I Talk Dog Training

I rescued a 10 year old Min Pin from Martinez SPCA in November 2015. He had been traumatized and suffered from separation anxiety. I tried everything to get him to stop barking. Nothing seemed to work. He was terrified and would not leave my house and would bark and cry if I left him alone.
After just two sessions with Denise, it is like I have a new dog. He is excited about going for walks, loves his crate and is not trying to fight every dog he sees.
Denise really knows her stuff. She helped me with everything from diet to shampoo for him.
Both Spike and I are extremely happy with her service and I would strongly recommend her to anyone. Even my ex-wife’s Terrier, Rocco whom has bitten me several times (lol).

My boy, Jaxon is doing SO great since Denise worked with us! He used to have really bad ball possession issues, and aggression with other dogs at the dog park and while on walks. But since Denise came in to our lives, he’s a completely different dog! He is amazing on walks, and sits politely by the door when I pick up his leash, and ignores other dogs completely. But the best thing was at the dog park the other day, another dog picked up his ball, and he just sat there. He still has a few issues with sharing his things, but I’m working with him everyday, and hes getting better and better. Im so proud of him, and I can tell he is much more relaxed and a much happier dog.
Thank you again for all your help Denise, you changed his life!

We just finished our third training session with Denise, and I wanted to quickly come and sing her praises! We adopted our Havanese a little over a year ago, and had tremendous issues with him barking at anyone that came over and going crazy when people or dogs came near us on a walk. It became so bad that we felt we couldn’t have friends over anymore.
After trying a group dog training class with no luck, we decided that a one-​on-​one session may be our last hope for a peaceful home. After reading a lot of reviews and checking out many websites, we were most impressed with I Talk Dog’s testimonials. We signed up for the three session package, thinking our pup needed all the help he could get.
For the first session, Denise had my puppy quiet in moments. Then, he was walking on leash like a champion within half an hour. As crazy as it sounds, he really was a new dog after that first session. We have put him in situations that were disastrous previously, and he only has a few little barks (which we quickly address) versus barking his head off all night. The walks are so much more pleasant and happy for all of us. It really is a night and day difference!
I highly recommend I Talk Dog. My household is so much happier!

Denise is excellent. Walking with them (by our side, not running after the birds and dragging us with them!) is a joy now. They mind commands — they’re good dogs– and she’s helped us to understand what to do to to continue to keep them that way.
Thanks so much, Denise!!!

Denise is amazing! Our dog Leroy shaped up within the first session of Denise coming to our home. Leroy was a nervous dog who barked a lot and was a jerk to people who came in our home. We learned how to take charge, be the leader, and make Leroy more comfortable and less anxious in his environment. Still a work in progress, but vast improvement from what we were dealing with before!
Highly recommend.

BEST $ SPENT!
We adopted a great dog a few years ago. We noticed some behaviors we didn’t like starting to get worse, so we decided to get ourselves trained. Within 20 min we had a new dog, seriously I wouldn’t have believed it had I not been there. Denise is EXCELLENT. She knows what she talking about, she on time,& most of all my dog has become a more well behaved dog, and we have become more confident leaders.
It’s never too late, our dog is approximately 5 yrs old and you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. Denise really does TALK DOG, and our dog knew it. Now if Denise only spoke teenager…

We had Denise come over for the one and half hour «intro» session to help us learn to control one of our leash aggressive dogs She came to our house and quickly showed us how to stop our two small dogs from barking at guests who come to visit. So we were immediately impressed!
Denise is very pleasant and patient and has a calm practical manner with dogs and humans. We went for a walk on a nearby trail with our dog aggressive female and she showed us techniques that were easy to remember and use. We’ve been working with our dog for the last couple of weeks and she is improving significantly. (none of the other advice we received from other trainers helped at all). We even walked the Lafayette reservoir on a Saturday morning — tons of other dogs– and it was a pleasant walk. Only a few minor corrections were required on what used to be an exhausting and stressful slog. We would definitely recommend Denise to any one with a dog that has behavior issues.

