Pawsitively Perfect Pooches

Pawsitively Perfect is a terrific group of dog walkers, and we couldn't be happier with the way they've cared for our little dachshund. All the dog walkers are friendly, responsible, dependable, and most importantly--dog lovers. We used a service where I'm pretty sure one of the dog walkers was a closet cat lover. It did not go down well (jk). These walkers show up on time, and we always feel comfortable when we're at work that our pup is in good hands. Also, aside from daily walks, they have watched over her when we've had to go out of town. It's a big help and way better than boarding. The pup gets to stay home where she feels most comfortable. The walkers come once or twice a day, and on some occasions we've even had them sleep over at our house just to make sure Danke is safe. We really appreciate that kind of flexibility in a dog walking service. I think it's a rare find. So two paws up for Pawsitively Perfect. Woof! Woof! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Amazing dog sitters!!!! We were new to the area right before the holidays and had plans to go to the east coast for a week. With the help of Yelp, we found the best dog sitters!!!! I got a speedy response after contacting Pawsitively Perfect Pooches and although they were already booked for overnight stays we decided to book 3 walks/day (two 1 hour and one 30 minute). We met with Jeff and Melissa and were immediately at ease. Our dogs never gave such a calm and welcome reception to strangers! It was incredible! We chatted about the dogs' daily routine and discussed their week of vacation. Melissa was so on the ball, emailing us all of the details that we talked about and making us feel very comfortable. I was initially a little worried about them (two rescue mixes) being alone overnight but after the first message and picture I knew they were happy and in great hands! Tara was awesome at communicating and sending super cute pictures and messages about how the dogs were doing everyday! By the end of the week I was worried that the dogs would be disappointed to see us instead of Tara, Melissa or Jeff! When we arrived at home everything was in perfect order, including two very content and well-cared-for dogs!! I know I speak for all of us when I say we're extremely happy, loyal customers!! Now, instead of being hesitant to go away, we'll be planning trips without any worry! WE LOVE PAWSITIVELY PERFECT POOCHES!!! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Melissa and her crew are outstanding and provide exemplary service with personalized attention, whether it be dogwalking, training or photography.  We've done some training sessions with Melissa and have used PPP for daily walks for over a year now.   I am pleased to provide the highest of recommendations for their professionalism, organization, trustworthiness and communication combined with a sincere affection and compassion for dogs of all shapes and sizes.  Our dog Rosie, very attached to us but aloof with respect to all others, is personable with PPP's staff of walkers and enjoys her daily breaks.  We couldn't be happier that our friends referred us to Melissa and Jeff when we first moved to the area, and hope that others find their way to PPP as well.  A great small business run by even greater people. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Melissa and her crew are fantastic. She (and more recently, a few other walkers) have been walking our dog Zoe for two years now. Melissa's training expertise has been extremely helpful in getting Zoe accustomed to going on walks with people outside of our family. Melissa is also always available and knowledgeable when it comes to training advice and questions. I trust her completely and I would highly recommend her! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Melissa is a great dog trainer, dog walker and all-around nice person! She is super-experienced, and her 6-week beginner course with the city of Santa Monica was a huge help in breaking through to our cute, but timid, rescue. Melissa also occasionally helps with dog walking when we're away, and she has been very accommodating, occasionally on short notice. It's clear that Melissa loves dogs... and we love working with Melissa! She's as good as they come. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Melissa is an excellent trainer, I'd highly recommend her classes to any dog owner. We took her puppy class in Santa Monica. It was a 6 week course (6 Sundays) and we learned so much with our puppy. It was more about teaching us how to communicate and train our puppies. Her classes were well structured and we learned very important commands, like "Come", "leave it", "Drop it" , Wait" and so many more important tools for you and your dog. She also emailed us every week outlines of what we learned in class.She was also willing to answer questions over email during the 6 weeks about any issues our puppy was having. She always responded and was very thorough and caring. Puppy class also had time for the puppies to play around and learn to socialize. It was a great time for us and our puppy. I'd highly recommend her classes for any new puppy owner. We are considering the intermediate classes so our puppy can be a rock star dog. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

