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We may get nostalgic for the ‘old days’, but when it comes to dog training we’re sure glad that some things have changed. Our understanding of animal behavior has grown a lot over the years, transforming the way we think about dog training. Shake It Off approaches training with a modern, choice-driven, compassionate methodology that is grounded in the science of behavior. It’s no trick —we owe our success to positive-reinforcement and rewards-based techniques that are free from pain, force and intimidation. It is so effective, you can use it to train almost any animal —humans included. It’s not magic, but we can understand why some of our clients think so.

I always use Positive Reinforcement and Rewards-Based methods in all my training. Behavior Modification is always done using scientifically proven methods to modify, reshape or extinguish the unwanted behavior. I believe in being patient, compassionate, helping the dog to reshape its behavior at a comfortable pace for the dog, and doing it with confidence. That is where training you - the person - to train your dog, comes into my training philosophy.

Helping dogs and their humans live their best lives

I am Gigi, founder of ~mascotas~ Dog walking and Pet sitting services with over five years of experience taking care of pets. We are helping San Francisco’s pet owners whose dog/cat struggle with leash reactivity, social anxiety, fear, shyness, are seniors, and/or sick. We tailor each pet’s plan to their unique needs to minimize their triggers. Our approach is patience, building trust with your pet, providing a safe environment, positive reinforcement, and lots of love. By focusing on individualized care plans and solo dog walking ~mascotas~ has been able to put all our years of experience and pet shelter volunteering to good use. When I am not working with a fury client or volunteering.

HFDT offers force-free, reward-based dog training from puppy I to adult reactive "aggressive" dogs. I work with ALL ages, sizes and breeds and tailor classes to promote demonstrable learning, real life skills and a happy dog.

Blitz Dog Training is here to help you get down to the root cause of your dog’s behaviors & find a sustainable balance in the teamwork between you and your dog. At BDT, we empathize with all the daily frustrations: the Google-confusion, the money/time you may have already thrown at the issue for little/worse results, the unsolicited advice from others, & the perpetuated myths that make it hard to know what works. BDT is here to be your final answer. We are in the business of building confidence through applied learning theory & behavior modification. Together we'll make it as fun as possible for both sides of your human-dog team & in turn, you'll receive a bond beyond your expectations.

I started a professional dog walking business in San Francisco, CA in the summer of 1992. I walked dogs and boarded dogs in San Francisco for 27 wonderful years. At the end of 2019, I made the decision to move out of San Francisco and move back to the East Bay, where I was born and raised. In 2020, I moved to beautiful Castro Valley and now I am boarding dogs ( small dogs only ) out of my home. I have a lovely park-like backyard, complete with its own "dog park" (synthetic lawn). I rescued a shelter dog in the middle of the pandemic. He is a 15 pound mixed breed dog named Fonzie. Fonzie gets along great with all dogs. I am licensed, bonded and insured.

After nearly 30 years teaching high school, I retired to work with animals. I am certified through Animal Behavior College as a Dog Walker, Pet Sitter, and Zookeeper Assistant. I am also a Certified Dog Trainer through Petco. I have two small dogs, a 12-year-old Spitz and a 3-year-old Border Terrier. I’ve been a pet mom for the past 25 years of both dogs and cats. I have also owned fish, mice, hamsters, and a rat. I LOVE animals, and I will care for yours as my own.