K9 Toddlers – Dog Behavior Training

Absolutely the Best dog trainer out there. After searching for a decent trainer for YEARS for our rescue dogs we hit the jackpot with Teka. She fixes every dog and every problem — never fail. She is a miracle worker.

I contacted Teka because my 5 yr old rescued dog Riley is driving me crazy. I adopted him about 11 months ago. He came from a home that kept him in a crate all day long, and no bed. Totally overfed and bored. No stimulation at all.
When he came to my house he started barking like a maniac at anyone who walked by my house, or a dog, or a leaf that would blow by. HYSTERICAL barking and I was worried he’d hurt himself breaking through the windows.
He did the same thing in the car as well. On a walk, he’s pulling (he’s 90 lbs and I’m only 5′ tall) and if another dog came along, forget it. He’s pulled me down to the ground many times. VERY hyper aware of everything and NOT relaxed.
After ONE 2.5 hr session he is a changed dog. OMG like a new dog. Seriously!
Our walk today was great in that I had a loose leash and he wasn’t pulling. He’s still hyper aware, but not as stiff legged in his walking and more connected to ME. I did the exercises of stopping, turning around in another direction and he followed me without much a «pop» on the leash.
He goes to his bed/​spot when I tell him to (just with a hand signal) when making a meal.
Same when he starts to get revved up to bark in front of the house. A quick hand signal.
I am AMAZED. Utterly amazed!
I’ve worked with several dog trainers before who were good, but nothing like what Teka teaches as a behaviorist. She speaks their language and my dog responded to her immediately and it stuck. He respects me now.
I’d recommend her to ANYONE and EVERYONE!
Thank you Teka!

I couldn’t be happier with outcome after just 1 session with Teka. Her methods fit within the lifestyle that I choose to raise my dog in. I have a 5 year old Rhodesian Pit mix who has been my baby from early on, she is very much a part of our family and is definitely spoiled, she is a rescue and came with some deep anxiety issues but she’s a really good and loving dog. With that said, I was in extreme emergency mode for finding a (the right) behaviorist as Sadie (my dog) was very quickly growing to lack any and all tolerance for my 1 year old baby. Just hearing her little feet coming down the hall would make her start growling and shaking. Matters were only getting worse by punishing her, and shutting her out, she pretty much stopped eating, (would just stand over her bowl and growl) she was getting herself so upset that she wouldn’t even come to bed, she was becoming depressed. I tried two other trainers and didn’t get the results, I needed an immediate fix with a long term solution, and that is exactly what I got with Teka. After one visit with her I had my dog back and now she not only tolerates the baby but she seems to actually enjoy her, she still has her moments of irritation but we are working on them and they are extremely mild. I would recommend Teka any day of the week!

A week ago, Teka came to my house to help me out. I already had an 8 year old puggle, sweet as ever, used to peace and calm. I was given a 4 year old yorkie that had been getting pretty beaten up for several years. The yorkie was pretty aggressive and was literally attacking; the puggle was literally shaking in fear. Teka spent a lot of time talking with me about dog behavior. She got a feel for the yorkie and started immediately showing me how to take control. It was AMAZING. By the time she left my house, the yorkie had calmed severely. Teka gave me exercises to do with the dogs, and showed me how to work with them. One week later, both dogs are in the house together, sleeping peacefully in their own beds. I am so impressed and so THANKFUL to Teka. I will continue to work with her for my dogs and if I get more dogs I will call her first! She is worth every bit of money and she is very generous and thoughtful of the time and costs to see her. Trust me… call her!

Teka is one of several trainers I have gotten to know across NYC and LA. She is truly terrific and very unique in her approach to training. She is intuitive and worries more about how to best influence dogs than to teach them specific commands. I found her to be an invaluable resource with my young Alaskan Klee Kai. From off-​leash walking to keeping her from running out the door or chewing on items that she has no business being around, Teka’s approach worked wonders!!! I highly recommend Teka and her approach to helping train us humans to get the best out of our dogs. The cherry on top is that she’s just a terrific person and a joy to be around.

I met Teka many years ago when I got my precious Frankie. Frankie was a small English Cocker that Teka trained to be probably the best friend I ever had. She worked with her to make her obedient and as close to perfect as any dog can come. Frankie and I spent eleven years filled with joy thanks to Teka’s work with her. Sadly I lost my Frankie from heart failure earlier this year and have now brought into my live a very precious little Havanese puppy called Cassie and of course my first call was to Teka who, lucky for me, agreed to train this little mischief. Cassie is now almost 6 months and it is unbelievable what she has already learned from training with Teka. Whether I take her to the vet, the groomers or the day care they all comment on how easy she is to deal with and it is all because of Teka Thanks Teka you’re the very best.

