Wag & Train Animal Behavior Specialists

We have two Pittie mixes that get along 99% of the time, however we were seeing signs of severe aggression out of the younger dog (towards the older dog) when he was overly excited. We have completed 4 training sessions with Kari from Wag & Train over the past 5 months and seen tremendous results with both our boys! She took a holistic approach - diet, exercise, training, etc. to come up with a plan that is tailored to us and our boys. She is great about coaching us on how to recognize warning signs, and works 1-1 with each of our dogs personalities. She's taken phone calls and emails from me outside of our training sessions, and continues to be a fabulous resource to us. We will continue to leverage Kari for all our training needs, she is fabulous. HIGHLY recommend you consult with Wag &Train if you dog is showing signs of aggression/anxiety! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Kari has been a god send to me and Hollie. Hollie had bit a person’s hand for no apparent reason. I was terrified that she was going to be put down due to her fear aggression. I found Kari through a friend. Kari asked a lot of questions even before coming to my home. The first visit was the evaluation and a few training tricks for me to learn and start teaching. She gave us time to work on new behaviors not rushing the second visit. I didn’t feel rushed like I had to learn something new before cementing what we had been taught previously. Each meeting Kari spent equal time helping Hollie learn and training me how to help Hollie. Even though the hour flew by, I never felt rushed or felt that she was hurrying to another appointment. I felt all of her attention was on us. One of the biggest successes was Hollie’s diet. The Vet had diagnosed Hollie with not being able to process protein. She was put on a special prescription restrictive diet. Treats were mostly vegetables which are not high value treats helpful for training. Kari is a great dietician. With her advice, we have been able to transition to regular over the counter food! No more prescription dog food and Hollie can now handle protein! Her bowel movements are solid and no longer full of mucus. Kari suggested Hollie start Fluoxentine to help with her anxiety. This allows her to concentrate on learning new behaviors to help her in all situations that cause her anxiety. We are hoping with her great progress that we can stop the meds after this summer. Although we may never be able to go on carefree walks, we can now go on a walk without fear!I wish I could give a ten out of five stars for saving us. My companion is happy and a pleasure to have around. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Kari was a joy to work with--her love of dogs and expertise are obvious. We learned so much in our sessions with her and she provided us with many helpful techniques and tools to improve our dogs' behaviors. We are very grateful for her assistance in helping our pups be healthier and happier! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I'm so thankful for Kari's help with Cooper, our mini goldendoodle. At almost 1-year of age, Cooper had become quite challenging including barking a lot and showing some attitude. I was a bit disappointed after taking 2 group obedience classes and passing both. I knew that I needed the help of a professional so I contacted Kari.Kari came into our home and could see the behavior first-hand. I was amazed at her ability to manage him and quickly identify how to make things better immediately. There were so many things that I was doing incorrectly and it was such an eye opener. Kari's training was a spring-board to where we are today. Cooper and I recently passed the Pet Partners Therapy Animal evaluation this past weekend. I owe tons of credit to Kari for this because she provided the training foundation that we needed to be successful. Cooper is going to be an amazing companion, especially due to the training.My only regret is that I didn't bring Kari in sooner. I highly recommend Kari! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Puppy school with Kari has exceeded our expectations! She has a wealth of knowledge, experience, and incredible ideas. We have seen immediate improvements with our puppy within hours after every class!

Reviewed on Google Maps

Judy understands dogs.   And she couldn't be any easier or more fun to talk to.   She has guided us through house-training a resistant Terrior puppy, one step ahead of the puppy and 2 steps ahead of us.  She has been invaluable.   I got her name from a good friend I respect immensely who adopts rescue dogs - so I suspected Wag & Train would be top notch.   And they are. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We love Kari and Pawsome puppy school! Each session our Frenchie learned so much! The knowledge and training Kari gave us is priceless. Looking forward to advancing to the next stage of training! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

We worked with Judy and are very impressed with her and the progress that our dog has made. Initially we had some anxiety about going to a trainer and feeling like we were failing, Judy put us at ease in our first session. She never judged us and helped us to have a better understanding of our dog and helped to ensure the success of rehoming our dog. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Puppy school with Kari at Wag and Train is fantastic! We are first time puppy parents and the tools Kari shared have been essential! We love the training and playtime at puppy school. Kari is GREAT at answering any and all questions and makes everyone feel comfortable in class! She gave tips on food puzzle toys to help with all the excess puppy energy, basic commands and shed some light on puppy behavior. Tinker is well on her way to becoming a well adjusted and well behaved dog.We highly recommend enrolling in Wag and Train puppy school as soon as you bring your new puppy home!! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Kari was great to work with and did a wonderful job with our dog! I recommend her to anyone looking for a dog trainer. Great to have positive ways to change a dog's behavior!

