Calm K9

After having Obi, our 11 month old (90 pound!) pit/​huskie mix rejected from a two week boarding program in Oakland (after only 1 day!), we felt exacerbated, sad and hopeless. We were literally told our boy was truly untrainable. We knew we needed a trainer who works one-​on-​one in a serene environment. After reading Susan’s glowing reviews, we scheduled a meet and greet with her to see if this one last ditch effort could transform our dog. From the very moment we were greeted, we knew this was a well-​run business with a warm and personal touch. Her property is well designed with tons of safe space to work with the dogs. It is clear she is a professional, committed and loves her craft. Her humor and amazing personality is an extra bonus!
Obi is a sweet dog but is stubborn and was given too many freedoms at home. He ate through 2 electric car chargers, 2 hoses, destroyed shingles on the outside of our home, jumped on people, dragged us on walks and had endless energy. We are working parents with two young kids and felt overwhelmed. We were not quite sure how to channel his energy so that he could be the family dog we so desperately wanted. Susan enrolled Obi in the 4 week boarding/​training program. We received daily photos and videos of Obi’s training sessions and playing with other dogs. As hard as it was to not see Obi for so long, we knew he was in a healthy and loving environment.
In only 4 weeks, Susan and her skilled team of trainers transformed Obi. We are still in disbelief of this new and improved dog! Obi has a calm demeanor and he has learned to respect new boundaries. We continue to receive hands on training from Susan to ensure Obi’s integration back home is a success. Susan is always available via text, phone or visit to give advice whenever we have a question or need guidance. She has a sincere and true investment in her dogs and dog owners and we are so very grateful for her deep canine knowledge, compassion and commitment. Susan, you are the most fabulous trainer and partner! We look forward to continuing our training sessions as Obi acclimates into the real world. We highly recommend Calm K9!!!

Winnie was a rescue that came into my life when my 15-​year black lab was battling cancer. Suffice to say she didn’t really receive the guidance she needed and quickly became out of control, including biting two dogs and «nipping’ two men. My sister discovered Susan and her team at Calm K9 on «Best of the Bay.» After a phone call and a meet and greet, I was ready to put Winnie in the hands of Susan and her team. After the four-​week course, the change in Winnie is mind blowing. Not only is she a happier and more confident dog but our relationship is a happier and healthier one as we define our roles in each other’s lives. I am so grateful for everything that Susan and her team have done for me and Winnie. Susan and Matt went so far as to spend 3 hours on our re-​introduction to acclimate everyone in the family, including the other dogs, to Winnie’s new structured lifestyle. What I love the most about the entire experience is the connection Winnie will always have with Susan and Matt. Each day is a new adventure and Calm K9 is with us every step of the way. Thank you Calm K9!!!

Chevy is a sweet soul, it just takes time for him to show you. He had been to several trainers previously that helped him short term but when he was kicked out of the daycare he had been going to since he was 12 weeks old we knew we needed to find a special kind of trainer. Thank goodness we found Calm K9! Susan and Matt have been such a blessing. We took Chevy for intensive training for 30 days. We were a little apprehensive at first but ultimately it was the best decision we ever made. Susan and Matt helped Chevy learn to meet people, trust and enjoy being a dog. We received pics of Chevy greeting people and playing off leash, at a dog park with STRANGERS, around, something he had never, ever done before. Both my husband and I received hands on training on how to read and handle Chevy in public situations and my husband used these tips and took Chevy to a pet friendly hotel and Chevy did great. Susan and Matt treated Chevy as if he was there own. They took him to the vet when he was not feeling well and called me with updates on his health. Susan and Matt taught us how to be confident and consistent owners. Each day is an opportunity to learn with Chevy and experience new things. If you are struggling with issues with your dog and are feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, contact Calm K9 now, you will not regret it.