TEKA… You are a STAR***** What a wonderful teacher. You are so great! Bright! Intuitive! Thank you for helping us think like our Dog Mango! He is so amazing since our time together. I can’t believe it !!! I love how you teach and how our dog has responded. VERY EXCEPTIONAL! I highly recommend you to anyone that want to have a loving family relationship with their 4 legged friends. Thank you so Much!

I’m the executive director of Bill Foundation Dog Rescue here in Los Angeles and I met Teka with K9 Toddlers about a year ago. Since our first introduction, I have used her training services more than 50 times to assist with our dogs.
Teka has become a vital asset to our rescue and helped us in so many ways. She has assisted our fosters with their dogs, helped educate our volunteers and taught our adopters so much about dog behavior and integrating them into new homes.
Her expertise in dog behavior surpasses almost any trainer I know and she has an incredible ability to connect with people so that they can become better handlers. From separation anxiety, dog aggression, food aggression, leash walking issues, pack dynamics… even working with blind or deaf dogs, Teka’s skills are remarkable.
I tell everyone that I recommend Teka to that a few hours working with her is the equivalent to months working with another trainer.
The Los Angeles dog community and rescue community is lucky to have Teka and I couldn’t imagine trying to run Bill Foundation without her.

Teka is one of the rare gems you want to share. ½ trainer ½ therapist, she helped us to understand our new family member and taught us how to see things through his eyes. She is honest, caring and gifted. We never feel rushed when we are with her and she makes us feel that any and all questions are good ones. I can’t recommend her enough!

Teka really understands how dogs think and behave. She is clear and easy in her translation to the guardian of a dog about how to help their dog be comfortable and be the ‘best they can be’! I understood what she told me, and have used her advice everyday. It is one thing to be good at dog training and quite another to be able to teach it to a novice. Teka has it down– Thank goodness for dog’s sake that she is here to help them, and us!

I can’t say enough about Teka’s knowledge and understanding of dogs, their people and the relationships they forge. The best compliment I could pay her is that when she’s at our adoptions to work with dogs I eavesdrop on all of her conversations just to pick up more knowledge.
On a personal level, she is working with my current foster and me and her help has been invaluable in socializing Honey and understanding how to deal with a dog that lives in fear like her. Honey has made great strides with people and other dogs and I have learned so much about her and what her body language is telling me through her growing.

BEST MONEY I HAVE EVER SPENT!!!
Last Saturday I adopted Roxy, a 1 year old rescue pitbull from the LA shelter, and after a few days of having her, she did something that scared me. She was just being a puppy, but because I am a first time dog owner and she is a powerful dog, I started to be afraid. I started to think I bit off more than I could chew (no pun intended). I felt overwhelmed and thought that I might have to return Roxy or find her a new home. I am so THANKFUL that someone recommended Teka… this was literally the best money I have ever spent. Now I can’t believe I was ever afraid of Roxy… she is like butter now. :-)
Teka taught me in a matter of hours more than most people ever learn about dogs in a lifetime. She breaks it down in such a way that you understand your dog and you learn how to communicate so your dog understands you (and listens). I found it so very fascinating and was amazed at how well Roxy was responding to Teka (and then to me). Teka is great with dogs, but also great with humans. I was being trained just as much, if not more than Roxy. Now both Roxy and I are much more relaxed and calm. I feel like I now have the knowledge and the confidence to deal with any situation we might encounter. What a TRUE GIFT Teka has given us.
I think EVERYONE with a dog should hire Teka because the insight she gives you is priceless. It helps create an amazing bond with your dog and now I feel like Roxy and I are on the same team (and I am the captain).
I am so looking forward to a long future with Roxy and we both have Teka to thank for that. She is an amazing human being and has changed my life forever.
Teka — We can not thank you enough!!! xoxo

Quick and efficient training is what you get with Teka Martin, owner of K9 Toddlers. I have had Teka train my mastiff, my stubborn pug, a very shy labrador and my new Akita puppy because he is going to be around my very small grandchildren and I only trust her to train him so that I know I can trust him. She is terrific and makes the training session interesting and fun. Easy instructions so that you understand the exercises after she has gone and you are alone with your headstrong puppy or dog. She makes these dog trainers and whisperers on tv look silly! Teka is all business, no show.

