SIRIUS Puppy & Dog Training

This is the first of 4 reviews of Sirius Puppy Kidergarten Training.
Our 10 week old puppy enrolled in this class because he’s biting, teething, going potty everywhere but outside and generally exhibiting all puppy behaviors that can lead to property damage or worse, a bitten person. Although we have owned dogs before, we wanted to learn how to interact with our puppy in order to properly be trained to train him how to follow commands and get him potty trained. This class was held in Berkeley with Leanne and 8 other owners. Nice facility and very clean! One owner brought his 4 little children with him which, if they had behaved properly, would have been great but the kids didn’t listen to Leanne and were disruptive. How can a family learn anything about their pet when they themselves aren’t trained to listen and be respectful. Such a great analogy for dog ownership!
Leanne made sure to try to include all the owners in the class. But with the limited time frame for the class (50 minutes) she had to focus on the puppies who’s owners were involved in the class. Leanne immediately recognized which puppies were in need of help (shy) and we liked her approach to teaching us the lessons. Some of her instructions were vague so make sure to ASK her if you’re not sure what’s going on. FOLLOW her instructions and your puppy will be very happy and you will have the power to overcome the human behavior that leads to bad dog behavior! And just sitting there and watching doesn’t do your puppy any good so stay home if you just want someone else to teach your pet how to behave!
Bring healthy dog treats with you so that you can participate in the class. Leanne has treats but too many people didn’t expect this. A lot of this training involves rewarding good behavior with treats. Puppy training is all about the basics of pet ownership which, again, really is about teaching humans to reward good puppy behavior. Leanne could be more concise with her direction and lessons but I’m sure her approach is based on her almost 20 years experience in dog training. Looking forward to the next class!

The Sirius curriculum is solid and my dog seems to be progressing well, he’s taken Puppy Kindergarten and Puppy 1 courses. But, I couldn’t get over the classroom conditions at the Stonestown Pet Food Express. The class is in the back of the store, in an enclosed outdoor storage area. The ground is pretty filthy and since we’re in class during an el-​nino winter, most of the time sitting in streams of water.
I’m not ignorant to the fact that owning a dog means spending some time in bad weather, but I certainly don’t want to be paying for the pleasure to do so. And I’m not really wild about having to give Dusty a bath after every class because he’s covered in wet filth.
I asked them about this issue and they basically said «yes we know, we’re not going to do anything about it but you can go to another location.»
So avoid the Stonestown location at all costs. Aside from that, the training program has been good. Especially their puppy kindergarten. which I highly recommend if you’re getting your first puppy at 8 weeks.

Liked their courses but I found the way the dog class at MHS worked better for me, MHS has longer classes and are less expensive. From my experience at Sirius, the in-​class instruction was a 4 stars.
I’d give the instructor a 1 star for a couple reasons. She said that we could ask questions directly to her outside of class and the we could work together for private sessions. I was following the training direction the instructor provided and my pup had a negative response that cause big problems at home. When I reached out the the instructor, there was no reply. During the next class, I felt it was brushed off. When I reached out to the instructor for private sessions, she didn’t reply to me.
Since I cannot give a 2.5 star, I weighed it in favor of a slightly higher rating due to the in-​class time.

We took two classes both with Leanne Neufeld and with another instructor. Leanne is really great, I highly recommend taking her classes if possible — she was amazing. My puppy just loved her. The other instructor was also good, better than those we met that taught at other locations. However, as a motivated dog owner who read Dunbar’s book, I felt I didn’t learn as much from the other trainer. The socialization was still useful, but the instructor seemed to struggle with useful ways to handle one of the more excitable dogs in class.

Absolutely LOVE Sirius training! We took our first puppy to Bravo Pup 1 and 2 and it was very good, but Sirius Pup 2 for our second puppy was much better. The techniques we learned in Sirius Pup 2 were very useful and effective. I highly recommend taking it with Leanne. She’s great!