This review is WAY overdue.  Melissa is an amazing trainer.  We've worked with her over the past 9 months with two very different dogs. Both were rescues, but one has some very serious psychological issues -- separation anxiety, poor socialization, and several phobias.  The other dog has less of the psychological issues, but since he was a puppy, we wanted to do the basic obedience training with him -- and also we wanted to socialize him in a group setting. WIth the first dog (with psychological issues) - we set up a few private sessions with Melissa.  She was great! She worked with us to figure out some of the causes of the issues our dog had and talked through some solid suggestions for addressing these issues.  She worked with us to become better owners, and to better understand what our dog was going through.  However, at the same time, her suggestions/solutions focused on things that were reasonable for us to do in the long run.  With the second dog, we opted for a series of group lessons.  Melissa kept the class small (I think there were about 6 dogs), and did a great job of working with us and helping us lay the groundwork for an obedient, well behaved dog.  Again, she focused on techniques that would be sustainable in the long term.  Nothing that required that we be super strict with our pup, or enforce a super rigid pack structure at home.  Rather, we learned basic obedience commands, many of which are designed to be life saving commands as well. (Some of the commands we learned were: sit, stay, come, wait, leave it, drop it, down, bow, and shake -- I can proudly say that our pup will now has a really strong grasp of ALL of these commands!) Anyway, I can't say enough about Melissa and Pawsitively Perfect Pooches.  I would definitely recommend her to any friend who is looking for a trainer, and we will certainly be taking further classes from her. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Melissa is an excellent trainer and runs a great class! We attended the 6 week puppy class and it was a great way to learn how to teach our puppy basic commands (and a few tricks), and even more importantly, enabled our puppy to be socialized in a safe and controlled setting with other puppies. When we started the class, our puppy hid in the corner under a bush during free play time scared/timid of the other pups running around. By the third class our pup was running around in the action and even initiating playtime with the other dogs! This is something we wouldn't have been able to get from a dog park or walking outside.Melissa is patient, knowledgeable, and explains to you logic behind the commands to make it easier to translate and implement. Plan on taking the intermediate classes with her too!Oh and our puppy LOVES her! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Melissa and Jeff are fantastic. They immediately connected with our dogs and addressed the things that were highest priority on our minds in terms of caring for them. I'd recommend them to anyone and everyone. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Melissa was absolutely wonderful. We're starting to work out some redirection with our pup and looking forward to having her help us break some habits. Seemed very knowledgable and is gentle enough but firm when Melissa needs to be. Great to get a long with and definitely had a good understanding of our dogs issues and was very professional. Everything I would expect from a 5 star Yelp rated trainer. A+ ... I've worked with a handful of trainers and I wouldn't look any further... Pawsitively Perfect Pooches lives up to the name. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

What else can I say that hasn't already been said? Melissa is a world class trainer. She is passionate about helping dogs and their owners form and maintain that special bond. After our very first session, my new pup was already following, retaining and obeying commands. All of this due to Melissa's keen insight and affection for my pup. I can't recommend her enough. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

If we could give Melissa ten starts, we would. We love her. The sessions we've had with her have made such a difference. Our dog is happier, less anxious and is more obedient. Thanks Melissa!! xo More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Melissa is awesome.We found her originally through the Yelp deal and the reviews looked promising. We then discovered that Melissa is acquainted with the organization we rescued our dogs from (Marley's Pitstop). So the story just gets better and better.We've been working with her since March 1st, just a couple of weeks after we rescued our fur babies. They are now almost 5 months old and we have all made great progress under her guidance.We've had several one-on-one trainings with her in our home, she has done overnight pet sitting for us, and she trained the boys without us as well a few times.They love to be trained and it's amazing what she can instill in them during an hour's lesson. She is also very good at balancing my learning style vs. my boyfriend's learning style. We each feel more empowered to be loving parents with the right tools to raise well-disciplined little doggies.We feel totally comfortable relying on Melissa to watch after them and give them the love and care they need in our absence. She is a true dog person, extremely patient, and very professional.We highly recommend her for training, walking, and pet sitting. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

