Bay Area Family K-9 Training

I can’t rave enough about the skill and magic of James!
His knowledge about animal behavior and instant connection with dogs is amazing! Whenever I have questions or concerns, James is only a text away and spot on with the advice.
Thank you James! Local dog whisperer extraordinaire!
Love you James!!!

STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING, CLOSE ALL THOSE OTHER TABS WITH ALL OF THE OTHER TRAINERS YOU WERE CONSIDERING AND CALL THIS MAN!
Nala is my first ever solely-​my-​responsibility dog, and I was at a complete loss. I knew nothing about house breaking and she gnawed on everything, which I expected from a puppy, but I felt like I spent more time trying to wedge a finger out of her ridiculously strong jaw than I did actually petting her. It was through her I learned how the term ‘ankle-​biter’ came to be (she had a special affinity for my mom’s in particular). It was her incessant biting and my lack of potty training skills that brought us to James.
After making the call, James penciled us in for an appointment the very same day. During the appointment, James introduced us to Charlie, his rescued chocolate lab, and proceeded to demonstrate what we could expect of Nala should she complete her training. By the end I was scared out of my wits. I was supposed to be Nala’s guide into the world of doggy manners and I felt so inadequate. How was I supposed to turn this… into THAT?
Fast forward 8 months later and my this is now a THAT. (It should have taken less time, but we had a few strict bed rest setbacks). James breaks down each command into the language your dog knows, and gradually has you build up to its final form. Put in the time and effort that he asks and you’ll get there, and by the time you get there you’ll wonder why you were ever worried in the first place.
For those of you who fear you don’t have the time, he also offers boarding classes. Just make sure to clear your schedule enough for a few classes after the boarding, where he’ll teach you the proper ways to communicate your commands to your dog.
To top it all off, James has advice for almost every aspect of your dog’s life (ie. Nutrition, exercise, what kinds of toys can last more than 2 days against a German Shepherd’s mouth, etc.), and should you find yourself stumped after your dog’s training is complete, he’s only an email away. Not that you won’t see him often afterwards anyways, since his shop pretty much carries anything your dog needs at a fair price (Food, toys, collars, leashes, kennels, cleaning supplies for those tough stains…)
I’m so happy with the great companion Nala has become, and feel so much pride when friends and strangers compliment her behavior.
Thanks so much for everything James! You’ve secured me as a client with all of my future adoptees

I took my 3 French Bulldogs to James for boarding and obedience training and am beyond ecstatic with the results he accomplished within such a short period of time. We received a personal call after just 5 short days, expressing how well the pups were responding to his training. The guidance he provided to us to help continue their training at home has been beneficial for both us and the pups. He was very thorough in ensuring we knew what the dogs needed after departure from his facility and transitioning back into the home. I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone who is looking for basic training all the way up to skilled/​specialized work. I would give 10 stars if possible!!!

James Taylor is a great trainer and is wonderful with dogs.
We took our Doberman puppy to James when he was 6 months old and decided to enroll him in the Board and Train program. When we picked up our puppy at the end of the training, we were amazed at the wonderful change in his behavior! No more jumping and nipping or chewing on furniture! He learned a number of commands that helped us manage him in being a good puppy. While earlier our puppy did not care for other dogs, he now liked the company of dogs and had made good friends with James’ other dogs.
The biggest thing that James’ training did was the huge difference it made in the relationship between my daughter and our doberman puppy. Before the training he was too much of a handful for my daughter. Now she enjoys playing with him, taking him on walks and showing off her really large puppy to her friends!
James has not stopped with just the training. He continues giving support and advice and tips to us to have the best relationship possible with our puppy. He even answered a late night call and kept us on the right track for a puppy emergency.
When we are out of town, I know I don’t have to worry about our puppy’s well being. After our last 3 week trip, he came back from James’ boarding program happy, healthy and in great spirits. I know he had a good time and was well taken care of.
We continue looking to James for other dog related services like grooming, food and toys and treats. Our puppy is always happy to go visit James.
Thank you James! Meeting you was the best thing for our puppy.