Rayel Friesen is absolutely the best trainer I could have ever wished for. Rosey my pup is now 1 years old and she continues to do the commands that were taught by Rayel. I would highly recommend Sirius Dog Training and Rayel as the Trainer. He is available on Tuesday nights at Pet food express in Stownstown Mall.

My puppy just graduated from the Sirius Puppy I class taught by Carlie. If you are going to take any of their training courses, please try to get Carlie, she is truly wonderful. Some years ago I went to a different dog training company and was very disappointed. I was nervous about what this class would be like and if it would be worth it and it was. Carlie is so knowledgeable and is very personable and creates a very calm, safe, and fun environment for the parents and puppies to learn.
Here is a link if you want a breakdown of what you will learn in the Puppy I class:

Carlie takes the time to answer your questions during and after class and she was so quick to get to know all of the puppies and their personalities. I feel very fortunate she was our teacher.

Dr. Dunbar’s Sirius classes are a Bay Area institution! I’ve attended several Sirius puppy classes as both an observer and as a participant with my own pups. What’s more fun than watching a bunch of fuzzy little puppies frolic and play? Watching them learn how to behave so well so quickly! Puppies are like sponges and its pretty cool how fast they catch on.
These little pups learn how to be gentle and social with humans and other dogs as well as how to do all of the basic obedience commands, all while having a good time. The class time always goes by so fast!
I love that the classes are taught off-​leash so your pup has to learn how to pay attention to your words, and how they are taught very casually, in order to be as close to a real life situation as possible (rather than just walking around in a circle repeating commands).
I definitely recommend these classes. They are the best!

I did the Sirius Pup Training at the Rex Center in Pacifica. We had a good time with Puppy 1 and 2 courses. My dog was able to get socialization which was our #1 priority. I wish we would have learned a bit more beyond the «leave its» and «stays» which is what we seemed to be working on a lot besides the basic sits and downs.
Overall, I recommened Sirius Puppy courses, escp for first time dog owners.

Overall I was pleased with Sirius Puppy training for our new puppy Lucy. Our lessons started about 7 weeks ago at StonesTown Mall and our instructor was Rayel.
I saw all of the dogs in the class slowly improve but also we as students better learned how to handle our dogs. Rayel definitely is a professional and manages the class well. Its amazing how he was able to handle Lucy from the first day as well as the other dogs. Training puppies is tough and no one should expect miracles just by simply showing up to a training class. All the other students in the class seemed to enjoy the class and we were all quite friendly to each other. All in all a good experience. We will probably take the second series which starts in 6 weeks.

I am now training our 3^rd puppy with Sirius. I have learned something from each instruction we’ve worked with. I think the instruction they provide is wonderful and there are very few socialization options like it in the whole country. We are lucky to have them in the Bay Area.

thanks for NOTHING sirius puppy…
thanks for calling us the night before our puppy II class is about to begin to tell us its been cancelled… although it was scheduled and paid for two months ago…
thanks for not bothering to help in finding another class…
thanks for canceling at a critical time in the «puppy learning window»…
again thanks for nothing. you suck!
i will be spreading the news about your poor business practice and do everything in my power to inform the public to stay away form your business.
STAY AWAY FROM SIRIUS PUPPY…

After having done a ton of research on dog classes and training, my top first two choices were full, so I decided to give Sirius dog training a try. We had just adopted a 2 year old 65 pound hound dog who had never been trained had no idea how to respond to his name, or generally do anything else. The class was elementary, teaching things like sit and down. Concepts that, while helpful, everyone in the class had already been working on. It took place in the back room of a Pet food Express that was cold and cement covered as if we were in the garage. And it was completely a waste of money.
The trainer couldn’t even get the dogs to obey his commands, so he was virtually no help to the owners. (Except to recommend a dog treat that our dog likes.) Additionally when we asked for help on certain behaviors, such as recall, he said we should just give up because he is a hound dog. Helpful? Not. We ended up missing 3 classes because it made more sense for us to train at home than drive 20 minutes to a garage and watch the trainer do… nothing.