My husband and I were pretty desperate for help with our two sweet but issue-​ridden rescue dogs when Susan and Calm K9 were recommended to us. We could not be more thankful for the help and support of Susan and her team!
Susan had her work cut out for her with our girls — lab-​german shepherd mix sisters who we adopted together at about 1 year old with severe separation anxiety, no socialization, and extreme sibling attachment. Susan took on the challenge with zeal and determination to help us find a happy and safe physical and mental place for our dogs.
We worked with Susan for 4 – 5 months through weekly individual training sessions, followed by about a month-​long board & train together with an extended few weeks for our «problem dog.» Their time apart from each other turned out to be the best growth opportunity for both so far in our training process, and we really appreciated Susan’s careful consideration of this being a difficult choice for us to separate them.
Throughout our training time, we thoroughly appreciated Susan’s tough and loving ways with our dogs that were always insightful and thoughtful to each issue and characteristic she saw come out in our dogs with each meeting and their reactions to each training exercise including proper leash/​walk tool selection for each dog. She always had new ideas and tools for how we could tackle each behavior issue and each teaching opportunity with the dogs, and always took time with us to teach the dogs separately. We also so appreciated the «real world situation» training skills Matt came in with that greatly aided in the girls’ socialization training during their board & train time.
Susan’s training expertise, insight into dog behavior and keen sense of what rescue dogs need in general and individually, as well as her amazing humor and love of dogs, make for as near a miracle as rescue dog owners could ask for. We do still have some work to do with our dogs, but we look forward to continuing to work with Susan and appreciating the lifetime support she provides for her clients so we always have someone who knows our dogs very well to lean on in our rescue dog journey!

Susan at Calm K9 is a super star! We use her for boarding our two chihuahuas and she’s super with big and small doggies. She has lovely outdoor kennels during the day and dogs are well supervised. Our dogs have a few special needs, one is older and tender, the other is tiny and allergic to everythings. And Susan is super with the instructions. She even gives them little nail trims and brushings. When we go out of town we are supremely grateful to have someone close by who is so capable and trustworthy. We have recommended her to friends who second the opinion and have been very happy with Calm K9’s services. We love Susan!

Handing over your fur babies to be boarded can be a worrisome task. But at CALM K9 we never fret. Our chihuahuas LOVE Susan and they are always happy and well looked after. I recommend Calm K9 to all my canine friends.

Susan has really helped us with Misty-​Mae, our 4 yr old rescue Border collie who we adopted 2 years ago when we lost our 15 year old Border Collie (also a rescue) It ‘not being our first rodeo’ with a Border collie, we understood the needs and requirements of borders &rescues — however Misty had several anxiety trigger issues that made it almost impossible to walk her or take her in the car. Dog/​Cat & Car reactive with a high prey drive.
We are active and love hiking, camping, the beach, rivers, lakes and outdoors in general. We live in perfect California climate where you can take dogs along to wineries, restaurants/​cafes with outdoor seating and fire pit seating. A perfect fit for a Border collie no? Well that’s if you could have her out in public! What we wanted most for her was to be able to enjoy this with us. We found Susan (of Calm K9) through casual conversation with a friend who had just rescued their dog Scout and was having similar issues, and they had just completed training with Susan (Calm K9) We promptly got touch with Susan to find out more and soon made arrangements to meet for an in person consultation !
I was thinking the Bravo dog program — which is 5 3 hrs one on one sessions. Since she was not a ‘problem’ dog other than the issues I described. But after consultation Susan felt it would be best for Misty to be boarded and trained. 3 ½ weeks! It was not a decision made lightly and I did not know if we could do it –and even went as far as to contact another reviewer on this page before deciding. Misty is a sweetheart, loves people and to be honest is not aggressive by any means, but she had behavioral issues that prevented her from enjoying a full social life and they were best served treated by a professional like Susan at CalmK9. It’s honestly the best thing we could have done for Misty and worth every penny spent!
When we picked Misty up after her board and train session — Susan spent another full 3 hrs (well we went over somewhat!) transferring training of the new Misty 2.0 (as my daughter now calls her). With Susan at our side, we walked her around and about town and practicing all her newly learnt skills. Susan also taught us to advocate for her. It felt like Misty just had this ‘mommy/​daddy look what I can do now air about her’. Although Susan did not promise a magic makeover, it certainly feels like we got one!
We then took Misty home in the car and she did so well! The very same evening we took her for a walk through our neighborhood by ourselves without incident. The following day we went out hiking, and even with an off the leash (uncontrolled) Labrador barreling down on her right into her face, did not phase Misty. The same thing last night and first thing this morning. We truly cannot thank Susan enough. This is what we wanted for Misty! OH and the biggest thing — this is a dog that no one could crate train. We were so exhausted and fell asleep on the couch before putting her in her crate. Imagine our amusement when we startled awake to look for her and found Misty promptly took herself down to her crate. All we had to do was close the door and go sleep in our own beds!
The following day, my family was over for a dinner BBQ — my son commented on Misty’s calm demeanor «Did someone give Misty pot or something?» — I thought that was funny.
Susan truly cares for your pet, she will keep you updated with pictures and a video or two just to ‘calm the parents anxieties’ Misty developed some sort of skin reaction during her stay (she has a history of manageable allergic reactions) — Susan kept me informed all the time; concerned for her; adjusting Misty’s food (aka spoiling her with chicken) as needed, bathing her and giving her soothing treatment for the hot spot. During the whole stay, I always felt it was a partnership and not me dropping my dog off and not knowing anything that was happening.
I apologize for the length of this review, but I honestly cannot say enough about Susan and highly recommend her (and Calm K9) if you too would like to give your dog (and yourself) the best gift ever, and to have your furry companion truly be a part of your life. Many people still board their dogs with Susan after their training program is completed, when they go on vacation. I certainly think Misty will enjoy visiting Aunty Susan like that from time to time as well !
Please feel free to contact me for further reference at

