Half Moon Bay Canine Training

After getting a Bernadoodle puppy, I called on Georgie Young, owner of Half Moon Bay, to help me train him. After asking several other trainers on their views on use of prong collars, I decided on having Georgie as my trainer because she felt prongs had no place in her training methods. She had also trained one of my other dogs and I knew I could trust her. Finn, my Bernadoodle, at 9 months, could not walk on a leash without yanking my arm, and was reactive to every dog he met on our walks. He even pulled me to the round, resulting in several bruises and a goose egg on my head. Walks were not fun! But after about 5 lessons, using lots of high value treats, patience and love, he and I are now enjoying our walks much more. He was taught to look at me/get treat when he pulled on the leash, be “friends” with other dogs on our walks. He is not yet fully formed and still needs some work, but he is well on his way to becoming a “good citizen” dog. Thank you, Georgie, for your kindness and patience and wisdom.

We’ve been working with Georgie for the past two months to help our two German Shepherds, Athena and Achilles, and the progress has been incredible. We started with three one-on-one sessions focused on Achilles, who was struggling with anxiety and reactivity. Before finding Georgie, we had taken Achilles to a board-and-train program, which turned out to be a very difficult experience for him. He was extremely stressed, lost a noticeable amount of weight, and came home even more anxious than before. It was heartbreaking. Since working with Georgie, we’ve seen a dramatic improvement in Achilles. He’s noticeably calmer, more confident, and easier to redirect in stressful situations—all without the trauma we experienced previously. Her approach is gentle, thoughtful, and tailored to the individual dog. We also did two sessions with both dogs to help them coexist more peacefully. While we’re still working on their relationship, Georgie’s guidance has given us the tools and structure to build a more positive dynamic between them. She’s knowledgeable, patient, and truly understands dog behavior—not just training commands, but the why behind them. We’re so grateful for her support and can’t recommend Georgie enough for anyone dealing with complex multi-dog situations or anxiety-based behaviors. She’s made a real difference for our pack!

My dog and I attended beginner and intermediate group classes at Half Moon Bay. What stands out to me is that while the classes train behavior, they are so much more. Georgie stresses the relationship between you and your dog. You learn to read your dog’s body language and adjust your approach accordingly. I have a very anxious, shy dog until she is comfortable in a new situation. During the first class, she quickly went over threshold and shut down on me. Georgie noted that we need to train at the dog’s pace and suggested she just sit on my lap and observe until she was comfortable. Great advice! She came back the next week excited to be there and learn. She would not have done that if I had pushed her in the first class. What could have been a stressful time for my dog turned into a great behavior learning and emotional growth experience for my little one and me! Thanks Georgie.

When my 20mo Rottweiler started showing aggressive tendencies, to the point of fighting my elder dog over toys and even biting me, I was recommended Half Moon Bay by my vet for positive reinforcement behavior training. Minutes into the first session I knew I chose the right trainer! Georgie is extremely knowledgeable, very eye-opening into my dogs state of mind, and pointed out things that I unknowingly and unintentionally were doing incorrectly. Immediately after the first session and training directions, I saw A LOT of improvement into my dogs behavior. Within a few weeks my dog stopped showing aggression and is back to his sweet loving happy self! Every training session is very informative and definitely can't beat the price. 5 Stars all the way and definitely recommend to anyone seeking training! Georgie is definitely a Dog Whisperer.