The Well-Heeled Dog

I contacted Susan at The Well-Healed Dog right after I adopted a 1 year old Jack Russell/Basenji Mix named Dax. Susan was the best thing that could have happened to both of us. She really understood his fear based temperament common with neglected dogs. Her simple yet effective training and instructions made a big difference within a short time. Dax stopped barking at absolutely everything and everyone within a week or two of training. Dax and I still have ways to go but only after a few weeks of working with Susan we have made great progress and Dax is becoming a well adjusted dog. I especially liked her approach to dog training which is based on understanding dog psychology and the dog's point of view rather than simply being based on dominating your animal.

Pros: great support for even difficult cases

Posted 10/04/09

When we brought our then 4-month old puppy home about 5 months ago, she was painfully timid, as she had had no exposure to the outside world. She was terrified of our friends, strangers, other dogs, cats, cars, birds, her own shadow, you name it? I was really worried that she will have a miserable life if she doesn?t come out of her shell soon.
I read all kinds of dog behavior modification books, and they all said that the best thing for a shy dog is training. So I got busy on the internet, trying to find the best positive teacher and a Puppy Kindergarten. I looked up countless websites, read reviews on CitySearch and Yelp and called the ?finalists? to speak to them in person. One of them was The Well-Heeled Dog. I immediately liked Susan (the owner/trainer) as soon as she answered the phone. I described the challenges with my puppy, she listened carefully, offered some sound advice, and wasn?t trying to ?sell? me on her class or anything else. I knew my search was over for the following reasons: (first and most important to me) Susan uses POSITIVE training methods only (no intimidation or punishment but lots of praise and rewarding for good behavior). The classes are kept very small, so each dog gets a lot of individual attention. Her pricing is VERY reasonable (about $150 for 5 classes!) and very conveniently located (in Chateau Marmutt on West 3rd St., and in Roxbury Park in Beverly Hills. (She also does private sessions just about everywhere.)
So I signed up for the next Puppy Kindergarten with The Well-Heeled Dog.
The 1st class was sad and discouraging: our big beautiful dog running away with the tail tucked between her legs from much smaller puppies and shivering in the corner. Susan was very patient and encouraging. She even allowed us to practice some commands with our pup in a confined area so she could relax and concentrate on learning. The 2nd class was a little better ? no active involvement yet but at least she showed a little curiosity. 3rd class was a breakthrough ? she was still a little nervous but it was clear that she really, really wanted to participate in the play with the others! By the 4th class she was a like a new dog!!! She was actively playing with all other pups, and even allowed the other ?parents? to pet her! The change in her confidence has been unbelievable! Every single one of our friends who knew the ?before? and ?after? have commented on her tremendous improvement. She now LOVES to play with other dogs, and she is very eager to learn!!!
We are so happy with Susan?s training that we are now enrolled at the Basic Obedience Class, and after that will continue on with the AKC Canine Good Citizen class.

Pros: Positive training

Cons: None

Posted 04/20/09

Susan Issacs is a dog trainer who believes in positive reinforcement. She gives a realistic and honest approach to working with dogs. In the sessions that my dog, Henry, and I worked with Susan we learned
how to work as a team. Recognizing Henry's quirks, Susan helped me learn ways to meet his individual needs, making our training both productive and fun! Henry is a year old Sheltie with a lot of energy, curiosity, and a need for obedience training given with consistency, structure, and love. Susan gives all of that. Henry and I highly recommend Susan and her methods. Henry gives five barks for success with Susan.

Pros: Easy parking in a clean, quiet park.

Posted 11/13/08

We have a 6 month old Cocka-poo who now, thanks to Susan, is very well behaved and understands commands that we never imagined would be possible, especially at such a young age. We live in Hollywood and had Susan come to our place for private training, and the price for the private is waaay better than anywhere else, and so worth it. She was always on time, always had new ideas for our dog, was patient and loving with him and basically made our hour long sessions a total joy for all of us, especially our little doggie. She has a way of getting dogs to respond to her immediately, and teaches the training in an simple way that makes it very easy to continue the training when she is gone. She also, and this is so helpful, types up a page or 2 of notes after each session reviewing what was learned that day and emails them to you a few hours after the training. It makes it impossible to forget anything that was covered in the training. I highly reccommend Susan to anyone in need of some dog training!!