Renee James

Thank u Susan for helping with training our 2 dogs! Susan is the best around and she cares about your dogs and she helps u understand the importance of training and being consistent. We were down for 5 training sessions and we only needed 2. She was that effective! I would highly recommend her to anyone searching for help with their dog (s). She is very professional and takes the time to explain everything to u and gives recommendations and advice! We have 2 pitbulls and she helped give us the tools to get them to be friends. She also helped with training them to not pull when walking them and for them to learn not to go crazy when seeing other dogs being walked. We now have two very happy dogs that are the best of friends. A year ago we were a mess not knowing what to do and now all is good and the dogs are very happy. Susan treats u with total respect and she listens! She is also very flexible and works with your schedule. Always responds with any questions even when she’s not at your home training. U can call or text her anytime!

Susan is the genuine real deal. We had worked briefly with nice trainers before finding her, but once we met her we knew this was the right path! We adopted a five year old lab/​border collie mix, with very high fear aggression towards other dogs, big time overall anxiety and major separation anxiety. We discussed at length what type of training would be best, and decided on five sessions. We had thought «board and train!“which is great for many dogs, but Susan took the time to get to know Scout and advised us that would be more trauma for him than good.
Susan wasn’t gimmicky («by session five Scout will be sharing toys at the dog park!») None of that. She was honest that we needed to all do the work to learn about Scout, and help him make successful choices in stressful situations. I really could write a book about our sessions, but to sum it up, with her teachings to us, her work helping us learn to train Scout and understand him, Scout’s separation anxiety is gone. It is so beautiful. He is able to relax at home when he hears noises outside. He goes to his «place» pillow casually with no stress. He is no longer constantly on edge. We are able to walk him past strange dogs on leash and, with Susan teaching us to advocate for him, Scout can walk with us without lunging, biting, whining or barking. We are thrilled. And Susan is very invested in her clients (humans and dogs), and has instilled in us that we need to be consistent with Scout to ensure lifelong success. It has been over four months since we met Susan and Scout is honestly a different dog.
We never in a zillion billion years thought Scout could be a candidate for group doggy walks with Susan (that would be a laughable idea)… Well guess who will be joining those walks??? We are so proud of our Scout, and we can’t thank Susan enough for taking it slow with us, giving us her time and energy, not rushing us through to see «quick results» that don’t last one you get home. Again, no gimmicks. Just love, patience, knowledge, experience, a great sense of humor and compassion. Susan we adore you!

