Dogpanion Dog Training

TL;DR: DEFINITELY contact Mel if you're looking for a highly effective  and understanding dog trainer!I wholeheartedly recommend Mel (the owner and trainer of Dogpanion Training) for anyone who wants to have a happy, well-behaved dog and to establish a strong, positive relationship with his/ her furry companion. Mel's puppy day school (dogpaniondogtraining.com…) was the absolute, best-possible answer to my extensive search for a program that would provide positive-reinforcement training and socialization for puppies under 4 months old (aka not done with puppy shots) during the work day. As a then 11-week-old husky-mix, our puppy Taco was very intelligent but easily bored, often nervous around new dogs, and possessed some typical undesirable puppy behaviors (mouthiness and low frustration tolerance) that we hoped a full-time program would help address from the get-go. We enrolled Taco in puppy day school Nov-Dec 2018, 4 days a week, and have seen Taco transform from a little alligator to a happy, well-behaved puppy who licks instead of bites and from a pup who would hug the walls during puppy socials to a confident fellow who proactively asks his peers for play. While Taco knew basic commands prior to starting day school, Mel perfected his behavior even with distractions, such as waiting patiently at the door while the door is open, and introduced new, good behaviors, such as walking calmly on a loose leash. Under Mel's tutelage, Taco even passed his AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Certification test at the end of his puppy day school tenure! Not only did Mel do an amazing job training Taco, I appreciated the pictures and short videos of Taco's activities that Mel texted me throughout the day every day and also her helpful emails with training guides and "homework" that I could reinforce at home. Mel also graciously offered her time outside of the day school to teach my partner and I how to communicate better with Taco and perfect his tricks like "rollover". She also provided recommendations for places where we could safely socialize Taco and develop his confidence in new environments.Even since I've left the San Diego area, Mel has generously reviewed trainers in my area to provide my partner and I with great recommendations for where we could continue Taco's education. Thanks again for all of your fantastic work and support, Mel! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Mel is an amazing dog trainer. We had her come to the house the day after we got our Pomsky. Within the first visit, Maui learned his name and how to "sit". Mel is not only great dog trainer, she is a wonderful people trainer. She demonstrated enormous amounts of patience, kindness when teaching our 10 year old and 13 year old children how to work with Maui. She used a more loving and positive behavioral approach in training Maui. He just passed his Basic Obedience and is on the road to becoming a Service Dog working with special needs children. I can't thank her enough for all her hard work, dedication, support and kindness. We are highly recommending her to everyone!! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Mel was absolutely amazing. We got our cattledog blend puppy two months ago and she is super energetic and intelligent. We knew we had to harness that energy and help her to be the best puppy possible. Mel is absolutely the best choice to make that happen. After just a few weeks she was doing sit, stay, come, friendly greetings, potty trained, and much much more. None of this would have been possible without Mel. Mel is friendly, flexible and full of advice for new puppy parents! We can't recommend her any more highly! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We are so lucky that we found Mel to work with us and our sweet, high energy labradoodle puppy, Cody.  I wish I could give more than 5 stars!  We were initially overwhelmed with the high energy of our puppy Cody, but right from the start Mel understood our training goals for Cody and developed a plan to get us there.  She has provided day care / training when we needed additional support.  Mel has taught us so much about dog behavior and how to respond to what our dog is communicating.  As a result, we have seen amazing progress with Cody in a very short time.  It is so clear that Mel loves all dogs and that her heart is in bringing out the best in our furry buddies.  Under Mel's guidance Cody achieved his STAR puppy certificate, and is on his way to Canine Good Citizen.  If you are looking for the best dog trainer ever, look no further! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Mel is an exceptional trainer. We started with her right when we brought our puppy home and she helped us set up best practices. Best of all, she is incredibly patient with humans as well as the doggos. Can’t recommend her enough!! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Genuinely 5 star - Mel was a fantastic trainer for both my puppy and myself. Coming into it with no pet training experience, Mel was good at illustrating dog mentality and how they think and react to different behaviors. She did her job really well, and was exception in many fields, being:- Flexible; Mel adapts to you and your doggo's schedule well.- Well-planned, yet adaptive: We started off with an evaluation and a breakdown of what the puppy needed, and that shifted depending on emerging behaviors and my wants.- Understanding, and very sweet: Mel is warm and non-judgmental, and made me feel less like an idiot training for the first time. Anytime I needed to postpone or switch things up, she was happy to adjust.- She like musical theatre. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Look no further for a dog trainer, Mel is the best. She is passionate, patient, and excellent with animals. In the short time that we have used her we have seen results and a more disciplined dog. She cares so much about your animal that she is always available for consultation over the phone. She has boarded and trained our dog when my family went on vacation and sent follow up videos and photos of our puppy on our vacation. We look forward to a long term relationship with Mel and our adorable and well trained puppy. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Mel trained our 9 week old female Vizsla puppy, Ruby, through her board and train program. Ruby lived with Mel for 17 days. Mel has a great property with a large yard. She trains using positive reinforcement which allowed us to feel 100% comfortable with how Ruby was treated/trained. Ruby learned go to bed, leave it, come, drop, down, sit, and stay. Ruby also didn't like barriers before going to Mel. Mel helped Ruby's barrier frustration lessen and she is now OK when we leave her in crate or a confined area. We did training sessions with Mel to understand and practice the commands. Ruby responded beautifully and continues to listen this day. We recommend Mel as a well respected and knowledgeable trainer. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