James is the MAN! He has helped us with our Doberman Odin since he was a puppy, and has continued to be there for us to answer any questions or concerns we have had. James really cares about the dogs he trains. Thanks to James we can now communicate with Odin, and we are happy to say he is almost ready to take his K9 good citizen test. If you need a trainer that truely knows dogs and how to train them look no further. We get compliments every time we bring Odin out on how well he listens for being only 19 months old. Thank You James so much for all your work.

We are very pleased with the results from James the trainer. We boarded our 18 month-​old German Shepherd named B2 with James and his staff. When we first got B2 he was hyper, jumpy, a nibbler, and didn’t listen when we said «No» or «Stop.» With a new baby, our family couldn’t risk having a such a jumpy and unpredictable dog. James took our dog in for 6 weeks, and when B2 returned it was like night and day. B2 was calm and obedient, and even after 6 weeks away, he remembered us right when he saw us. James was very thorough through the whole process, giving us updates, and explaining in detail the how and why behind his methods. We learned a lot during our classes with James, and appreciated the way he taught us to communicate with B2. B2 has been at home with us for 2 months now, and we couldn’t be happier. Our 1 year old daughter is in love with him and B2 is gentle and safe around her, and listens to us when we tell him «No.» Our family would highly recommended James!

I am so glad that I took my dog to James, he really helped my dog in so many ways! I had two friends that took their pups to James and so I decided to try him out. I already knew what types of things they would learn because I would watch my friends train their dog. However, my dog was completely different than my other two friends dogs. He was terrified of everything and would run, hide, and shake whenever something strange came into the same room he was in. He is the shyest dog I know and is not as food motivated as my friends dogs were. He would shut down when something would scare him and would not take any treats (even free ones that were tossed on the floor). He may have been extremely shy because he had parvo when I adopted him, was hospitalized for 10 days, and missed his main socialization window.
James was able to help me work through different phases of my dogs fear and was able to answer any questions I had. He would always have great tips that I could do to work on different issues I had with my dog. Every week when I would go to the class he would ask how everything is going with my dog. I didn’t realize how important that was until I mentioned an issue and he was able to incorporate and show me how to fix in that class. He does not just tell you what to do when you have a question, he shows you how to handle/​fix it. My boyfriend and I initially took our other dogs to a different trainer (for some behavior issues). The trainer instructed us what to do, but did not give us a good explanation or demonstration of how we were supposed to do it. This is why I appreciate James and how he is able to show you how to handle things.
I had no idea what to do and how to handle a dog that was terrified of everything (people, hangers, balls, etc) and going to James really helped me provide structure in my dogs life. I believe that is exactly what my dog needed to help him gain confidence, because he has come so far and is such a wonderful dog. Without James I would have been completely stressed out, surfing the internet to find answers, or even going to a trainer that did doesn’t help (like my past experience).
I am currently working with my dog on off leash training and I will say that he has helped me understand what I need to do in order to get my dog to be offleash. My dog is very responsive to me and is only going to get better the more I use James training methods. If you do what James teaches you to do, you will get results immediately. He can be a tough trainer, but only when it’s needed. James’ knowledge, wisdom, and insight showed through at every training session we had. I highly recommend James as a trainer!

James did a great job with my German Shepherd, Einstein. He definitely had his work cut out for him because Einstein I am sure had ADHD. Einstein was always interested in everything but what I was saying so I decided to seek professional help. Bay Area Family K-​9 Training was referred to me by my veterinarian. My vet spoke very highly of James and he proved to be right. James got Einstein to listen and to make eye contact. Along with the other obedience my dog learned I have to say that I am very happy with the results. If you have a dog that is difficult to handle or just will not listen, I would highly recommend James, he has the experience and patience to work with your dog and to make a difference.