Where do I start to tell you how good Susan at Calm K9 is?
Whatever the purpose of taking your dog to Susan is, you can trust that your pet will be cared for as one of her family members! This took the edge off of our separation anxiety. Susan takes the utmost care in boarding, handling and training of your pet. She is a true professional. In addition, she requires this level of care from her staff. You can sleep soundly with your pet in her care.
Susan has the innate ability to command the respect of your pet. This is especially applicable to our wonderful English Bulldog who always has his own agenda ;) Not only does she have their respect, she gains it quickly and appropriately. After seeing her in action with our dog, it was clear to me ‘we’ were the ones who needed training.
Whatever your goal for your pet is, Susan is the trainer and compassionate canine lover to get you to your goals. I would willingly refer her to anyone looking for a professional and knowledgeable canine trainer. Additionally, as a dog owner herself, there have been countless times she’s communicated with me as to her training plan and how we would meet our goals… talking me off the cliff and easing my mind considerably. This combination of passion and effectiveness is rare.
If you are considering hiring Susan, I would be happy to communicate with you directly. My email address:
. It will be life changing.

One of our dogs is now a senior and we decided to adopt a new dog to integrate into our pack before he passed away. Unfortunately the shelter wouldn’t allow our dogs to interact with the new dog, Bubbles, at the shelter so we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. Unfortunately it didn’t go well when we brought Bubbles home.
Bubbles got along OK with our older dog but refused to get along with our other dog. I called up Susan the morning after a big fight in tears and she talked me off the proverbial ledge.
Bubbles has been a very challenging case as she lacked confidence, proper socialization, and was still quite immature but working with Susan has definitely put my husband and I at ease and kept us moving forward. We now have a much more balanced, confident dog and we know the key to managing all three of them in our house. We haven’t had any more fights and we know what to look out for before things escalate. It’s going to take a lifelong commitment and a lot of work on our part but now everyone has become immeasurably more comfortable.

Susan and her staff are beyond amazing. Forget that Milan guy — she truly speaks Dog.
Thanks to her hard work and dedication, our beloved — yet troubled — year-​old rescue pitbull has become a welcome member of our pack again. She took a dog who had spent her entire life on the streets, with zero social skills (but lots of love to give) — and taught her to trust and love and play like a happy and healthy dog. Our other, more well-​adjusted pitty finally has the best friend he always wanted and we couldn’t be happier.
Susan was there for us when we needed her the most and with her lifetime guarantee we feel confident that our little girl will always get the help she needs.
It’s tempting to say that Susan works miracles but her effectiveness comes from decades of commitment to her craft. As master tradeswoman, she is continually honing her skills and learning new tricks.
We’re blessed to have found her and to call her our friend.

I just spent an entire afternoon with Susan and I can’t believe the amount of information she gave me!!! Super dedicated, knowledgeable and fun to work with. My dog Abigail absolutely adored her. We are seeing her again next month and I am sure it will only get better!

I am giving one star because of lack of service. I saw the great reviews and she seemed like someone I wanted to help with my anxious dog who has some issues that we were hoping to resolve. We have worked with a trainer before, and that did not work out as well as I had hoped, so I thought I would reach out to a trainer who seemed to have glowing testimony.
However, to my disappointment, I have never received any response from her, leaving me to believe that either this is not a real business, or the glowing reviews are fake, or the third option, which is that she picks and chooses which customers to respond to, resulting in inconsistent service. I called her a few times and emailed her, explaining the details of our dog.
To me, no response is a complete lack of customer service and does not deserve any recognition. If she did not have time or did not want to even consider helping me train my dog, a polite email or phone call would have sufficed.

We rescued our 4 year old Great Dane, Harley a few months ago knowing that he was dog reactive. It wasn’t until we started taking him on walks that we realized how difficult he was to control because of his size (130lbs). He would drag us into the street, bucking and barking if he saw a dog a block away. The heavy duty pinch collars and harness couldn’t control him.
Before finding Cam K9, we contacted and worked with a ‘positive re-​enforcement’ trainer for a couple of weeks but did not see any improvement. Harley is a sweet dog with some deep rooted issues. He was afraid to be alone and would follow us into every room. We could only walk Harley around midnight when no other dogs were around.
Frustrated, we turned to Unilocal and found Susan Raymond at Calm K9 and gave her a call. Susan immediately answered the phone and we discussed Harley’s issues for about 30 minutes. She then scheduled a time 2 days later to meet Harley. We met Susan in person and she thoroughly explained her programs. We decided to sign Harley up for the 3 week board and train. Susan kept us involved with his progress and sent us updates via text, emails and Facebook.
Twenty-​one days later we picked him up and was amazed by his new disposition. We now have a happier, more confident and obedient dog. We have taken him on walks and hikes where we’ve encountered other dogs. He walks right by them without bucking, barking or pulling on the leash! He stays in place when told, waits until he’s allowed to walk in and out of doors or to eat food, doesn’t pull on leash, and is more independent.
Susan changed our lives and taught Harley how to make better choices. We highly recommend her for board and train! THANK YOU Susan!

