The Driven Dog

I found Karin a couple months ago via the AKC website within a list of official Canine Good Citizen trainers/​evaluators. I don’t know what made me pick her out of the many, but I am seriously happy I did!
I have a one-​year-​old female working lines-​German Shepherd. Karin came to my home and stayed two hours to evaluate our situation, free of charge. I have worked with trainers before, but I have to say, Karin is awesome! I knew I (and my pup) would fare very well if we continued to work with her. Within the first meeting, she was able to recognize my pup’s tendencies and what our options were. She has an extensive knowledge of dog behavior/​quirks which I could see immediately.
We just finished our 8-​pack of private, home lessons, and I honestly cannot imagine what my life would be like if I hadn’t hired her! I thought I was bonded to my dog before, but looking back, it is like comparing night and day! We continue to practice obedience on a daily basis and are now members of their PSA club!
Knowing Karin’s style, it’s somewhat hard to believe that anyone could have a negative experience due to lack of attention or effort. She has always provided straight-​forward, constructive instructions for both my dog and I which has only resulted in success. She has always been available to answer questions and provide tips for any issues.
IT IS TRULY ON THE OWNER TO TAKE ADVICE AND APPLY IT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. Consistency is the ONLY way to make training stick! Once you have the tools, it’s up to you to make it work for your fur-baby’s lifetime!

Can’t say enough good things about the Karin! My sweet dog Charlie recently passed, but we had been working with Karin for about a year. I met with her first for training with my dog and she took great interest in him and his quirks and anxious behavior, and worked with my budget to offer some training. Charlie was a unique case and was very shut down outside and refused to walk on the leash. After meeting with us for an initial free evaluation, she offered to email with me at no charge some training tools I could try with him myself as she knew we would have a long road of work ahead of us! After most of my attempts didn’t consistently work, I had him board and train with her for a little over two weeks. She was very patient with him until he got comfortable in her facility with her before she started training with him. When I took him home, we went on a perfect walk for two miles around our neighborhood that evening. I couldn’t believe it! Karin knew that a lot of Charlie’s issues came from his confidence and she focused on building that, and also helped me to understand the behavior I needed to put forth as his owner to continue with his training. Most people don’t understand that the dog’s behavior ultimately stems from the owner’s behavior and we may need training just as much as they do! Charlie’s success went back and forth after that but I continued to board him at her doggy daycare facility, Whiskers ‘N Tails, where he always had so much fun. It was like a vacation for him and comforting for me to know he was in such good hands!
At the end of last year Charlie was hit with health issues that we dealt with for a few months until it quickly became too much and I had to put him down early this year. It was a devastating time for me, but Karin was available essentially ²⁴⁄₇ for me to offer advice and support or just a shoulder to cry on. I wish we could have spent more time with her to see how far Charlie’s progress could have gotten. But I will be forever grateful for all she did for both of us! Whether you need training or boarding or simply doggie daycare, and at fair pricing, I highly recommend Karin. She is extremely hard working and passionate about all that she does!

Karin is amazing she helped me and my dog Bentley. Bentley was a great puppy eager to learn and eager to please. Bentley turned 1 he started to bark at other dogs during walks. I was worried he was dog aggressive. I hated taking him for walks because I never knew how he would act.
With help from Karin she told me my dog was not dog aggressive at all just really excited to see dogs. Not only did she train my dog she trained me. I loved when she would bring other dogs to train with and then he could have his playtime. I am now more in control with my dog and comfortable correcting him. Everyday has an opportunity for training. And Karin had made me more in control. I enjoy walking my dog again and it’s all because of Karin. I also have to say even though we don’t have training sessions anymore she Always willing to help as much as she can even though she’s have way across the country. Thank you for giving me the confidence to be a better dog owner!

I recently adopted a beagle named Chase from Karin. I was told he was given up because he was too much for the family but so far he’s the perfect dog for me. He truly is the definition of a «working» dog. Currently he’s in the nose work class with the driven dog and chase is GREAT. Besides his work ethic, he’s so friendly and gets along great with people and dogs. He actually is trained and knows all his commands. It’s all about how much work you decide to put into your dogs training, the trainer (Karin) can only do so much until it’s up to you. It’s all about consistency with the training.
I’ve had a beagle before and know what they’re like. Chase is a perfect example of one. His nose takes him every where and that is why I put him in the nose work class with Karin. Right now he’s the best in the class!
When I brought him home he adjusted really quick and knew to use the bathroom outside because at my house he is a house dog. He of course still has his hyper moments because he is only 1 years old but it’s nothing I can’t handle and keep practicing on with him. He does have an Instagram where I have pictures and videos of him showing off his training! @Adventuresofchase_
Thanks Karin for such a lovable & great dog!

