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The Well-Heeled Dog, CPDT Certified Professional Dog Trainer - West Hollywood, CA
Let us turn your four-legged troublemaker into a well-mannered companion that’s safe around your family and friends. We offer private in-home dog training, behavior modification, puppy training and socialization, family dog training, and kids & dogs safety talks.
Susan Isaacs is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA); a graduate of the Balu Academy for Dog Trainers; a member of the Dog Trainers’ Alliance of Southern CA (DTASC); an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator; a licensed presenter for Family Paws Parent Education and Doggone Safe; and she volunteered for 3 years as lead trainer for the LA chapter of Pets for Vets.
Susan has been training dogs for over 18 years and continues to add to her knowledge and technical skills by attending workshops with leaders in the behavior and training field. She has studied under such experts as Dr. Ian Dunbar, Karen Pryor, John Rogerson, Sue Sternberg, Pam Reid, Trish King, Pia Silvani, Ray Coppinger, Jim Barry, Nicole Wilde and many others.
The Well-Heeled Dog won the 2004 Small Business Award from the West Hollywood, CA Chamber of Commerce.
Please contact and book my private dog training services on Petworks. Thank You.
- Certified
- Insured
- Online Sessions
Pricing Packages
Beyond the initial consult ($250 for 90 minutes), if you would like to continue working with The Well-Heeled Dog, we offer packages only. The smallest package is $400 for 3 one-hour sessions. Sessions must be used within 2 weeks of one another to encourage you to practice.
How do you serve precious pets?
- Private Dog Training
- Animal Behaviorist
- Puppy Trainer
- Dog Obedience Training
- K9 Training
- Dog Trainer
What training tools do you use?
- Front-clip Harness
- Head Collar
- Leash
- Long Line
- Praise/Affection
- Toys
- Treats
Which training type do you employ to encourage paw-sitive behaviors?
- Pet Behavior Modification
- Dog Obedience Training
What part of the animal kingdom do you serve?
- Dogs
On a scale of snail to elephant, what size animals do you work with?
- 20-39 lbs
- 40-79 lbs
- 80+ lbs
- under 20 lbs
Pet Certifications
- American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Approved Evaluator (AKC CGC)
- Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA)
Cat-astrophes happen! What is your cancellation policy?
- 24 hours notice required
Education
Balu Academy for Dog Trainers; MS in Human Resources Management
Which part of the country do you serve pets?
West Hollywood/Los Angeles, CA
What year did you begin serving pets?
2003
How did you hone your craft?
I went to dog training school; volunteered with the spca/LA for 2 years; acquired a mentor; attend the latest seminars, webinars and conferences on a regular basis; confer with fellow trainers/behavior consultants on case studies.
What tip would you give pet parents for working with animals that you've learned as a pro?
Your dog is constantly trying to read your body language to figure out what you want of them. Offering clear signals -- both physical and verbal -- teaches your dog what you expect. Please respect your dog for being a dog, not a human.
What is one thing you want pet parents to know about you? It can be whatev-fur you'd like!
I want you and your dog to have fun with training. If you aren't having fun, learning will happen either slowly or not the way you expect.
Distinction
Customer Reviews
We found Susan to be very knowledgeable, friendly and adaptable. She is good with people and with dogs. We would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a high-quality dog trainer.
- Steven SPet Pro's Response:
It was a pleasure working with you and darling Sadie!
- Susan IsaacsSusan has been wonderful to work with our (now 3 mo old) puppy couldn't love her enough! being able to speak with Susan between our sessions is a unique perk I've never heard of other trainers offering, being able to check with her about how to handle new behaviors our puppy shows is beyond helpful and ensures we continue to guide our pup in the right direction and don't let bad habits stick before our next scheduled in person session.
Her method of positive - not exclusively food driven - reinforcement is something we wanted and she does not falter on this either.
Susan is a terrific trainer. She has been working with our 11 week old collie puppy and he has benefited greatly. She is both excellent with pups and adults alike. Her private sessions are very informative and she follows up with emails reviewing the activities introduced during the training sessions. In addition she is a great resource for dog toys, dog food etc. We highly recommend her.
- Andrea R"Gus" our 80 pound chocolate lab was a nightmare to walk, pulling and uncontrollable. Susan returned my call in less than 10 mins and we were able to schedule an evaluation.
Susan was on time, detail oriented and straight forward.
After a short conversation and answering some questions about Gus' we got straight to work.
I'll spare you the specifics but I'm not exaggerating when I say later that evening we were walking a different dog.
I cannot recommend Susan enough and we are so excited to enjoy walking our dog again.
- Mark ASusan is absolutely wonderful. She helped me build a language with which I could use to help train my sweet shih tzu. Susan is always easy to schedule with, and was very respectful with COVID guidelines. I cannot recommend her enough with training a puppy. She uses positive reinforcement and helps ensure that the owner (me) stays consistent with training!