Reviewed on Google Maps

We used the professional services of Wag and Train and had the pleasure of working with Kari Bastyr. We had a yellow lab 1 year old that was very destructive. Our wonderful lab Prince is a totally different dog, like night and day. I can now take him for walks and enjoy them, he's not destructive anymore and he is a happier dog. She's AMAZING!!!!!!!! I don't know what we would have done without her. I HIGHLY recommend Wag and Train. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Kari has been an indispensable resource for us with our last four dogs. Four years ago she also helped us test out one of our rescues and her assessment was spot on---one of the best dogs we've ever had.

Reviewed on Google Maps

Excellent !! Definatly recommend.

Reviewed on Google Maps

It’s not the dog, it’s definitely the training! I highly recommend Kari! My pitbull is proof!

Reviewed on Google Maps

There puppy classes are great, Judy really makes an effort to make that your pup is comfortable and happy. We have gone to two puppy socialization classes so far and while our little guy is very cautious we have learned quite a bit about introducing him to new dogs, as well as much needed obedience cues.

Reviewed on Yelp

Kari was amazing and my dog, Sylvie thought so too! She made us feel safe and calm which is sooo important when you have a dog (and owner! ) that are anxious. She shared many great resources, gave us commands to practice, and best of all, sent it all in a comprehensive, complete packet online. We have gone to Kari with two of our dogs and she made a tremendous difference in all of our lives. She is passionate about what she does and is highly educated and experienced in animal behavior.We all are better dogs and owners because of her! Thank you Kari and Wag and Train, we love you! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

A very positive experience from puppy socialization classes to obedience training.  We worked with Judy who was very patient, knowledgeable and informative.  She made training easy and fun using positive reinforcement and the result is a very well behaved puppy.  I would highly recommend Wag & Train. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Kari was amazing and my dog, Sylvie thought so too! She made us feel safe and calm which is sooo important when you have a dog (and owner! ) that are anxious. She shared many great resources, gave us commands to practice, and best of all, sent it all in a comprehensive, complete packet online.  We have gone to Kari with two of our dogs and she made a tremendous difference in all of our lives. She is passionate about what she does and is highly educated and experienced in animal behavior.We all are better dogs and owners because of her! Thank you Kari and Wag and Train, we love you! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Judy was a very skilled, empathetic, and fun puppy class instructor. She taught us several useful tools to use with our puppy to work on his impulse control. All of the things we learned were easy, fast, and fun, we've continued many of them since the class ended. We've continued to use Judy as a resource outside of class, as she's a wealth of knowledge and solutions. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We love Wag & Train! My husband and I brought our puppy, Knox - a Shiba Inu, to Wag & Train's puppy classes and grade school. Worth every penny. We worked with Judy and she was phenomenal. She organizes each class really well and was always sharing super helpful information. At the end of each grade school class, we got a one-pager that explained the commands that we learned, tips, and ways to improve. Even at drop-in puppy class, we felt like we walked away with a new skill each time. We had alot of "a-ha!" moments with Wag & Train in which Judy helped us realize the root cause of our puppy's behavior. We saw noticeable improvements with our puppy's behavior and we felt well equipped with the skills to cope with typical puppy development. Thank you, Judy and Wag & Train! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Our 5 and a half year old Lab retriever mix Sophie was having a really really hard time on her leash. She would get aggressive on walks, pull, whine, and just overall have a bad time. It was hard to take her anywhere for fear that she would become agitated and be aggressive to other dogs. She was perfectly friendly and sweet with dogs off leash, but when on leash she transformed into a completely different dog. After trying multiple different leashes and harnesses we finally decided to get professional help, and we could not be happier with our decision to reach out to Kari. Even after our first session with Kari we noticed a HUGE difference. She talked to us about Sophie's anxiety, and suggested different types of walking and training techniques that help dogs like her gain more confidence and lessen their anxiety. It was as much a training session for Sophie as it was for us. We completed a total of three sessions with Kari, and in that time Sophie became such a more confident dog. We have even been able to walk her in Washington Park, and take her on busy hikes with no issue. We really appreciate Kari's techniques, and love that she took the time not only to train Sophie, but also to teach us about ways we can be better parents to Sophie. We would recommend Kari in a heartbeat to anyone! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We have a Australian Shepard mix, Ryder, who has was having anxiety after we had moved. He was apprehensive when people came over, afraid of inanimate objects and just had a lot of anxiety. After meeting with Kari, Ryder is literally a different dog. He is happy all the time, he doesn't get nervous when people come to the house, he walks AWESOME on his leash and is the BEST dog ever-- so good with everyone- especially our toddler and her toddler friends! We are so grateful to Kari for her training expertise-- we love Ryder so much and now he finally is at ease and happy! She is hands down the best trainer-- she taught us so much about dogs, caring for dogs (just changing their food can make their anxiety better- who knew?!) and how to be better parents to our little fur baby. Thank you so much, Kari! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