Before my partner and I picked out our puppy, I said I wanted one that is spirited, outgoing, and a bit of a clown. Be careful what you wish for! Our puppy is sweet and lovable but always wants to be on top. Exasperated, we signed the little monster up for the first available Sirius Puppy I course in the East Bay. The verdict? We’re glad we did Puppy I with Sirius, but find we need to move on to a different training program with a more pragmatic, less rigid training philosophy.
The classes had a nice balance of play time with lessons. Treats were a very effective and fun way to quickly teach our young puppy basic commands – sit, stand, down, stay, off, leave it, and drop it – and in conditioning him to accept handling, grooming, restraint and collar grabs by different people. (We barely covered «heel», I guess that was supposed to be for Puppy II.)
However, after a certain point certain things became problematic. Our puppy began to ignore us if he couldn’t sniff treats on us. I’ve since learned that you should begin weaning off of treats as soon as your dog learns a new command, but the classes drew out this process over weeks, probably too long. And the program offered no useful tips for bad behaviors where, because the puppy is having too much fun doing what he’s doing or he is trying to test/​challenge our authority, rewards and diversions just don’t get the message across.
The lesson I learned as a first time puppy parent: take any training philosophy/​theory with a grain of salt, including Sirius’. It has a lot to offer, but it’s not necessarily the answer for every puppy or puppy issue.

My vet recommended either the Sirius puppy classes or the SPCA’s classes. I went with the Sirius one — I don’t actually remember why I chose that one.
Chou Chou was a bit older than the other puppies since he hadn’t had his 2^nd set of shots to start earlier. What was really nice was that the puppies were given «playtime» as well as instruction time. Playtime was also broken down so that the smaller puppies could run around together and then the bigger puppies could run around together. Our instructor pointed out what «good» play looks like and also showed us how to correct «bad playing» or «bullying.» I wish more dog owners understood what «bullying» looks like.
Anyway, Chou Chou and I learned a lot during class, but I ended up pulling him from class since he wasn’t really playing during playtime — he’d go off looking for treats instead; and during instruction time, he’d whine to go sniff the other dogs. I eventually settled into a routine where I’d take him to a dog park to socialize him to other dogs and we’d practice obedience at home and when we’d go for walks around the neighborhood.
I would highly recommend Sirius to anyone who is looking for a good instructor that can help you with any puppy behavior problems. And if you’re dog is a bit less scatter-​brained than my Chou, I highly recommend Sirius for their socializing and dog training class.

I did a lot of research on dog training classes, and read quite a bit on Ian Dunbar and his techniques. After taking their Puppy I class, I was disappointed in the quality of instruction and the class organization.
After one class with one instructor, we were told that our instructor «quit» Sirus and we were assigned to another instructor. This new instructor came in and didn’t really mesh well with the students — she consistently got the dog’s names wrong and didn’t seem to have the ability to control a class of about 10 puppies.
We were supposedly sent email homework, but about half of the class never received the homework, nor did the instructor ever follow up, confirm our correct e-​mail addresses, or even both to address the issue of working at home on training techniques.
If you miss a class (due to illness or whatever), you’re not allowed to make it up. I unfortunately missed two classes due to strep throat and was told, sorry, we can’t let you attend makeup classes.
Also, at the end of the class, our instructor apparently «forgot» to make up our graduation certificate. I don’t really care about the certificate, but it was sort of strange that all the other dogs in the class walked out with certificates, except for us. She told us she’d mail us ours, but it never came. It was more the principal than anything, and represented the fact that we didn’t feel like Sirius really cared about the students in their puppy classes.
I’ve taken a handful of other training course, including courses in Atlanta and DC, and this class actually ranks at the bottom of the heap. I’m really surprised given Ian Dunbar’s credentials and all the rave reviews I heard from vets and other dog owners. Unfortunately, he doesn’t actually teach the classes.
I’m leaning towards taking my dog to private instruction because we’re still working on basic commands (no jumping, heeling, etc).