- Sophie BSusan is great - can't recommend her enough. My boyfriend and I had a "foster failure" situation with a German Shepherd puppy, and we really wanted her to be well-trained (especially because we have a cat, and I didn't have any prior experience training a puppy).
We reached out to a few trainers, and we're so glad we went with Susan - she's a great teacher (both for humans & dogs). Our puppy loves the training sessions. Since working with Susan, I feel so much more comfortable and confident communicating with our dog. Reading and watching videos doesn't compare at all to working with a trainer - she catches things you wouldn't think to google. Susan has also been extremely helpful recommending gear. Highly recommended!
- Allyson MHow do you serve precious pets?
- Private Dog Training
- Animal Behaviorist
- Puppy Trainer
- Dog Obedience Training
- K9 Training
- Dog Trainer
What training tools do you use?
- Front-clip Harness
- Head Collar
- Leash
- Long Line
- Praise/Affection
- Toys
- Treats
Which training type do you employ to encourage paw-sitive behaviors?
- Pet Behavior Modification
- Dog Obedience Training
What part of the animal kingdom do you serve?
- Dogs
On a scale of snail to elephant, what size animals do you work with?
- 20-39 lbs
- 40-79 lbs
- 80+ lbs
- under 20 lbs
Pet Certifications
- American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Approved Evaluator (AKC CGC)
- Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA)
Cat-astrophes happen! What is your cancellation policy?
- 24 hours notice required
Education
Balu Academy for Dog Trainers; MS in Human Resources Management
Which part of the country do you serve pets?
West Hollywood/Los Angeles, CA
What year did you begin serving pets?
2003
How did you hone your craft?
I went to dog training school; volunteered with the spca/LA for 2 years; acquired a mentor; attend the latest seminars, webinars and conferences on a regular basis; confer with fellow trainers/behavior consultants on case studies.
What tip would you give pet parents for working with animals that you've learned as a pro?
Your dog is constantly trying to read your body language to figure out what you want of them. Offering clear signals -- both physical and verbal -- teaches your dog what you expect. Please respect your dog for being a dog, not a human.
What is one thing you want pet parents to know about you? It can be whatev-fur you'd like!
I want you and your dog to have fun with training. If you aren't having fun, learning will happen either slowly or not the way you expect.
Customer Reviews
We found Susan to be very knowledgeable, friendly and adaptable. She is good with people and with dogs. We would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a high-quality dog trainer.
- Steven SPet Pro Response:
It was a pleasure working with you and darling Sadie!
- Susan IsaacsSusan has been wonderful to work with our (now 3 mo old) puppy couldn't love her enough! being able to speak with Susan between our sessions is a unique perk I've never heard of other trainers offering, being able to check with her about how to handle new behaviors our puppy shows is beyond helpful and ensures we continue to guide our pup in the right direction and don't let bad habits stick before our next scheduled in person session.
Her method of positive - not exclusively food driven - reinforcement is something we wanted and she does not falter on this either.
Susan is a terrific trainer. She has been working with our 11 week old collie puppy and he has benefited greatly. She is both excellent with pups and adults alike. Her private sessions are very informative and she follows up with emails reviewing the activities introduced during the training sessions. In addition she is a great resource for dog toys, dog food etc. We highly recommend her.
- Andrea R"Gus" our 80 pound chocolate lab was a nightmare to walk, pulling and uncontrollable. Susan returned my call in less than 10 mins and we were able to schedule an evaluation.
Susan was on time, detail oriented and straight forward.
After a short conversation and answering some questions about Gus' we got straight to work.
I'll spare you the specifics but I'm not exaggerating when I say later that evening we were walking a different dog.
I cannot recommend Susan enough and we are so excited to enjoy walking our dog again.
- Mark ASusan is absolutely wonderful. She helped me build a language with which I could use to help train my sweet shih tzu. Susan is always easy to schedule with, and was very respectful with COVID guidelines. I cannot recommend her enough with training a puppy. She uses positive reinforcement and helps ensure that the owner (me) stays consistent with training!
- Sophie BSusan is great - can't recommend her enough. My boyfriend and I had a "foster failure" situation with a German Shepherd puppy, and we really wanted her to be well-trained (especially because we have a cat, and I didn't have any prior experience training a puppy).
We reached out to a few trainers, and we're so glad we went with Susan - she's a great teacher (both for humans & dogs). Our puppy loves the training sessions. Since working with Susan, I feel so much more comfortable and confident communicating with our dog. Reading and watching videos doesn't compare at all to working with a trainer - she catches things you wouldn't think to google. Susan has also been extremely helpful recommending gear. Highly recommended!
- Allyson M
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