If someone told me how hard raising a puppy was, I might not have done it!  Enter Kari and her crew from Wag & Train. The puppy classes were a life saver !  I learned EXACTLY how to handle each step of training, socializing, and even potty training (I even scheduled a private home visit with Kari on that one). Even though my French Bulldog puppy is naturally stubborn, I now have an extremely well behaved and happily socialized 7 month old thanks to Wag & Train.  Kari, thanks for being our support system! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

People are constantly asking me how I taught my dog "to do that" or complimenting me on her obedience. I always chuckle to myself because LITTLE DO THEY KNOW! this dog is a natural-born terror. I adopted my cattle dog mix from Denver Municipal. She was 5 months old, typical herding dog, and I was a first-time dog owner. (!!) Upon recommendation by the best vets ever, Tender Touch Animal Hospital, I specified a Wag & Train gift certificate for obedience classes on my Christmas wish list, and boy did I hit the jackpot!Though my dog was over the recommended 4 months of age, we started at Level 1 Manners because we. knew. nothing. Not only did we learn all the basic obedience commands, I more importantly learned how to communicate with my dog, which as I now know, is not common among dog owners. I highly recommend this class to any first-time pet owners (like I was), or more importantly owners of new pets to establish a bond (again, like me). The learning environment was fun, effective, and we left every week with a new skill to practice and master for the next week.  Because we learned so much in Level 1 (and because my dog was kind of a smarty pants) we quickly signed up for Level 2. We learned a lot of extremely useful commands here, like an extended down stay, leave it, polite greetings, etc. I learned how to use my hand as a lure to direct nearly any command, how to add a verbal cue, add a hand signal, take away the verbal cue, how and when to reward - basic skills you can use for the rest of your dog's life! I have used these basics to teach my dog several new commands since this class (she is now 5). I still use these commands every single day and i can't imagine managing my dog without them. Everything was going great (star doggy student over here), and then around the time my dog turned a year old, she started getting snappy at strangers and other dogs at unexpected moments. Passing strangers in a hallway became a game of chicken and god forbid sharing a sidewalk with another dog. This went on for months until I had a royal freak out, but luckily I knew who to call. I signed up for three private sessions with Kari to address the behavior issue I was experiencing. I thought my sweet little puppy was turning "aggressive"! What did i do wrong?! After the first session, I had some homework. Lots of changes: nutrition, exercise, habits at home, and practice practice practice. Out and about, it was all about identifying my dog's triggers, exposing her to them, rewarding her for calm behavior, and reducing her physical threshold to those triggers slowly and positively. My dog will never be a stereotypically labrador, but now she completely ignores strangers and can be on the same curb as another dog. Every day is a training opportunity and that philosophy is something that was instilled in me by Kari and the Wag and Train team. (You can read the full success story on Kari's site (look for Juniper).)I moved to California when my dog was around 16 months old, and that was definitely a set back in her behavior. Kari mad herself available to my freak-out emails and calls and provided guidance. Kari is the best.I've since enrolled my dog and myself in other training classes - group and private -  for the socialization (and because i know my dog loves to learn) but honestly, nothing has held a candle to Wag & Train methods. Kari has the credentials, the resume, and the results that are hard to come by and worth every red penny. If i still lived in Denver area, i'd be enrolling my dog in every Wag & Train workshop I could. Also, please know I could have written a review twice this long, so just stop reading reviews and sign up for a class with Kari. You won't regret it. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Wag & Train was the best thing we did for our dog!  I love how they use "positive training" and we learned how to correctly communicate with our dog!  I would highly recommend them for training or rehabilitating your dog. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Wag & Train completely transformed my pup from a wild and crazy dog into an amazing pet that I can bring everywhere with me. Before I  started with Wag & Train I was using a spray bottle  with water to keep my dog from mouthing because I thought it was a harmless tool. However, the mouthing kept getting worse and the water was not effective. When I started training with Kari and the Wag & Train team, I learned that things like water bottle sprayers can create fear in a dog and could lead to unpredictable fearful behavior.  Wag & Train taught me how to refocus my dog's bad behavior by using positive reinforcement - My pup learned to go to her bed when people knocked at the door and also when I wanted to eat my dinner without worrying she was going to snatch it off the plate at any second. I learned to channel my dog's energy into things she enjoyed doing and that I wanted her to do, like working for her food by using food dispensing toys and little tricks to keep my dog under control on walks. Now I can go to any park, public place, or friend's house without constantly worrying and stressing about my dog. Wag & Train taught me to be a pack leader without taking away my dog's spunky personality, which negative reinforcement can do. My pup was also extremely timid around other dogs and very submissive, but i learned how to introduce dogs the proper way and the change in my pup is unbelievable -  now she enjoys meeting other dogs. I owe my gem of a dog to Wag & Train. Dog training takes a lot of time and many months before you really see the benefits of all the time and work you've put into it. Sometimes I wondered if she was ever going to calm down and be a dog people enjoyed being around.  The Wag & Train  teachers are very responsive to questions and enjoy helping you understand your dog to make her/him into a wonderful companion. More...

Reviewed on Yelp