To make a long story short, my family has no dog! We sent our hyper Beagle for 2 weeks for over $ 2800+, for live-​in boarding with Karin. She ended up keeping him for 3 weeks, did her 2 follow up trainings, and our daughters 8^th birthday doggy ended up having to find another home, the training never worked! Our Chasey was adorable but totally out of control after all that training; he even peed on my bed! Karin tried to make it better by taking him back for training and swore he was better but I couldn’t bare for my daughter to get him back and then he have to go again! Karin did help find him a home and said she would help us find and train another dog because those dogs don’t train well and sad he never conformed because he just wasn’t the dog for us… uum he was suppose to be cuz we paid you to train him to work specifically with our family. But, we went with what she suggested still wanting to believe her expertise. Chasey really was becoming too out of control and SHE obviously couldn’t train him, we didn’t want to spend more money or put him through more only for it not to work. So, we figured ok, an even trade for what we spent buying him, inboard training him and everything we and the kids went through emotionally with the dog, maybe her suggestion would work out, we could find another great dog for the kids and move past this. Well, we should have kept our Chasey and left her ass alone, not the other way around!!! Now, it’s been 6 months and she hasn’t helped is, traded or trained nothing for us… even trade my ass!!! We have no dog for our kids!
My family is furious with me about trusting her and now we are so confused and frantic of any behavior a dog displays because of things she told us. Someone even gave us a dog and we were too fearful to keep him at the first little signs of behavior. I even took the initiative and tried to find and pay for another dog on my own even though she promised me an even trade… but we can’t make progress because she drilled into us that our picks of dogs for our family wasn’t right for us and that most every dog we named «couldn’t be trained» according to her!!!
Nevertheless, 6 months later, she still did nothing to help us; no dog, no trying, absolutely nothing! She gave me one referral after I reached out to her after 5 months. She sent me a site to buy a dog, probably from her friend or something, but we would have to pay almost as much as it had costs us to buy our Beagle and then in-​board train him… she just now wants her friend to take our money, wth! Just do yourself and your family a favor, don’t go to her! She’s not focused, she doesn’t keep her word and I doubt the dogs actually even get trained… according to her «this bread (and ever other bread I mention), is too hard to train or takes longer to train… yeah, ok, right!
Last thing, she also now owns «Whispers and Tails» in Gardena/​Carson area, I would suggest not to go waste your money there either; don’t throw your coins down the drain on her unethical unreliable training, advice or grooming services!

I had rescued Chancellor from a shelter in CA having no idea what I was getting myself into. Chancellor is a beautiful German Shepherd but his behavior was definitely lagging behind those looks. My husband and I could not invite guests over in fear Chancellor would attack them. Other dogs? Forget it! Taking him in public let alone around other dogs was a design for disaster. My husband, who is Chancellor’s main caretaker had gotten deployed to Afghanistan and I was left with all the Chance’s crazy. There I sat, laptop in lap and a seemingly possessed German Shepherd attacking the windows because someone dared walked outside. That’s where Karin and the Driven Dog came in. I was looking for a miracle and she gave it to me. Karin came to my home and assessed Chancellor and gave me more insight to my dogs behavior in that assessment than in the 3 years I had had Chancellor. I signed Chancellor up immediately for a board and train. When I got Chancellor back, I didn’t know what to expect. As soon as he walked out of the door I saw an immediate change in behavior; he walked out of the door. I was overwhelmed. Here was the dog but 2 weeks prior could not be controlled on a leash and here he was walking calmly and trusting his surroundings. I continue to work with Chance knowing my support is no more than a text away. Chance is walked on leash twice a day, he «allows» us to entertain and he is a great big brother to our newest family addition

When we first got our «pit» puppy, we knew we wanted to have her trained. We Unilocaled and read different reviews and we came across The Driven Dog. Our decision to have Karin as our trainer was the best decision we could have ever made. She taught us skills and we practiced them. Now, we get so much compliments from strangers. We love taking her places and see how behaved she is compare to other dogs. We are so happy we met Karin. So if you’re looking for a trainer, give Karin a call. I’m glad we did!

Karin is fantastic! We have a now 10 month old Doberman who is smart and focused and wants to work hard and is completely different than any other dog that we’ve ever had. Including another Doberman! We got the basics down but really needed a trainer to help us take our lovely pup to the next level and Karin did just that.
We chose the board and train and our pup spent four weeks with Karin. It was definitely harder on me then on her! Which I could see when I would get videos of her playing in the yard with the other dogs or working with Karin. She was bright and happy and looked so good when she was in training! Focused and alert and so wanting to do well. Her tail went a mile a minute :-)
And what is so great is that this same focus and energy continues here at home. Walking her and working with her is so much fun because we — meaning my pup and us — we all now have great tools for her to be her best self. Karin brought her back to us and spend over three hours working us through all the new things that our dog had learned. I think I’m almost as good at everything as my pup is!
As a side note, the board and train takes place at Whiskers N’ Tails, the boarding facility that Karin. The place is clean and welcoming. Our pup came home happy and healthy and newly bathed. We will continue to board our dog at Karin’s facility whenever we go away to reinforce the training that she has had and continue to add new exercises. I have no doubt she will LOVE going back each time.
Thank you Karin for helping us bring out the best in our incredible puppy!

