Testomonials & Reviews for Hillary’s Hound House

“We love Hillary’s Hound House. Our labradoodle puppy has been attending since he was 11 weeks old (he is now 10 months old) – he went through the Jumpstart program initially and now drops in for puppy playcare (and is super-excited to go there, every time). We came to the Hound House on a recommendation from a friend and are so happy we did. Although both my husband and I grew up around dogs, this has been our first experience of puppy parenting and the support and guidance we have received from Hillary, her team, and the other Hound House families continues to be invaluable. Hillary’s approach of training the dog and then their humans is fantastic – we attended all of her Saturday human-training classes as a family which meant that we all learnt the same things and could be consistent in reinforcing the training at home. Within a couple of weeks of starting the Jumpstart program, our pup was fully potty trained and had mastered recall. The value of the recall training was very clearly demonstrated to us after a backyard escape bid – after a moment of panicked looking up and down the street to see if I could spot our daring escapee, I tried calling him and he came sprinting right back to me. Hillary and her team are caring, patient and really committed to providing a safe, stimulating environment for dogs – they clearly love our dog and he loves them. I would definitely recommend Hillary’s Hound House to anyone with a new puppy.”

Abigail Hunt

“Our Rose is evolving into a good, little global citizen, aware of herself and others and often choosing the “right” sought after option. Your program(s) helped transform this unruly new puppy to this marvelous being that we cannot imagine living life without her presence. The early reminders, “that’s not it” and “you can do it” gave us a feeling that there was a future with this little one. Your work has contributed to the transformation of our Rose and as you continue on your days of reflection, think of how many others there are who have had the same experience and are now enjoying their lives with their transformed doggies! We are eternally grateful to you and your team.”

Fran, Denise and Rose LePage

“We’ve loved having Luna work with you and your terrific team! I think she’s off to a great start and now it’s up to John and I to continue to reinforce what she’s learned. I’m going to (continue to) tell all my friends about your service. Loved it!”

Jill Kinney

“A friend recommended Hillary’s Hound House and I’m so thankful she did! Ozzie, our mini Aussie Shepard, was 6 months when we first brought him in- he had some prior training but needed more. Both my husband and I work and we realized that Ozzie needed more interaction and he needed to be “put to work”. I spoke with Hillary on the phone first and her caring tone, calm energy and experience came through on the phone. And then when I met her and her team, I knew we made the right decision. Hillary and her incredible team have helped Ozzie with recall, potty training, socialization, establishing good habits and more. Hillary is truly The Dog Whisperer and makes things easy to carry on at home too. Ozzie graduated from the Jumpstart program- it works!! Ozzie is now moving on to “Recall with Distractions”. We’re so thankful for Hillary and her team!”

Julie Houtkooper

“I signed my puppy “Earnest” up for Hillary’s “Jumpstart Puppy” program and it was absolutely the best thing I could’ve done, both for Earnest and for me. Hillary and her team worked with Earnest and taught him all of the basic good dog behaviors we all hope to see, and best of all, Earnest learned to ring a bell at the door to tell me he had to go potty. Believe me, it doesn’t get any better than this!!! Also, Hillary worked with me, coaching me on how to give Earnest clear instructions and reward him for his efforts.

After the program, I continue to bring Earnest to the Hound House for socialization, and to enjoy the daily romps at Hillary’s lovely ranch in Novato. Earnest always comes home quite happy and ready for a quiet evening.

Hillary has helped us to transition a new member of the family into our routines, and a loving relationship with Earnest is a great reward for everyone’s efforts. We next plan to attend Grad School…can’t wait!”

Sandy Lelich

“Major foot surgery + 10 month-old puppy = dilemma. How can this little Pom get the exercise and socialization she needs when mama can’t even walk? The answer – Hillary’s Hound House, where little feisty fur ball spent 5 days a week for my months of recovery. A beautiful, well-kept environment for dogs to play but – it gets better. Most days, the doggies are piled into a van or two and driven out to a ranch in Novato, where they get to run in fresh air (and training too, if that’s your need). A quality place, full of positive and knowledgeable employees, run by an owner who is a class act. Whatever your dog needs, there isn’t a better place.“

Jacqueline Zambrano

“First of all, we are veteran dog owners! In the past we’ve tried different trainers, with mixed if not mediocre results…The smartest thing we’ve ever done is enroll our 10 week old Golden Retriever puppy with Hillary! While training Rascal, she gave us invaluable tips and tools that we’ve applied successfully at home. He responded to Hillary and her dedicated staff immediately and positively. His socialization with other puppies has been stimulating, fun and a great learning experience… Thank you Hillary, from all three of us…“

Gail, Phil and Rascal Towle

“Hillary trained my sister’s dog, Bailey who is the most well-behaved dog that I have ever encountered. After 2 weeks, my Goldendoodle puppy mastered many of the most important behaviors needed to be the perfect addition to our family. The Hound House services are exceptional and I highly recommend her training.“

Lori K and Ella

“I would give Hillary 10+ stars if I could. Hillary’s Hound House was the single best thing we ever did for our puppy.

We brought our Goldendoodle puppy to Hillary’s Hound House when she was 13 weeks old. She showed up a very socially awkward, at times unsure/fearful of other puppies, overexcited puppy. All in all had a sweet disposition, but had poor impulse control, was a serial jumper, and had energy to burn. Hillary and team took that energy and channeled it into training – AND IT SHOWS. She is so much more in control of her energy and impulses, doesn’t jump anywhere near as much, and overall is a much more mature puppy. She’s also now so great at walking loose leash. We’ve also taken her to several puppy socials since starting at Hillary’s Hound House and she’s so much more comfortable and friendly with other puppies. Now she’s like the life of the party at puppy socials.“

KB

“Hillary is an amazingly gifted trainer! She trained both of my dogs, a highly sensitive golden retriever & a dachshund, who was house broken in 2 weeks by ringing bells (a miracle), thanks to Hillary!“

Ellen Walker, Sophia and Kooper

“My Bernedoodle puppy, Bilbo, came to Hillary’s Hound House Jumpstart Training as a timid observer, unsure of himself. The program’s emphasis on early socialization was a game-changer! Bilbo thrived in the safe, supervised environment, making tons of puppy friends and learning proper dog etiquette.

Hillary, Heather, and Ashally are amazinggg. Bilbo’s confidence and charisma is all thanks to them. He’s mastering skills like potty training, leash walking, and commands (his recall is amazing!). I’m even more confident as a result, as the team gave me a lot of support and tools for success along the way.

Hillary also hosts a few Saturday classes for the family to join in, so that we can learn what the puppies have been learning to and applying them ourselves. She takes us out to public environments to train us and the pups.

We loved the program so much, we extended Bilbo’s training by two more months. Bilbo is a joy to be around now – polite, obedient, and full of personality. If you want your pup to blossom like Bilbo, look no further!!!”

Ann Lu and Bilbo Baggins

“I cannot say enough good things about Hillary and her team and would give 6 stars if I could. When I first brought Luna in at 14 weeks, she was very shy and fearful of other dogs, with very little impulse control. She LOVED coming to “school” every day – She got not only the socialization and exercise that she needed, but learned a lot of new skills and impulse control, but notably the “default sit”– She used to jump to get something she wanted, but after the 4 weeks at Hillary’s, she has learned that good things only happen when she sits politely and waits. The entire team loves dogs and understands what they need. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to have Luna join the Hillary’s Hound House family.”

Julie Veltman and Luna