Ridgeside K9 NorCal

Irini our trainer is amazing and came highly recommend, We can see why! She had our very strong minded teething Brittany Spaniel puppy for 3 weeks and in that time took excellent care of our boy sending video and photo updates. She crate trained him and taught him to walk on loose leash pretty good for a puppy! Potty training was really fast tracked. Also some basic hand signal commands and gave us a 2 hour training to learn her supportive instructions for his training to continue at home. She has also been available via text for follow up questions. Best money ever spent to jump start his basic training. Our puppy is smart and has learned manners and his crate as a safe haven. I’ve always wanted a well behaved dog I can take anywhere and we are on our way thanks to Irini. ☺️ Highly recommend her she is a pro!

We couldn’t be more grateful to Ridgeside K9 NorCal for everything they’ve done for Aspen and for us! When we rescued Aspen from Butte Humane Society at just 6 months old, she was very afraid of the outside world. She lacked confidence and had a difficult time navigating new environments. With the help of Rich, Isabel, and the rest of the Ridgeside staff, we’ve watched her gain so much confidence and become a dog who is able to truly enjoy the many adventures we love going on with her. We’ve participated in three different programs with Ridgeside, and each one has been instrumental in Aspen’s growth. We started with their 2-week Day Training program, which ran Monday through Friday. We’d drop Aspen off in the morning, pick her up in the evening, and then have “homework” to work on with her each night. We really liked that we weren’t just dropping her off and picking her up—we were learning alongside her and were able to continue working on what she learned at home. It gave us a great foundation for her training and helped us become more confident handlers. We then completed the 6-week Group Obedience class, which met once a week and built on a new skill each week. We worked on basic obedience, focus around distractions, loose-leash walking, and getting Aspen comfortable in new environments. It was a great refresher for both Aspen and us. Most recently, she completed the 3-week Board & Train program, where she worked on neutrality, focus, recall, and earning her off-leash privileges. They also introduced her to e-collar training, which has been a huge game changer for us. It has been instrumental in giving Aspen the freedom to roam off leash while still knowing she will immediately come back to us when she’s “toned.” Having that level of communication and reliability has completely changed the way we’re able to experience the world with her. We also participate in their Saturday drop-in classes for Ridgeside alumni. These classes are a great way to get out and continue working with your dog around other dogs and like-minded owners. We really appreciate having the opportunity to keep practicing and reinforcing everything Aspen has learned. What I appreciate most is how much Ridgeside has taught us along the way. I feel so much more confident handling Aspen and knowing that she understands the structure and consistency we’ve worked to build together. It has made such a difference in our relationship with her and in the things we’re able to do together. We truly couldn’t have done this without Rich, Isabel, and the entire Ridgeside team. Their patience, knowledge, and skill have made such a huge difference in Aspen’s life and in ours. We’re forever grateful for everything they’ve done for our girl and would wholeheartedly recommend Ridgeside K9 NorCal to anyone looking to build a better relationship and stronger communication with their dog!

I have to share my experience please do not… ever trust these animal abusers with your dogs, or your money. We enrolled Scout when he was only approximately 3–4 months old and paid roughly $4,000 for his training. We entrusted this company with an incredibly young puppy believing he would be cared for appropriately while receiving professional training. Instead, Scout came home behaving like a different dog, and we have been dealing with the consequences ever since. When Scout was returned to us, he was covered in his own vomit and smelled so terrible that we immediately had to put him in the bath. Given the amount of money we paid and the level of care we were led to expect, seeing our puppy returned to us in that condition was completely unacceptable. The professionalism of our experience was also concerning. When Irini met with us to demonstrate the e-collar, she arrived wearing sweats and made sexual remarks that made us extremely uncomfortable. This was supposed to be a professional training interaction regarding our puppy, and the comments were inappropriate and completely unnecessary. The e-collar itself is another major issue. The original two-week program we signed up for did NOT include e-collar training. We were subsequently persuaded to extend Scout’s stay by approximately another week and a half, and that extension included e-collar training—something we were not adequately informed about beforehand. Had we understood what was going to occur, we would never have agreed to it. More importantly, the training did not produce the results we were promised. What we got instead was a puppy who returned home with behaviors and fear responses he did not have before he left. One of the most disturbing examples is Scout’s behavior around food. He now sometimes has a fear reaction while eating in which he suddenly runs away from his food as though he has become frightened by something. We do not know exactly what happened to him while he was in their care, and I will not claim to know something I did not personally witness. What I can say with certainty is that this was not a behavior we recognized in him before this program, and seeing our dog react fearfully to something as basic as eating is heartbreaking. Scout did not come home the same puppy we sent away. I also want to be very clear that we DID attempt to resolve these concerns with the company. I followed up with them many times. Ashley eventually told me that I would be able to meet with the owner of the company in Sacramento for follow-up training sessions so that we could actually receive what we had paid for. She told me she would get back to me with a time and location. She never did. There was no time. No location. No follow-up training session. After spending approximately $4,000, repeatedly reaching out, expressing our concerns, and being told that additional training would be arranged, simply failing to follow through was incredibly unprofessional. I cannot know everything that occurred while Scout was away from us because we were not there. I can only speak to the condition in which he was returned to us, the interactions we personally had with the trainers, the promises that were made and never fulfilled, and the changes we observed in our puppy afterward. Based on those experiences, I deeply regret placing Scout in this company’s care. We trusted professionals to care for and train an extremely young puppy. Instead, we were left feeling as though we paid thousands of dollars for an experience that caused him fear rather than helping him. Scout deserved better. We deserved better. I would never entrust another dog to this company, and I strongly encourage anyone considering a board-and-train program here to think very carefully before leaving their dog in their care—especially a young puppy who cannot tell you what happened while you were gone.

I can’t recommend this team enough! I spoke with several board-and-train programs before making my decision, but after my initial consultation, I felt so comfortable that I drove Luna from Sacramento to Chico, and I’m so glad I did. A huge thank you to Kassandra, who kept me updated with detailed, thoughtful messages throughout Luna’s stay. I always knew she was in great hands. Luna went to training to improve her manners, leash walking, and confidence, and the difference was obvious from the moment I picked her up. She still has her happy personality, but she’s much more confident, relaxed, and in control, which has made life at home so much more enjoyable for all of us. I would absolutely trust them again with any future dogs or additional training, and I highly recommend them!