We took Zahava to Sirius Puppy classes when she was little. It was amazing. Our Tuesday nights with Leanne were easily the highlight of every week. What could be more fun that spending an evening in a room full of hyper excitable puppies with the «ya-​yas»?? Add in the fact that you’ve got a huge pocket full of power-​treats and it’s 6 weeks of solid fun.
We met each evening at Citizen Canine on Hegenberger in Oakland. We did short sessions of training, interspersed with lots of puppy play time. In other dog classes I’ve been to, they make the dogs work for a full 90 minute class. Sirius’ puppy class is perfect for young, short-​attention-​span, cute-​as-​anything monsters.
Leanne was able to answer all of our concerns and questions, giving great advice on how to handle and train our little monsters. Since all the dogs were about the same age, we all had a lot of similar issues. Hearing the answers to other people’s problems meant we knew what to do when we encountered the same behavior. We learned important skills and behavioral theories, as well as bite inhibition, how to settle our puppies down, and how to make them listen to us. We learned how to stop playing the «chase me chase me» game when they steal a shoe, all kinds of good things. And the best part is, having a well behaved dog means your friends and family will love your puppy and you can take her with you everywhere you go. Her good behavior will keep getting her invited back (that cute puppy face only works for the first few months).
My only complaint is that it can be hard to get in. We didn’t have any problems, but I’ve recommended their class to LOTS of friends and a couple have been turned away. One was because the class was full, the other thought they needed to have all their shots and before they figured it out the next available class their dog would have been too old for. They’re very strict that Puppy I means between 10 and 18 weeks of age.
I have found their scheduling to be a little disapointing. I desperately want to take more classes with Leanne, but they never seem to offer anything other than Puppy 1. The Trix class isn’t ever on the calendar, and the Refined Manners class is way out in Vallejo or San Ramon (and it’s not with Leanne).
If the only bad thing I can say about them is that I want more, that’s a pretty good review.
Sirius is seriously awesome. Serious.

Never met a Sirius trainer that wasn’t wonderful. The two we have worked with, Fawn Pierre and Tammy Mehmed, are professional, knowlegable, caring, and genuinely love the dogs they are working with.
If you are thinking about getting a puppy, proceed straight to Sirius training and get scheduled for Puppy I – you will be happy with the decision.

I was skeptical of this program because it was recommended by a very mean vet. So I asked around and people told me that Sirius had a good training program and not to dismiss a good service because of a recommendation from a bad one.
So I called and registered pup for Puppy 1 classes. We were paying for 6 one hour long classes for about $ 180. The trainer was Natalie.
Pup learned a lot from classes but I think I learned a lot from the classes on how to train pup. It was also a great opportunity for pup, who is a very large pup, to be socialized with other dogs but they are small classes so that there aren’t too many distractions.
Natalie teaches with positive reenforcement which really makes a lot of sense. Be prepared to bring in some really great treats for your pup. She’ll teach you the value of a great treat and the harm of negative reinforcement. Up until we started the class I had been reading about training pups with a shake can to scare them. Shake cans are definitely not the way to go.
She also made herself available to any questions that we might have about pup after classes ended.
I wish classes were cheaper so that we could continue to learn more about how to train our pup.

Created by Behaviorist Ian Dunbar Sirius puppy training encompasses the only effective method of training: positive reinforcement and reward! Milo foundation gives a discount when you adopt! My trainer was Fawn Pierre Erler and she was great!
In one class (6 weeks i think) my dog:
sat
layed down
got socialized and stopped being shy
rolled over
shook hands
learned to deal with having her tail pulled
learned to deal with having food taken away (no aggression!)
had time around kids (we’ll have kids in her life-​time so this is important to us)
learned to come (which she refused to do outside of class, heh)
practiced on leash walking
learned «go to your bed»
learned speak
learned «take it» and «leave it»
had hours of fun!
Totally recommend them! Also, read ian’s books «before you get your puppy,» and «after you get your puppy» You get it free when you sign up!