After finding Melissa and Pawsitively Perfect Pooches' Yelp deal, I signed up Layla, my 3 month old Siberian Husky, for her first training sessions ever. Melissa immediately had Layla following commands that I never thought Layla would be able to conquer. Melissa really listens to what you would like your puppy to work on, and the one-on-one environment is really amazing. She not only helps the dog, but she also gives dog owners get the tools they need. 2 sessions with Melissa really laid down a great foundation for Layla to build on, and I would highly recommend her to anyone! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I highly recommend Melissa from Pawsitively Perfect Pooches.  I rescued my German Shepard July of 2011.  As soon as I brought my German Shepard home, I realized that we were going to need some training.  I purchased the special on Yelp for two sessions.  During those first two sessions, my dog was introduced to a neighbor dog that she used to growl at.  Now it's her best friend.  Melissa had the confidence to introduce them, letting me know that my dog was not aggressive!  It was a relief to know that I could walk my dog around the neighborhood with confidence.  Since then we have signed up for two group training sessions.  We are now in the intermediate class, going strong!Thanks so much Melissa! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Melissa really has been a lifesaver!! My flat coated retriever, River, had become rather aggressive and was becoming challenging to take on walks or introduce to other dogs. I was really depressed. Melissa has been working with River and the change has been tremendous. I am so grateful for getting my dog back to her old loving self and I can't thank Melissa enough. Simple, straight forward and dramatic changes...couldn't ask for more!!! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

My girlfriend and I have a 4 month old Bull Terrier.  Bull Terrier's are said to be very stubborn dogs and hard to train.  After doing some online research on recommended and reliable dog trainers in Los Angeles we found Melissa .  We purchased the coupon from yelp which was a great bargain! After two in-home training sessions, our Bull Terrier can now sit, and lay down.  Soon he will be able to carry out the "leave it" and "drop it" commands.  Not only does he know new tricks, but my g/f and I also gained so much knowledge on many other topics such as potty training, diet, biting, and obedience issues.  We also received a free clicker that we now use to train our pup!  We will certainly be calling Melissa shortly for more help.  I highly recommend Melissa for any type of training your dog may need. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I am the proud owner of a 2 year old German Shepherd.  Duke and I have been taking obedience classes with Melissa for almost a year and  our progress is absolutely amazing.  Duke is 100 lbs of pure energy and Melissa has worked closely with us to bring that energy under my control and make it a pleasure to go walking and enjoy the neighborhood parks.   She has helped us tame a serious barking problem with our next door neighbor, suggested food and bathing products suitable for his breed, and always offers positive encouragement and alternate solutions when we hit stumbling blocks along the path to becoming a Good Canine Citizen pair.   My wife and friends are amazed with Duke's transformation and we heartedly endorse Melissa's classes to anyone who wants a well behaved dog. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Melissa has been taking care of and walking our two crazy rescues (a strong behaviorally challenged shepherd-cattle dog mix and energetic terrier-heeler mix) for about 4 years now and we have nothing but great things to say about her. First, she is a confident, friendly, down to earth person - someone we immediately trusted to be in our home and with our dogs while we were away for long periods of time. Secondly, she is truly passionate about her work and loves being around dogs of all kinds (and it's clear the feeling is mutual!) We leave knowing that our dogs are in excellent hands, and come back to our house, just as we left it, with happy well adjusted dogs - couldn't ask for more. She even goes above and beyond and keeps a daily log of how things are going - something that makes it that much more personal. I've referred her to multiple friends who have loved her as well, and would do so again in a heartbeat. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I stumbled upon Pawsitively Perfect Pooches on Yelp and decided to give it a try because of the positive reviews. I really enjoyed the 2 sessions with her and with each session, my Shiba improved tremendously. Shibas are notorious for being difficult to train but with Melissa's tips, I was able to work on my training methods. I would definitely recommend her to anyone! Melissa is truly an amazing trainer (and a wonderful person) and she really works with you and the dog to solve the behavioral problems. I am very happy to have worked with her :) More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I rescued a dog from the shelter a few weeks ago. She was an "owner surrender" and the only information left was that she was not potty trained and did not like other animals so they gave her up. My first thought: "I'm gonna need a trainer". I hopped on yelp and started searching. Melissa was sweet and helpful over the phone and said she would come to my house and help the transition into the new home. She's been there the whole process helping and giving me tools to teach Lucy. She has never peed in the house, she loves my cat, and knows all her basic commands. I am a very proud mom . Plus Melissa is such a great person to spend the hour with I love having her here. If I ever needed sitting she would be my first call! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I couldn't be pickier when it comes to people who care for my dogs. Melissa is really incredible with my two little guys. My terrier Diamond is a handful and she is so patient and wonderful with him . She's gotten him over many of his issues and has helped him grown into a well behaved little man. As for my Maltese, who had serious issues with potty training, no longer an issue. If anyone is looking for a wonderful trainer, Melissa is the gal for you. Her rates are reasonable and she is very reliable and reachable. Her schedule is rather flexible and you can tell she just really loves and cares for your dogs. Her energy is always calming, which makes me know my kids are in great hands. Give her a try! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