James is a rockstar dog trainer! I first met him about 1.5 years ago after reviewing his reviews on Unilocal!and then contacted him to train our German Shepherd pup. We (my wife and I) enrolled in his weekly classes and then based on the effectiveness of his training methods sent our dog for a board-​and-​train program with James. The results were amazing! Our dog was completely trained on-​and-​off leash and started followed all the commands.
James puts in a lot of effort in training the dogs as well as dog owners. After the board-​and-​train program, James spent several hours with my wife and I to train us as well on how to continue to reinforce the training that our dog received.
I have also boarded our dog with James multiple times and have always been happy with the services received. He takes good care of the dogs and is personally invested in their well being. On top of that, his prices are pretty much the best for the work that he puts in. I can trust James with my dog completely and have been very happy with work thus far.
I completely and fully recommend him!

I have always been a dog owner. Always owned German Sheppards. When I got a new puppy last year it was important to me to have him be well trained. I live on a cattle ranch which requires dogs to be workers and listen well. I found James completely by accident. After hearing his system and meeting his pet Charlie, I decieded that was what I wanted for my sheppard and myself. We signed up and were on our way. Fast forward one year later and I have a better trained dog then I could ever have imagined. James and his helper are amazing ! James is always available via email, phone or texting when I have questions. The system is built around working with your dog in the way your dog can understand. Once the system is learned by dog and owner you can use the theory and teach your pet anything. I recommend this system and James for any dog ! I take my dog traveling for work, we stay in hotels and he goes to computer classes I teach. He is required to behave in a room full of people and computers. At 85 pounds he could be very intimidating if he didn’t listen. The next day he can be running around on 100 acres chasing squirrels. Either way I know with one word he will be by my side. Kody and I are truly a team. He loves me and wants to spend every minute with me he can. Due to his amazing training, I would not hesitate to take him anywhere. Thank you James and crew !

Let met first clarify — James is a top notch dog trainer and his methods are both effective and reliable.
All work and no play:
But, that’s about where the good ends. I took my golden retriever there for the puppy series. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the training methods he used and taught were very mechanical and not very engaging. I realize that the primary point of training is just to get your dog to reliably listen to any command you give, but I personally feel that (especially as a puppy), this is a critical time to form a bond with your dog and that training should also be a fun and enjoyable experience. They’ll only be puppies once! This is one of the areas that Bay Area Family K9 is severely lacking.
The format of the classes:
James has formed a reputation for being a good dog trainer, and because of this some of his classes get pretty full. That in and of itself is not a problem, but the format of his classes is not the most conducive for large (10+) groups.
Imagine this: it’s a bit like taking a GROUP piano lesson, with only one piano. At the time I took the course with my dog, James would only sometimes open the class with a brief introduction to a teaching a particular command to your dog. Then, each dog would take their turn to demonstrate what they’ve been practicing for the week, while James silently watched, scribbled some notes, and sometimes provided commentary. (Aside — he seemed to spend a lot of time taking notes, but he never seemed to reference them at any point thereafter.) The frustrating part is that he would sometimes be distracted while it was you and your dog’s turn, and then ask you to repeat. He once TOOK A CALL in the middle of a class — I thought that was pretty disrespectful and unprofessional.
If the dog wasn’t responding appropriately, James would then offer suggestions, or if you are totally off he’d jump in. Meanwhile, the rest of the dog owners are just standing around, watching in silence, hoping that their dog would do better and make them proud. Each dog/​owner was at a different stage in their training (classes are continuously rolling, not periodic), so you would basically see what your dog would be learning in the weeks to come.
The whole tone of the classes was pretty. solemn. I think that’s the best word I can use to describe it. Smiles and laughter were not common, and we’re talking about being in a room filled with PUPPIES. Something amiss.
Tough love:
You can read some other reviews here, but I will say that James handles his dogs with a firm hand. Some people can tolerate it, others will squirm. Personally, I was borderline uncomfortable with his methods for «correcting» an unwanted behavior.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say he was abusive with animals, but it was definitely tough love. Sure, a dog will listen to you if he’s constantly scared you’ll «correct» him, but that’s not the type of connection I want with my own dog, who we brought home primarily as a companion and not because we want to win obedience awards at the local shows.
The results:
Despite having expressed all of my negative sentiments, I will admit my dog has a reliable grasp of all the commands he learned during this class. I only wish the process had been more enjoyable for both my dog and myself. If this is a consideration for you, then perhaps you should also resorch other options.
Comparison to Sirius Puppy Training:
Sirius was so much more fun. We went through the same basic commands (sit, down, stay, come, heel), but you weren’t made to feel like a terrible human being if your dog didn’t get it right away. The use of positive reinforcement and praise (not just treats) was highly encouraged. Their classes are periodic, so everyone in the class is learning the same thing at the same time. The course is more interactive due to the format. The instructor will teach you something, then everyone in the class will get a chance to try it while the instructor walks around giving assistance. Then, you’d move onto the next command and repeat.
At Sirius, we also picked up this command called the «emergency recall,» and that has been worth its weight in gold and has saved us several times. Look it up — you’ll thank me later!
Recommendation:
If you are in the Fremont area, this is still a solid option. I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here, but I wouldn’t strictly tell you to stay away either. I think it’s a good fit for you and your dog if you care about reliable commands above all else. I can imagine a law enforcement dog handler being very happy with this place. However, if you are looking to properly train your dog while still having an enjoyable time, look elsewhere.
Hope this is helpful! Happy dog training to you all!

