teachers. There’s nowhere else I would go since I’ve found them. The staff (all of them) are wonderful. They work so well with the dogs, are full of great tips & tricks that go beyond the obvious or simple. Everyone I’ve met there has a great positive personality and you can tell they care about dogs, are interested and love their jobs.
Archer has done 1 full course, 2 privates and is starting on their walking schedule. I’m very happy I found them and can’t recommend them enough. Your pet will be in very good hands.

Praises infinity. Lisa and Lauryn really are THE BEST. We took in a rescue just about 10 weeks ago and were looking for a good obedience class. The main criterion: Reward-​based training, a la Jean Donaldson (whose book, Culture Clash, did wonders for my relationship with my last dog — highly recommend).
Not only are these trainers knowledgeable of this methodology, they’re exceptionally passionate about it and have gone above and beyond — in class, in offering advice and consultation, and in pointing us to resources like Trish King lectures (who works at Marine Humane Society and gives talks as well as has some amazing videos available online). I get the sense that Lisa and Lauryn stay up to date on best practices and are avid about honing their skills.
The class series we took was a small group so we had lots of personalized attention plus customization depending on how quickly our dog was coming along… and he was doing splendidly I’m proud to say.
On top of all that, they specialize in rescued and adopted dogs! Fantastic!
And for those who are concerned about the fees, lemme tell you, in some of the light research I did, Pawsitive Tails easily has one of the best deals in town! And you get waaaay more than your money’s worth given the level of expertise and overall enthusiasm for your pet’s well-​being.
We will likely be taking more classes at Pawsitive Tails and aim to have our pooch eventually take — and pass — the Canine Good Citizen test there. Visit their website — They have about every kind of workshop and course: For puppies, adult beginners, dog tricks, and a whole range for fearful or «diva» dogs. No, really, there’s a class called Drama Queens and Divas.
It’s great fun and a great way to get to know your dog better. I suggest Pawsitive Tails to everyone!