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Get the right foundation for a healthy relationship with your dog.

Proven Expertise

You’ll learn techniques used by advanced animal trainers worldwide, and we’re fully endorsed by both the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and the Certification Council of Pet Dog Trainers.

Convenient

We make it easy for you with evening and weekend classes. Plus, our San Jose location is near three freeways, making it easy to reach from anywhere in the South Bay Area.

And Fun Too!

You’ll be learning powerful tools and techniques, but we’ll still make it fun for you and your dog.

What do our dog training classes cover?

  • Basic obedience and commands

  • Behavior problem-solving techniques

  • Household and public good manners

  • Preventative health care

  • And much more…

Client Testimonials

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I’m not sure how many nice things I can say about Dawna, her expertise, and her amazing service. A delicate situation with our dog and she was nothing but professional and empathetic. Countless phone calls helping us through some tough circumstances, always putting our dog and family first. Our initial meeting with her could not have been sweeter, with a special blanket laid out, the best chew treat to keep our girl busy while we talked. Although Dawna made it seem casual, I could tell she was constantly watching and learning our girl’s cues to give her the very best assessment and guidance. Although we were too far away to continue training, Dawna has continued to check in on our progress and has had a genuinely caring presence. She is more than a trainer, she is an asset to any dog family that. I have and will continue to recommend her.

5
Stacey
Concord CA
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I brought my 2.5 year old German Shepherd to the beginner’s dog training class because I just adopted her from the shelter and wanted to get her in a habit of good behavior and wanted her to socialize with other dogs. This class is in a small group setting and I felt I learned a lot in the 6 weeks.
Dawna is very energetic and knowledgeable about dog training. She knows how to explain the whys behind each command that we are learning so that the whole group understands! The higher the distraction, the higher the reward was the best tip I learned to keep my Lyla motivated to learn more!
Would recommend her classes to anyone who is looking to train their dog! The staff is also great and patient with all the dogs there!

5
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Had an initial private training with Dawna. She is fantastic. She is extremely intuitive and knowledgeable about dogs, and their owners, and was quickly able to give us a lot of advice to incorporate right away to support our dog’s training needs. Can’t recommend scheduling time with her enough.

5
Jordan H.
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I’m so glad we found Happy Tails for training. Tessa came to us as a sweet but scared four-year-old three-legged rescue with a checkered past; she desperately wants to be a good girl, but she had a lot of anxiety and fear issues due to previous abuse. Dawna does a great job of meeting dogs where they’re at and understanding that not every dog in the group class will progress the same way, and she helped to train us as much as our girl so we could be better cued in to how she was feeling and when she was stressed. It’s been four years since we took the training class, and Tessa has blossomed into the happy comfortable dog she always wanted to be. As an added bonus, since she already became familiar with the staff and location during training classes she was much less stressed about coming to Canine Corral for daycare/boarding!

5
Melissa N.
Cambrian Park, San Jose, CA

Experience Matters

Dawna Caldwell is the founder of Happy Tails to You Dog Training. Dawna studied veterinary science at UC Davis until she realized that the field of animal behavior was her true calling.

She’s on the Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley’s trainer referral list and is a proud member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. Dawna also meets frequently with behaviorists from around the world to keep her training methods up-to-date and her clients well-informed.

In her spare time, Dawna shares her expertise with many local rescue organizations, rehabilitating dogs with behavior issues and helping them to find forever homes. Several of these efforts are featured in her frequent KOFY TV 20 appearances.

NEWS…

Onwer Dawna Caldwell was intereveid on NBC Bay Area Nov 21, 2023

Bay Area pet owners on edge about mystery illness sickening dogs across the US

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