I can’t say enough positive things about my experience with Paula. From day one, she has been incredibly patient and understanding, especially when it comes to working with me as much as with my dog! Paula has an impressive understanding of dog behavior, and she has helped me build a much stronger connection with my dog, Bruno.
One of the most valuable aspects of working with Paula is how she teaches me to read Bruno’s body language and behavior. She doesn’t just show me what to do, but actively helps me understand what to look for, which has made a world of difference in our communication and bond. Thanks to her guidance, I now feel more confident in recognizing the subtle cues Bruno gives me.
Paula’s use of positive reinforcement and OSR techniques has been a game changer. Bruno is responding so much better, and we’ve already seen significant progress. I’m truly grateful for her expertise and ongoing support, and I now feel equipped with the tools to continue making progress.
Paula is the real deal – not only is she incredibly knowledgeable, but she’s also kind, supportive, and genuinely invested in both my dog’s success and mine. If you’re looking for a coach and a cheerleader who can truly help you and your dog, I wholeheartedly recommend Paula!

I need to tell you about the best positive dog trainer in So California...I hired her for the first year of my puppies life...I wanted her to start off with a good foundation as she grew up to be a good dog and she did. However when she was older she started to bark at random people who went for walks and other dogs.....This irritated people, I tried other solution but none seemed to do the trick. So I called Paula again and we started working together. It hasn't been too long yet but I can tell you this was the perfect solution for me....I know the issues will be solved with a little more training.....Don't give up on your dog ..they have that unconditional Love we all need.

We cannot recommend Paula highly enough. If you have a dog with behavioral issues, see Paula. She doesn’t promise a miracle solution on day 1; unrealistic no matter how many dog trainers provide reviews claiming otherwise. Instead, she uses behavioral science to identify the underlying motivation for the behavior and provide a treatment plan that provides the dog with the confidence and agency to choose a solution that allows the dog to calmly negotiate the triggering stimuli. She works with the dog’s carers to ensure they understand the dog’s behavior and cues and can thus communicate effectively with the dog.
We have a rescue English Bully who struggled greatly when interacting with anyone outside a small circle of people. The issue got worse over time such that every trip outside our house became incredibly stressful for us and our pup and we could not have anyone over to our house. We tried three trainers, with no results or a worsening of the issue, before our vet recommended that we try a behaviorist. Thankfully, we found Paula.
Our experience with Paula is 180 compared to the other trainers. Paula does not use traditional obedience training. She does not “train” away the behavior using positive or negative / fear reinforcement, a pack leader / alpha approach etc. Nor does she use a one size fits all approach. I.e., Dog A is reactive. Use solution A. Dog B is reactive. Use the same solution A – regardless of whether Dog A’s reactivity is caused by the same reasons as Dog B’s and regardless of how Dog A and Dog B experience and respond to their environment.
Instead, Paula identified the underlying cause of and motivation for our dog’s behavior and treated that; in essence she allowed both us and our dog to re-set and choose a different way to respond to the triggering stimuli.
Paula spent time understanding our dog, us, our relationship with each other, and how we all interact with our environment – through use of a detailed intake history, discussions, and reviews of videos of us and our dog.
Paula explained our dog’s behavior and how our dog was responding to our behavior. It was eye opening for us; we had missed cues our dog was trying to give us and misunderstood his behavior on many occasions. We had tried to help him through his anxiety and reactivity in exactly the wrong way.
Paula then put together “scaffolding” – an easy to understand and implement approach to building our dog’s resilience and confidence, presenting our dog with solutions to deal with the triggering stimuli, and enabling us to effectively communicate with and help our dog choose a solution that allows him to calmly and confidently remain under the triggering threshold.
We now feel like we are finally communicating with our dog. We understand his behavior. We see his cues. We know what he needs from us. And we can see a future in which both we and our dog can calmly negotiate what used to be impossible triggers.
This approach requires patience, especially when building our dog’s resilience and confidence, however, I can say that we have experienced numerous and consistent breakthroughs in understanding our dog’s behavior, in learning how to communicate with him, and in his ability to deal with triggers. We are a work in progress, but we are confident in our future.
From a practical perspective, Paula’s training set-up, which includes Zoom and in-person meetings, and a Slack channel is excellent. The in-person meetings focus primarily on our dog – building his confidence and resilience and helping him choose different solutions. The Zoom meetings focus on our behavior and our understanding of our dog; for example, we will often review videos of us and dog. The Slack channel allows us to post questions, videos etc. that Paula then answers.
Finally, Paula is incredibly patient, super supportive, and clearly dedicated toward helping us find a better way forward. We are so grateful we found her.