Working with Teka is such a pleasure and honestly, such a relief. She is just so sweet and knowledgeable about dog behavior. My 3 ½ year old pit has some leash aggression issues and Teka was able to teach me some ways to get that under control to make sure we are both set up for success. She really is wonderful and helped me get my confidence back when walking Bobby! I know he appreciates it too :)

Can I give 6 stars? No? If I could, I would.
I am constantly underwhelmed by service I pay for; lack of courtesy, punctuality, professional integrity. I LOVE it when I come across someone who actually surprises me and am almost speechless when someone knocks me for a loop with their service. Teka blew me away the first time my wife and I met with her to work with our two dogs.
Our dogs are wonderful, they just lack certain… manners. So, I decided for the first time in my life to hire a dog behavior specialist to work on a few things. Within 2 HOURS there was significant improvement in how they walked with us on the leash, they were much more calm and patient in waiting for their food or to be let outside, and Teka really led us into the minds of our dogs to teach us how and why they do certain things, how they think.
And that was another thing I loved about Teka; she was a great and patient teacher. She explained things clearly, was wonderful and affectionate to our dogs, and worked with them in a way that respected and preserved their «dogness.»
I’m not interested in teaching my dogs tricks, or turning them into humans, I just don’t want them to bolt out the door when I open it, go crazy when I feed them or jump all over guests when they visit. We made significant improvement in these areas in 2 hours! And even more in the 5 days since she worked with us.
Bottom line: If you need help with your dogs, hire Teka. In ten years I could not have accomplished alone what she helped us achieve in two hours. That’s the power of expertise.

Working with Teka is a joy. She is so grounded and easy to talk to. She blew away any and all of our anxieties dealing with our old 13 year old «Queen Mother» and our new rescue «Princess» who were both vying for the spot as our one and only. Within minutes she had me walking my new baby easily on leash, but more important gave us great insights as to how dogs process their thoughts and actions. I totally controlled both dogs without a single word from the moment she left. She has a great gift relating to dogs, but was so warm and understanding dealing with us crazy humans!!!

I met Teka through the rescue group I work with, Karma Rescue many years ago. I’ve called upon her expertise several times to help me with my own dogs. I learned SO much and was able to not only curb unwanted behaviors, but encourage better ones through patience, practice and a clearer understanding of how dogs think and respond. I am also able to apply what I’ve learned to many of my foster dogs. As a result, they have better behavior and a greater chance of being adopted. Win/​win for everyone!
Teka is an amazing, talented and passionate human being and an outstanding trainer. I would HIGHLY recommend her!

Teka was referred to me thru a friend 4 years ago when I was having issues with my rescued Boxer Mastif mix. Teka came to my house and watched me interact with my dog. She then explained the dogs place in my world and my place in the dogs world. Yes, I was the one in need of trainging! Later I rescued a American Bulldog and again I called Teka.
Today I sit with a 7 month Pit and a 5 month American Bulldog, both rescues, and Teka will be here on Monday. I know that we will all live in peace and know each others place in the house thanx to Teka. By the way, this house also has rescued cats.
Teka is also a great person, not just an animal person but a people person. Someone you would love to have as a friend.

After adopting a 2-​year-​old brindle boxer, we knew we needed to get a trainer. However, life got in the way, and we developed some bad habits that allowed our four-​legged friend to take over the house. She had rude behavior and was very disrespectful! Teka came in and changed how we communicate with our four year old boxer.
The main issues included dog reactiveness towards other dog, so much so our twice a day walk would be stressful and frustrating. Teka gave us all amazing tools to maintain focus between the dog and the whomever was walking her, with some simple tugging at the leash, and grabbing her attention we were able to regain control over the leash. On the issue of needy behavior and attention in the evening, Teka, was able to show us some amazing techniques to maintain some control in our house. It has been four months since we had our one session with Teka, she was amazing, she took the time to listen to our issues with our boxer and she quickly developed a plan. She also helped us realize that the high anxiety our dog was experiencing wasn’t just hard on us, it was also hard on our boxer, and not good for her health. She gets dogs, she understands dog behavior, and she works with you to develop a solution. She is kind hearted and really knows what she is doing, right off the bat we knew we were getting our value from our dollar. Call her!!!

Teka of K9 Toddlers is hands down one of the BEST trainers in L.A. and trust me, with 5 dogs of our own we have trained with many!!! She starts by educating the humans about how dogs interact with the world and how they view YOUR interactions with THEM. She has a an amazing gift with animals that is hard to come by and a passion for educating their human counterparts. To top it off she’s an expert when it comes to «bully breeds» and some of the unique behavioral issues surrounding them. If you’re having issues with your dog I would definitely suggest giving Teka a call!