I am so impressed with the depth of knowledge Denise brings to the table. After having our little Coton puppy for 5 days, Denise came in and helped to give us some guidance, confidence and a lot of encouragement. With a very calm demeanor and a lot of knowledge, she gave us a road map of what to do with our little princess and we feel great about it.
Some of you come from the background of never having had a dog trainer. It’s the old do it yourself mentality. I was that way. But Denise is a wonderful breath of fresh air and it is very wise to start your pet and your family off on the right foot. She has a great rate for 3 sessions which I highly recommend. You can accomplish things in one visit with her, but once she comes to your home, you will want her back again.

We hired Denise to help us train our 10 month old french bulldog puppy who was having difficulty adjusting to having a new baby in the house. What she was able to accomplish in one session was incredible and after 3 sessions it was nothing short of a miracle! He’s so much better behaved and happier and we can’t recommend her enough! Thanks Denise!

My family (me, my husband and our 2 ½ year old Boston terrier) had a lesson with Denise yesterday. She was knowledgable and gave us some good advice. We both felt that the time and money was well worth it.

We have two big older dogs (11 & 12 yrs shepherd mix and pitbull mix). They may be old, but they have tons of energy, are set in their ways and can be up to no good when you’re not looking. Mostly, they are good dogs. We had them since puppies, but they seem to be getting the «upper hand» these days. So we called on Denise.
One of our issues is that when people visit us, the dogs are overwhelming at the front door. Mickey will keep sniffing you and get in your personal space while Ellie will just bark continuously at you in a fearful manner. To say the least, that’s not the welcome wagon that we want to provide to our guests.
The moment she set foot in our house, our dogs were like angels. The dogs weren’t up to their usual shenanigans! We couldn’t believe it! They were totally well behaved… for HER! Anyway, she began to do her magic on US and the dogs. WE were TRAINED and we EASILY have kept the training going. Our friends, family and even neighbors are impressed with how well the dogs behave now!
It’s was PERFECT to get the one on one training in the privacy and comfort of our own home. Denise’s personality is great! She’s cool, confident and calm. Not only do the dogs could sense that Denise knows what she’s doing, but WE could sense it too! LOL Denise is a professional. If we have any future issues, we would not hesitate to call on Denise again! Basically, if you LOVE your dog, they deserve the BEST and Denise IS the Best because she truly is able to «talk dog»!

Denise has been helping me with my Goldendoodle with dog training for the past 2 months. Our little puppy is doing great with all the lessons that we are receiving. It is so convenient that she comes out to our home in Walnut Creek for the training. I work in Concord which is close to our so I am able to come home quickly during the day for the training sessions. Thanks a lot for the help. Denise is the best dog trainer around and I highly recommend her services.

Let me tell you how this went down for me.
I called Denise and left her a voice message about a week ago, she called me back shortly after (very nice respond time!) and we scheduled a meeting for Sunday.
Denise came to my house and just as she came in, she already had TON more control then I had over the dog, my little Pincher simply respected her and you could see it. Denise corrected me for A LOT of things i have been doing wrong and the difference? AMAZING.
I have no words to even describe this. One session, Hour and a half, and my yuppie crazy super energy dog? completely different, she sits when i stop walking, she does not pull on the leash and she WAITS for me to climb the stairs and all of this after ONE SESSION. More? sure.
She did not bark at ANYTHING, other then a few barks at other dogs which i quickly took control of using all the advices I got from Denise.
I cant even tell you how good it feels to watch your dog do good, to watch him relax, and enjoy his day.
Denise, you are the best, ill be definitely taking another session in the future to maintain my dog great ways and learn more.

My new dogs and I had our first session with Denise at I Talk Dog yesterday, and gosh — what an immediate positive change it has made already.
We did a 90-​minute consult and covered a ton of ground in that time, without anything feeling rushed or beyond my comprehension. Denise was very complimentary toward my dogs, who were strays up until a couple weeks ago, and just as patient as could be with all of us. She coached me on my own behaviors too, showed me where and why I was sending mixed signals to the pets. There’s still a lot to learn, but it’s amazing how easily I’ve been able to put her advice into practice.
Denise came prepared with all kinds of supplies, helped me understand why some collars and leashes made more sense than others for my dogs in particular, and gave me great pet food and treat advice too.
Side benefit: she’s got a connection with the Dog Whisperer — instant friend cred ;)

Denise is so amazing!!! She is so passionate about working with dogs. If you are looking for some one to help train you and your dog she is your woman. I love that she has trained with Ceaser. I love to hear all the classes she has taken. She does wonders!!!