It’s been over 2 years since my pup first started training classes with James, and after only one year of classes, I can say that it’s been worth every $ and minute spent. I can walk her on off leash trails without worrying she’ll run off. I can watch her play with babies and children without being fearful of her biting them or jumping on them. I also have complete control of her behaviors with simple commands, all thanks to James Taylor.
The training took a LOT of time, dedication, and patience, but it was so well worth it to have such an obedient dog at the end of it all. My 2yo GSD has quite the personality — she’s super playful, sometimes stubborn, and even a little bossy, but she’ll never stray away from her family and she’ll never disobey a command. We can literally tell her to lay down, walk away about 500 feet, and she won’t move until we tell her to.
I’ll admit, I remember having a few concerns during the training process. Watching my pup being trained with the prong and remote collar shook me up a bit, but knowing HOW to use those tools properly is the most important lesson. It was never used to hurt or punish my dog. We would have to «correct» her behaviors, but it was to teach her not to make those mistakes. It’s not supposed to make the dog feel good. Sometimes she Unilocaled, sometimes she hid behind my legs, but never again did she repeat those bad behaviors. This dog gets the most love I’ve ever seen anyone give, and sometimes it required a bit of tough love, but she turned out to be THE best (and happiest) dog ever. I cannot thank James enough for teaching me how to train my precious fur baby and for spending so much time and effort with us to make sure we understood not just his training methods, but the reasons why his methods worked best. I highly recommend any dog owners to come here and let James show his passion through his work.

We are so glad we found James. Our Golden Retriever puppy, Koa, was a little terror. After a few months of group classes, she is now a little angel. She is so friendly with everyone and other dogs. She knows about 8 commands now and walks perfectly on leash. We even get compliments on how well behaved she is and that is even coming from strangers.