We were clearly in the minority after reading the rest of these review but I can honestly say that I would never refer someone to the Driven Dog and was extremely disappointed in the level of service we received.
We have an extremely anxious Pointer-​mix (we assume — he was rescued) that we sent to live with Karin for 3 weeks. We sent her several emails the first week he was with her and had to wait more than a week for a reply. We were out of the country at the time and this made us a little nervous since we had not received one word of feedback since our dog was picked up. A week in… this was telling of thee rest of the experience.
We finally received an update but anytime we asked for an update it took several days. Karin told me she doesn’t respond well to emails so to text or call her. She was still non responsive to both of those options as well.
About a week and a half or so in she let us know that our dog was making no progress and would need another week of training. We agreed to let this happen on the condition that if he didn’t improve we wouldn’t have to pay the additional fee.
When we finally got our dog home after an entire month he was FILTHY dirty and smelled HORRID. To the point Karin made several comments about how badly he smelt. So let’s break this down… Our dog stayed at her house, was trained daily by her and we spent over $ 3,000 to have her watch them and she couldn’t even wash the dog before returning him??? She had told us going in that he would be thinner because of her training techniques, which he definitely was, so his gaunt appearance wasn’t the off-​putting part. It was that this woman, who was supposedly spending time with our dog, didn’t event notice or care how disgusting he was. It looked like his legs were almost a different color from all the dirt and he reached of urine.
Included in our price were several follow up appointments and ongoing group training. We had to follow up with karin to make these appointments and never once was asked about how the dog was without our reaching out first.
I am terribly disappointed I selected Driven Dog to try to reform our dog and am even more disappointed in the service we received. I feel like Karin took our money, did as little as she could to keep the money, basically neglected our dog for a month and then went on her merry way.

I have a 12 year old dog that was aggressive and will bite people. I emailed Karin and we set up a time for an evaluation. First time meeting her and she determined that my dog needed the board and train and that she will be able to fix his behavior! She was very professional and honest about how she will train him and what we’d have to do after to maintain his behavior. She made sure we were committed before our training began. After a couple weeks of training, I couldn’t believe my eyes… he now greets people and let them pet him! He used to also growl at other dogs, but she’s changed that too. Now he let’s them come and play with him! He’s a changed dog, and I can’t thank her enough. Thank you so much Karin!

wouldnt recomend this trainer. Called her a few months ago for training for malinoes. She couldnt stop saying how horrible the breed is. Even though she said she has the breed also. She was very «know it all» tried to act like she knew everything

We rescued our dog (a Pit mix, estimated 4 – 6 years old) from out of state while on vacation, flew her to California, had to move (so the dog stayed with my mom for a few weeks), and then she came home to us. It’s no wonder she was so anxious. We thought we were doing the right things — like crate training her, using a front leading harness, etc. However, our sweet sweet dog had a couple of very aggressive (seemingly unprovoked) episodes with other dogs that could have easily led to a visit to the vet or worse. Yes, blood was involved — it was awful. We chalked the first incidence up to the other dog, but the second one there was no excuse and we contacted Karin that day. She responded immediately.
Karin was the perfect person to help us and our pup. We had 6 sessions with her, and in that time, both our dog and us went from being nervous, insecure, and totally misunderstanding of the other to calm, confident and eager to please. Karin really trained US — gave us homework and suggestions to make small strides each week. Her technique is not overwhelming and really makes you feel capable as a dog owner of achieving successful communication and obedience with your dog. She makes dog actions relatable — you know, «that weird girl in the bar making up drama in her head» type analogies :) — to help you understand your dog’s behavior. Now we get compliments our our dog’s behavior all the time — our neighbors come outside just to say hi to her if they see her from the window. She has doggie friends now too. Does she like every dog? No. And Karin taught us that that’s ok… and normal! And now we have the tools to correct her behavior if needed, which isn’t often. We cannot thank her enough! Call her!!!

Karin is an excellent trainer! This is our first puppy and first time using a trainer. We didn’t know what to expect? Karin is experienced, professional, knowledgeable and a nice person. We could tell right away that she truly loves our dog and wants to help us to get results quickly. In a short time, our dog is already following basic commands and enjoys training time. We would recommend Karin to anyone that’s looking for a pet trainer. Packer and I are looking forward to our next visit!!!