Posted 05/25/08

Love the class!

We enrolled our 5 month old Boxer into Susan?s basic obedience class and it has helped tremendously. This is our fourth dog and our third trainer and Susan outshines them all.
The classes are held in a GREAT enclosed location and Susan gives paper hand outs each week so you can go home and have some help when you practice with your dog.

She always takes time after the class to answer ANY questions and will even answer questions via email in-between classes. She really knows her stuff and also does home consultations for additional needs. If you are enrolled in the class, you get a huge discount on a home visit.

We have been so happy that we will be taking our 2 year old Boxer who sort of 'flunked out' with our last trainer to her next Basic Obedience class.

Susan was also awarded 'Small Business Person of the Year' (don't quote me on the exact title) by the City of West Hollywood which should be enough recommendation in itself.

Thanks Susan! Lots of love and kisses from 'Roxie'.

Pros: Great Location!

Cons: None at all!

Posted 03/29/08

I recently brought a French Bulldog into my life and wanted to be completely prepared before bringing "baby" home. I asked a friend about pet trainers, and he recommended Susan. She came over for a private consultation at my home to help me set things up before Axel's arrival. After I was settled in for a couple of days, I immediately called Susan. Axel was afriad of stairs (and many other things)! Within one hour she taught me how to train him to go up and down stairs. He mastered that skill perfectly, so I decided to sign up for Puppy Kindergarten.

My experience was GREAT! Susan is so patient with the dogs and the owners. She often used my puppy as an example in class as he was just plain eager to learn and adored her. Axel is growing into a respectable young dog and Susan's training expertise is much to thank! I honestly do not know how I would have done it without her.

Thank you Susan for a well heeled dog indeed!

Posted 08/22/07

I have a very sweet, but large and stubborn adult german short hair pointer. He is a rescue dog and I needed some help with leash work. Susan was patient and encouranging with both Pepper and I and gave us great direction that got us to where we needed to go. Susan is a fantastic dog trainer who really connects with the dog-creating a trust and a sense of leadership. She is not aggressive or a bully in any sense like I have seen with other trainers and large dogs. I highly recommend her and look forward to our next private training session!

Pros: will come to your house and work with you in your own environment

Posted 08/22/07

I have worked with Susan Isaacs to train my out-of-control puppy who, I am happy to say, is now well in control, happy, and a wonderful addition to our family. I attended The Well-Heeled Dog's group obedience classes and am also doing private training and have found both to be wonderful. Susan has a magic touch with dogs, and has a great way of teaching you to teach your pet. I highly recommend her services!

Posted 08/21/07

I called to get a quote on private session for my puppy. Susan was very short and rude on the phone. Definitely will not be using her services.... NO THANK YOU!!!

Posted 07/09/07

Susan is a fantastic dog trainer. I'd tried another trainer to help me with my dog's 'selective hearing,' when it came to my commands, but I didn't agree with the guy's techniques and they weren't effective. Working with Susan and the Well-Heeled Dog made a huge difference-- she worked with us to determine the best training speciifically for my dog, not some generic training for any dog. I'm really happy with my dog's new obedience and his general alertness to my voice.

Pros: Great trainer, reasonable prices.

Cons: none.

Posted 05/07/07

Very unfriendly staff. I do not recommend working with the company as they do not seem like they're interested in obtaining more business.

Posted 04/12/07

Wonderfully petfriendly, Susan's joyful and energetic and nevertheless disciplined attitude is contagious: pet training becomes a source of fun, as much for the dog as for the handler. It teaches you much about yourself and about your beloved pet at the same time . There are no wonders, but her training gave us a solid basis of knowledge about how to tackle dog behaviour problems while we are on the not so easy path to educate our oh-so-lively and sometimes stubborn dog into a happy and balanced and wellbehaved pet. Thank you, Susan !

Pros: a lot of thumbs up for training, attitude, knowledge and size of class (few dogs)

Cons: the training place is ok but there is quite a lot of interruption from people who do not belong to the class.

Posted 04/01/07

We got our puppy to be trained by Susan. She walks you through in detail about housebreaking the dog. (We got the private lesson.) Her classes were fun for both myself and the pets. I would recommended to the new owners of the puppies/dogs. Susan is lively and fun.

Posted 02/17/07