Do yourself and your dog a favor — do NOT take your dog here. Please learn from my mistake. They say 100% money back guarantee, but you are not even allowed to cancel — you will lose ALL money.
I met with James about my 14 week old puppy (a Bernese Mountain Dog) Bear doing board and train. He showed a quick demo with his dog, who seemed relatively well behaved, and I was feeling frustrated, so I decided to leave Bear that day. I repeatedly asked James if he used intimidation or punishment in his training, and he always said he didn’t. I decided to pay for Bear to be trained then and also to be «finished» for 3 weeks in July. The total price was $ 3300. $ 2400 was supposed to be applied to the first 5 weeks and then $ 900 for the 3 weeks in July. I paid in full that day.
I picked Bear up on her specified date, and she seemed almost like a different dog — she was scared and always looking at us with these timid eyes, something new for her. I thought she was just adjusting. She literally cowered when we would grab her dish from her high shelf. It was terrible.
Then I take her for a private lesson, and I ask how I can get Bear to not come out of her crate so excitedly, and he brings a crate in and slams it in her face as she tries to get out. He has me try it, and I swing the door shut, so it doesn’t hurt her, and he keeps telling me I need to do it so hard that it pops her and the door flies back open. I tell him I don’t think I can do that. He would YELL Bear’s name and she would just hide behind my back and between my legs. Then he would yank her so hard by her leash, and she would Unilocal.He uses EXTREME force with dogs. Anyone that bullys animals is an animal abuser in my book.
Then I take Bear to a group class. The first one had him using a boarding dog, Tumas or Tupas or something, and was extremely rough with the dog. Of course the dogs do what he wants. They are terrified of him. James is also extremely arrogant and rude often, and honestly just not nice to work with.
Then I went to the the next group class, and that’s where it got really bad. There were only 2 other dogs in the class, and their owners. At one point the boarding dog (this one was called Mace or Mason, couldn’t tell), and when he was just standing there, but obviously not doing what James wanted, James picked up the dog by his collar and swung him around. I immediately said I wouldn’t be comfortable doing that to my dog, and he said a correction wasn’t supposed to feel good. Then I asked if he did that to Bear when she was boarding and getting trained and he said he did what he had to do. He also asked why I was questioning his methods as if he’s the dog whisperer — more like the dog terrorist! I took my daughter and we left.
I thought about it long and hard over the next few days, and I knew I couldn’t take Bear back there. Bear had obviously been traumatized and treated horribly. So I emailed the owner — James Taylor, and told him that Bear wouldn’t be returning for the 3 weeks in July and if he could refund my $ 900. He ignored all emails and calls until I opened a claim with the Better Business Bureau. Then his wife called and said she wanted to reach a resolution. Their idea of a resolution was for me to do a couple group classes. I would never want to have to make my sweet dog see that man again. They never refunded one single dollar and they say they have a 100% money back guarantee — what a laugh!
Last week, when I was at central getting Bear’s vaccination, I was talking to a customer there while we waited and I told her my story of Bear meaning treated not very nicely and then coming home terrified and just a different dog honestly, and the customer said «let me guess — Bay Area K-​9»! I wish I had met that customer before I boarded Bear!
So here’s my two cents. Don’t deal with Bay Area K-​9 unless you want a dog that is fearful of you. James and his wife both are better suited for a job not dealing with the public, and definitely not animals. Never send any animal here — they will come back damaged and traumatized.

James is the REAL DEAL dog whisperer and knows what he is doing! I FINALLY have peace in my household and an OBEDIENT dog that listens even to my 3 ½ year old and 7 year old. Yes, his system and methods are easy to follow, and he teaches the dog and you! I’d never had a dog before, and gratefully found James by referral of another doggy daycare provider. In addition to board and train, I’ve also used his services for doggy daycare and short-​term boarding. He fortunately is completely accomodating at the last minute, and very reasonably priced. My pup LOVES him and playing with all of his dogs (he owns 7– talk about a dog lover)! James and his staff are extremely nice, patient, effective and deserve all 5 stars!