My Lucy stayed with Mel for board and train. Lucy is an older dog set in ways, full of anxiety and in need of help. I needed Mel's help with leash training. Mel was wonderful with Lucy. When we picked her up a week later she was relaxed and was not panting and anxiety ridden. Mel sent me daily pictures and updates of my Lucy. I felt connected to Lucy and secure with my decision to leave her with Mel. I will be using Mel of Dogpanion again if and when I need to leave Lucy. She was wonderful with my 9 year old set in her ways beagle. I trust Mel completely. She was wonderful to send follow up notes and links to training videos and helpful products. Lucy did well which meant everything to me. Thank you Mel! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Our puppy completed a four week board and train, and we are so pleased with the results. Mel is a consummate professional who combines expert training with kindness and love.

Reviewed on Yelp

Started with a wild little golden puppy. Four weeks later with Mel's expert board a train he's well on his way to Canine Good Citizen. The best experience ever with training!!! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Mel of Dogpanion is nothing short of fantastic!  I enrolled my puppy in the 6 session puppy program and enjoyed every minute of it.  Mel's positive training approach was very effective on our hyperactive dog Woodson.  She was very patient and responsive throughout the program, providing helpful homework assignments and training videos so that we could really focus our efforts.  I would recommend Dogpanion to anyone. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Mel is amazing! My dog Delilah is sweet, but oh so nervous/fearful....but Mel has already helped us both tackle some of the issues. We've had 3 sessions together so far and have made some great progress. I am so grateful for all that Mel has done for us already. Her patience and insight is game changing. Thank you Mel!! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I was in need of a dog trainer for things like sit, stay, to stop jumping, stopping with paws on the counter, etc. I found Mel's flyer and decided to do a consultation; I'm so glad I did!! Mel is definitely a "dog" person!! She is so patient with dogs and humans, her instructions are very clear during the session and sends notes via email after the lesson, is reasonable, and best of all, we are seeing great results after two training sessions!! She comes to our house on a day/time that worked for our schedule and takes credit cards!! I highly recommend her services!!!! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Mel changed our lives! I had misgivings about keeping my dog. In one session, she turned things around, and now my dog isn't afraid of us anymore. She is articulate, patient, professional and an expert dog trainer. I can't wait to take more classes with her. I don't feel this way very often, but Mel is a game changer. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Mel is such a great trainer! She helped us with our rambunctious one year old yellow lab named Bailey. She is very knowledgeable and has a lot of experience with dog training. She had suggestions and solutions to all our questions and problems we were having.  After a few weeks of training we could see a huge difference in Bailey. I would highly recommend! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Mel is simply amazing.  When I called Mel I was quite desperate.  My rescue dog who is also a senior was not making a good adjustment from living in a house to an apartment. Min our first phone call, Mel questioned me in order to not only identify the concerns but also to learn about me and Skipper.We only could have three sessions with Mel before moving to Ohio, but during those sessions, Mel, with her patience, obvious love for dogs and experience, soon had taught us behavior modifications that reduced Skipper's anxiety and curbed the excessive barking. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We highly recommend Dogpanion!  We adopted our first family dog, a Terrier mix, at a shelter.    Having never been dog owners before, we immediately started reading dog books and consulting friends about what to do and how to train a dog.  We felt good about our early progress with crate and housetraining, basic commands like "sit", "stay" and "come" and "leave it", and at 4 1/2 months old we used the Dogpanion Board & Train program.  We were going to be out of town anyway, so we thought this would be a great opportunity for Rigby to continue his training and be boarded at the same time.  He learned sooo much while in Mel's care.  Many of his behaviors now often come automatically without verbal commands like sitting and waiting at the threshold of a door before he exits/enters, and sitting and settling down when pausing on a walk.  While we were away, she would send written updates, photos, and videos of his training progress.  When we returned, Mel spent time patiently "training" us, his human family :), on how to continue training Rigby by thoroughly explaining the commands and dog behaviors to get his good manners.  Mel quickly responds to our questions, and she shows that she genuinely cares for our little guy.  We will definitely seek out her help with more training as Rigby grows and plan to use her boarding again when needed because we know he'll be in good hands. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We did almost 5 months of training with Mel from the basics of a beginner to advanced/Canine Good Citizen training. My dog is very high energy, but with Mel's guidance I was able to tame his crazy antics. She is certified to administer the Canine Good Citizen exam which we also passed with her positive training techniques. Mel adapts well to any dog's learning style, is an extremely qualified at training and very professional. She is easy to reach throughout training if you have any questions. I would highly recommend Mel to anyone looking for training. More...

Reviewed on Yelp