Working with Susan has literally been life changing for my family. My wife and I rescued two male puppies (litter mates) when they were just 4.5 weeks old. The rescue group strongly urged us to take two to help with their socialization since they were taken from their mom so young. Despite this, they had problems reading other dogs’ cues, socializing properly, etc. (Apparently there’s a whole host of literature about the problems with keeping litter mates – particularly of the same sex – together, but didn’t know at the time!) One dog was clearly more dominant/​intense (Rosco), and the other (Benny) was insecure and fear-​aggressive – even with us. They got into lots of serious fights with one another. As they got bigger, it just became too much for us to deal with. They were also difficult to walk – always pulling or mushing.
Calm K9 was our last resort. Susan took Benny for board-​and-​train for 4 weeks, followed immediately by 1 week with Rosco. The change in the dogs – and in us – is night and day. Benny has grown into a much more confident, balanced dog. It warms my heart to have his trust and see him comfortable in his environment. Susan taught us how to read their cues, structure their walks and play, break up a tense situation before it escalates, get them to walk obediently by our side, and so much more.
I could honestly go on and on, but the bottom line is this – we were on the brink of having to re-​home one of our pups, the thought of which broke our hearts. After only a few months, Susan has helped us to turn it around and keep our family together. We’re incredibly grateful. (Whenever we go out of town, we send the boys back to her for boarding. Not only do I have complete trust in her, but I know they’ll benefit from additional training while we’re gone!) I highly recommend her boarding and training services.

I found Calm K9 and Susan through Unilocal and was impressed by all the positive reviews. I want to say that all of the reviews are true!
We adopted our dog Kona when she was about 4 months old. Right away we knew she was going to be a great dog. As my first dog, I knew I needed help in learning how to train her and in training her. We wanted her to be a dog that we could take anywhere and would be our true companion in all our explorations.
From the first conversation on the phone and the initial meeting with Susan to every conversation since, she has been so understanding and attuned to our needs and Kona’s. She didn’t force fit a program on us or our dog but has tailored her approach to our unique needs.
We decided to do the board & train because we were going to be away for the Christmas holiday anyway. Susan made changes happen in Kona in just two weeks that I wasn’t able make happen in the prior three months and, with guidance from Susan, I now have the skills to keep training her. And her training sticks! After picking her up from Susan, you could see a difference. We’ve received so many comments on how calm and well behaved she is. Susan has spent time with us in-​person and on the phone far beyond what a typical trainer would to answer question, address our concerns, and provide continued guidance.
In addition to going to Susan for training, we also board Kona with her when traveling. Kona is always SO excited to see Susan which gives us such peace of mind. I trust Susan implicitly with Kona. She has really become an extension of our family — Aunt Susan!

Susan rocks! Honestly, my wife and I are huge dog lovers and my wife, having worked at a vet for 5+ years, has a good insite on dogs, owners and trainers. After searching around, we found Susan and interviewed her over the phone and at her house. We were both very, very impressed! This was not something we had to do but something we needed to do and we could each clearly feel that Susan is passionate about dogs and will take the utmost care of your dog while they are under her care. Note; my wife gives each of our dogs, a golden retriever, Australlian Sheepherder and our Terrier Mix– ‘Willie’, about 25 kisses and hugs per day. The dogs mean the world to us but my wife really has a special place and passion in her heart for each one. I clearly told Susan, after speaking on the phone for 30 minutes with her, that we would like to meet with her next and view inside her house and outside, as we are very particular of where our dog may stay and want to make sure its the right environment. Once we arrive at Susan place, she showed us the surroundings and what is involved with her training. We immediately saw the passion she has for her job and the intensity of the training. Susans house is perfect for the training and very tidy and well kept. Our dog «Willie» stayed with her for 3 weeks and when finished he was a new dog. She followed up with us throughout his stay and did a complete follow up after. Highly recommended!!!
Paul & Nikki