James is a genius to put it simply. He understands how dogs learn and uses their own learning curve to ultimately train your dog into an awesome companion. It is a scientific fact that animals respond best to positive reinforcement and marker training (also referred to as clicker training or target training) and James uses this method as well. In fact, James provides a fantastic list of scholarly peer-​reviewed scientific articles in a link on his website that explains how dogs learn, training methods, and much more if you are interested.
As for my dog story, Hansel is a German Pinscher and we got him when he was 12 weeks old. We know this is a strong breed and needs early training to establish healthy boundaries and a well behaved dog. We immediately did our research for trainers and I came across James and Bay Area Family K-​9. We really appreciated all of his certifications, information on his website, and all the types of training he provides (there are many different types of training he offers like protection dogs, there is a full list on his website). I found him to be sincere, honest, and passionate even on our first meeting-​you can tell right away. I have worked for veterinarians and have a degree in Animal Sciences, Vet Medicine, so I am not unfamiliar with dogs, owning a dog, or training and behavior modification and so I am very picky about trainers and their methods. James was spot on and I couldn’t wait to put Hansel in his puppy class.
In the puppy class, it was not JUST socialization (like you would find at PetCo or Petsmart), of course the puppies get to learn proper socialization but they also learn some basic obedience. Hansel learned sit, down, heal, and touch training (told to touch a surface and stay, like table training if you have heard of that). He has since grown out of puppy class and is now in Obedience I class where we are focusing on moving away from treat training (receiving a treat for every command because we want an obedient dog not a «trick» dog, only doing tricks for treats which we may not always have on hand), moving towards endurance, distraction endurance, and refining his current commands. I want to mention I consistently emailed James if I came across a questionable behavior or if I had a general question and he was ALWAYS responsive and supportive with advice and answers. That is above and beyond what we pay for and outside of the class, it just shows how much he cares about his clients and their dogs (yet another thing that sets him apart from other trainers).
Overall, his techniques work, they are humane, and they are exactly what we were looking for. James even works with red zone dogs, so there is hope here for every dog, not just puppies! It’s never too late to have a well-​behaved dog! Yes, it takes time and dedication on your part, but owning a dog in general takes time and you owe it to yourself and your dog to have a peaceful and well-​balanced life with your animal. I would happily recommend, and talk to anyone considering James as your dog trainer!

After much frustration and accidental injuries to my kids, I decided to send Kona, my 7 mo yellow lab puppy, off to James for 5 wks of board and train. The results are amazing! I finally have an OBEDIENT dog! The first week after getting Kona back was a challenge but as I learned to be consistant and follow the training method, each week got better. James was patient as he worked 1:1 with me to demonstrate and make me aware of how my actions were confusing Kona. Kona is still very much an active, playful and exuberant puppy but I am able to reign her ease, even around other dogs and strangers. Walks are stress free, I trust her on and off a leash and I take her everywhere now. Most importantly, she no longer jumps at my kids.
Kona was always a smart girl and picked up tricks but in utilizing Jame’s training method, she’s learning them much much faster, especially the more difficult tricks that I show her.
I am completely satisfied with the results. Happy owner, happy pup.

James Taylor and his team are excellent. When we adopted our dog, we quickly realized she needed better quality training than we (or a chain store) could provide. At first she would attack everyone. She did not respond to any of our attempts to calm or stop her behavior. Even our vet could hardly examine her — and she (the vet) is great at calming dogs down.
For us, Bay Area Family K-​9 has lived up to its 5-​start Unilocal reviews. With just a little training in the evaluation process and one private lesson our dog was so improved our vet said she seemed like a totally different dog. That was just a one week period.
We are currently about half way through Obedience-​1 class and our dog continues to improve. We plan to stay and complete all levels of obedience classes with James.

This place is terrible. I can not believe people give this place so many stars. Took my adopted rescue dog for an evaluation because they are suppose to be experts on aggressive dogs. The owner acted scared of my 21lb. dog and used a arm padding, pushing it into my dogs face. Of course my dog was going to growl at him. I feel the owner was very arrogant. He says he’s an expert but I feel he is not. Was told he would send me his recommendation but I never received one.

This is the first dog I’ve ever had. Hell, we’ve ever had. Yes, any guidance was welcome. Heard good things about this place so tried it.
Bella started puppy training here and really got a lot out of it. James also was very helpful in showing what treats/​food work best for her, and toys as well. He has also boarded her many times, and has been kind enough to pick her up and drop her off if and when he can. His rates are extremely reasonable and we could not have asked for anyone better. Bella loves him. And I’m extremely grateful for his care with her.