I can’t believe what a difference Karin has made in the already great relationship I had with my dog Ike. I’m not one who does things twice, so here’s a snippet from an email I sent her…
«But the really exciting news is that Ike was AWESOME at the vet. There were dogs and cats all over the place and Ike was stellar. I put him in a down stay and he let other dogs walk up to him to say Hi. He didn’t budge though. I was amazed. So was the staff at the vet. He used to lose his mind there. They even warned me that two small dogs were exiting and would have to walk past Ike. I used to take him outside until we got a room. We stayed put and Ike was great.»
And that was after 5 sessions with Karin. Ike got his CGC certification on the 5^th. We started training for rally obedience competition today. Thanks to Karin’s guidance, Ike was stellar again.
I’m so happy to have the most well behaved dog wherever we go. People comment about how well trained he is all the time, but we haven’t been at it that long. Karin is the difference. She has a very simple, straightforward method of teaching pets and handlers. I recommend her highly.

I adopted my dog from a rescue about a year ago and was told he was going to be 35lbs max, but he grew like a weed and was already reaching 70lbs before his first birthday! I absolutely love the guy but I wasn’t prepared to handle such a large, willful, and stubborn pup.
I tried two other training facilities before I found Karin at the Driven Dog. Both places had very nice trainers, but we weren’t getting any results. I know little of my dog’s history before I adopted him, but was very fearful of strangers. When near new dogs or people, he would bark and growl loudly or sometimes cower behind my legs or try to climb up into my arms.
Karin has helped us so much in the short month since we’ve been working together! The improvements we’ve made are incredible and I can tell my sweet dog is all the happier for it! Walks are now something he looks forward to and though he is still suspicious of other large dogs, we both know how to handle these situations now. He is more confident, less stressed– and honestly I am too!
If you have a little problem child of your own, I highly recommend you contact Karin. She is very capable and compassionate and willing to create a unique training plan based purely on your needs and goals.

Karin is fantastic! Long Beach is lucky to have her! I adopted Ruger from her and we couldn’t be happier. When she moved from Chicago not only did she make sure we were ok, she set up a meet and greet with one of her recommendations incase we needed any refresher work.

I can honestly say that Karin did the impossible… she got me to like my dog, Barney. I always loved him, but I didn’t like him because I couldn’t get him to behave. He’s the craziest, most stubborn, West Highland Terrier in the Chicagoland area. We went through couches (he tore them apart), eye glasses (he ate them), and you’d have check the entire house for poop and pee every time you came home or woke up. After Karin was done with Barney’s training; he hasn’t had more than 2 accidents in 2 months (and both were understandable), he hasn’t been destructive at all, he sits on command and he comes when you call him. I would recommend Karin to anyone who has a problem dog, and to be honest, I did recommend her to a friend today. I’m not sure anyone else could’ve gotten through to Barney, and my girlfriend and I are very grateful that she did. In my opinion, you can’t afford not to give her a shot at helping your dog and family.

We always have great training sessions. I’ve known Karin for awhile and always trust her advice. My dog is a difficult case but apparently not for Karin! I’m thinking about doing her boarding training. She has a high success rate and does her best work.

Where do I begin?
Karin is an incredible asset to the animal rescue community. She is our go to person whenever the rescue that I volunteer for encounters new or old behaviors that need more professional evaluation/​modification than our fosters or we ourselves can offer. She has accompanied me on home visits, performed evaluations on dogs that we were interested in pulling from animal control and has helped fosters and adopters acclimate with their dogs.
One of the things that I want to stress is that a person can not go into obedience or behavior modification expecting a trainer to miraculously give them the perfect dog. The owner must participate, accept, learn and modify their own behaviors as well. I can not tell you enough horror stories of how people mis-​communicate with their dogs and wonder why they can not replicate what she makes look so easy. I can personally attest that if you follow her guidance too a tee, your dog can be modified of it’s behavioral issues.
Clear, Consistent, Communication is key.
Watching Karin work is truly magical and inspiring. I have witnessed her rehabilitate dogs that others have given up on. She has an incredible confidence and mad skills working with dogs. She is able to educate and teach others in a way that truly makes sense.
Karin has helped the rescue that I volunteer with on many dogs that came with fear aggression, trust issues, as well as dogs that resource guarded. I believe her help made finding their forever homes possible. We highly recommend her services to those in need of obedience training, CGC certification, behavior modification, or whatever needs you might have for your dog. I would trust Karin with my own dogs and I have.

Karin is awesome! She is professional and very knowledgeable about dog behavior. My doggie was having a big issue with one dog in my apartment building as well as walking on the leash without pulling and in just one visit my dog is doing 100 times better! Karin, you’re awesome!