Last year, we adopted a shepherd/​lab puppy named Echo from ARF. From the beginning, we knew that we wanted to do extensive training, since she’s a large breed dog with a sometimes overly enthusiastic and strong-​willed personality. We tried a puppy training class, but realized halfway through that their style of rewards-​based training didn’t always work for Echo. We literally would wave hot dogs in front of her face, but if she was distracted there was no getting her attention. Our main issues were:
* Echo was overly friendly and didn’t know when to back off of people/​animals. (Doesn’t sound like much of a problem, but made it really difficult when we had people come over and we had to keep pulling her away from everyone!)
* Very difficult to get her to focus if there was outside distraction.
* Poor recall — we couldn’t have her off leash, because we were worried she would run off.
* Pulling on walks.
* Chewing household items (rugs, pillows, chairs, drywall!)
I’m so glad that we found Calm K9! From the first phone call, I could tell that Susan was curious about Echo, super knowledgeable and had some really great suggestions. She was organized, took notes and really listened to my concerns. After meeting with her, we decided to do the two-​week board and train program. It’s no small decision, leaving your dog with someone for that long and hoping that they can resolve these seemingly impossible issues. We worried that Echo wasn’t going to respond to the training, we worried that she wouldn’t have the same vibrant personality, we worried that she would forget us while she was there… but we needn’t have worried at all. Echo was in great hands while she was gone! Susan kept in touch with us throughout the training… calling, emailing and texting photos. At the transfer training session, we could immediately see what a transformation had occurred. She was walking off leash, she had learned recall, and her focus was amazing! We learned so much at that transfer training that we incorporated into continuing training with Echo at home. She’s been home for over a week and we’re so proud of the progress she’s made. We’re now able to have people over without worrying that Echo’s going to get too over the top with them, she’s much more of a pleasure on walks now and her attention is SO much improved! I took some videos to show some ways in which she’s able to stay focused, but still playful:
A video of us putting down treats and asking her to leave it. Susan taught her this and it really shows how much restraint she’s learned. Before the training, she would have inhaled the treats before they hit the floor!
A video of her waiting before fetching one ball. She knew how to fetch before training, but the fact that she can sit and wait patiently to be released before fetching is because of the training:
Another fetching video of Echo waiting before fetching two balls:
If you’re looking for someone who knows her stuff and will love your dog like her own, I would absolutely recommend Susan!

At seven months old, Spartacus, our Bernese Mountain Dog had become a large puppy out of control. Because he was still a puppy, he did not understand how strong he’d gotten. He was eating the crown-​molding, door jams, shoes and anything else he could get his paws on. The jumping and «mouthing» not only was annoying and frustrating, but also painful. Spartacus had the power to knock over unsuspecting people and was a real challenge if the door bell rang. Walking him was a chore and not relaxing at all. And let’s not forget about the occasional «accident» in the house. It was time for a change and we knew he had to be trained.
We did a lot of research on-​line, asking friends and our Vet for referrals. We came across Susan at Calm K9 because of her 5-​star rating on Unilocal.My initial phone call was quickly returned and we had a long conversation about Spartacus, his bad-​habits and what we were looking for. Susan then invited us and Spartacus to her place for a visit. After meeting her in person and seeing her immediate impact on our BMD, it was clear we had found the right person for the job. The amount of stress involved in having an unruly puppy is tremendous and takes away from the joy of dog ownership.
After two weeks of Board and Train with Susan, Spartacus was a completely different dog. He was calmer, happier and trained! Susan not only met our expectations, but greatly exceeded them. Two weeks prior to that, I’d never have thought we could take Spartacus for off-​leash hikes. Now we do! He has learned to make good decisions on his own, there is no more jumping on people, biting, chewing or «accidents.» Spartacus’ training was the best investment we’ve made in a long time and was worth every penny.
Susan does amazing work. She took a puppy with no direction and gave him a purpose. He has now found his place in our family and is happy. Spartacus loves his off-​leash hikes and would never think of running far from us. He is truly a changed pet and we are very grateful to Susan for that. I’m sure there will be future dogs in our life and I am certain they will find their way to Aunt Susan’s house for training.
Thank you, Susan, for giving us the pet we’d always wanted!