If you look through the photos for Pawsitively Perfect Pooches and find the super cute black & white frenchie named Mooby, you'll have found our pup! The pictures you see there were taken in Santa Monica, not in a fenced in backyard or a dogpark but on the SMC grounds not too far from the street... I'm sure you're wondering why I'm bringing this up... well, let me get to the point. The only reason I felt comfortable with Mooby being OFF LEASH in an unfenced area was because of Meilsssa/Pawsitively Perfect Pooches' training. Melissa has been great with Mooby... training her with love, positive reinforcement and great technique. We are so happy to have found PPP! I urge anyone looking for a great trainer to call Melissa/PPP today! Just the feeling you'll get when friends and family comment on how impressed they are with your dogs' behavior will be soooooo worth it... trust me! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

i can't say enough GREAT things about melissa and pawsitively perfect pooches.  i travel a bunch for work (and fun) and i could not ask for a better partner than pawsitively perfect pooches to allow me that piece of mind whilst i'm away.  PPP not only feeds and walks my girls, but they go above and beyond to make sure they remain happy, active, and loved while i'm gone.  i've used a lot of dog sitters and dog walkers over the years, but there is no comparison to the dedication, love, and positive energy that PPP offers.  PPP is in a class by themselves and i am extremely grateful that my girls are in such great hands when i'm away.  it's important to note that i've been working with PPP for over 5 yerars.  PPP was instrumental in my peace of mind during the last few years of my dog lucy's long life.  as noted, i travel a bunch for work, and knowing that i had such a trusted partner to make sure that lucille was given her somewhat complicated cocktail of meds and supplements in my stead was huge for me.  the walks, the love, the daily notes provided on my dogs' day ...  it doesn't get any better than PPP. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

What would my pug, Pants, be without Melissa and Pawsitively Perfect Pooches? Unruly. I am pretty terrible with discipline, especially when I'm face-to-face with the furry, black, sausage-shaped, lap-loving, smooshed-face sweetheart that is Pants. Fortunately, early in his life, Pants met and instantly loved Melissa and her unbelievably friendly dobie, Badonkadonk. Yes, really, that's really his name and Pants' best friend. A pug and a dobie, playing happily together - who woulda thought? It's just a little evidence that Melissa can work wonders. Pugs are not known for ease in trainability so, while they're lovers - not fighters, they don't often do what you want, when you want. However, with the gentle but commanding and always positive approach Melissa takes in her training, Pants was like pug-shaped putty in her hands. More...

Reviewed on Yelp