The Educated Dog Learning Center

Betsy is amazing! The way she explains how to truly get into a dogs brain is awesome. Just what I need for my young, energetic German Shepherd. He looks at her and you can see his brain working. Not like the correction based training that just intimidates, this training really works. I am so happy to have her to help me raise a fantastic dog!

I am currently working with Betsy and find her to be a God-​send. My dog still has a lot of work to do but I wanted to put this out here now to share my story with others looking for dog training in the South Bay. After a recent move my dog’s separation anxiety suddenly became apparent. Compounded by noise aversion which was aggravated by moving to a more congested area with lots of fireworks in the summer, my German Shepherd was really suffering (and destroying the house I just moved into :-/​) We sought Betsy to guide us through one-​on-​one training. She comes to my house and works with me and gives me lots of homework. Her method is rewards-​based. There are many theories on dog training (as I am learning from lots of reading) and this is just one method. This method focuses on rewarding good behavior rather than correcting unwanted behavior. We still have work to do and of course, you (the owner) do most of the work. Betsy is there to teach and guide you. I would say half of what she did was just encouraging and supporting me through the difficult process and half was training my dog. She is a great resource for dog issues in the South Bay.

I’ve worked with various trainers over the years to help with unique issues with some of the rescue dogs I’ve adopted. The experiences ranged from «why did they think they were qualified as a trainer» to «semi-​ok». Betsy by far is the best trainer i’ve ever worked with. She’s patiently taught me how to apply positive behavior training, to be consistent, understand each of my dogs and work with them effectively and it didn’t take long to realize i was the one that needed the most training. I was faced with a situation of blending multiple dogs into the house (and one was a puppy) so with hands full, lack of experience and sleep deprived she worked closely with me over the course of months. While it was a journey and took lots of work I learned so much, the dogs are doing fantastic and i will always be greatful. She’s the best and we continue with her on a regular basis as there’s always something to work on, the dogs love seeing her and I continue to learn something new all the time. Thank you Betsy!!!

I’ve known Betsy for many years and I’m more than happy to recommend her for high quality dog training. She is honest and respectful and works hard to stay educated on advanced dog training and behavior techniques. She will teach and guide you, step-​by-​step, so that you and your dog can experience success together. Once you have learned how to form a close and trusting bond with your dog, everything else becomes easier and more fun. After all, I don’t need a perfect dog. I just want a fun dog that listens to me and knows how to calm down. Betsy helped me learn that, and more.

i have had the pleasure of knowing betsy for a few years now. she is an extremely knowledgeable and skilled dog trainer. she is always kind, not only to the dogs, but also to the people. i have crossed paths with many of her clients, and have seen the result of her positive training. her «doggie grads» always have a solid foundation, and have learned important skills through their work with betsy. personally, she guided me and my young golden retriever, cooper, through our canine good citizen test, and helped us achieve our dream of becoming a therapy dog team.
not only is she excellent at what she does, she is extremely professional, always quick to return calls, and e-​mails.
i highly recommend betsy and «the educated dog learning center.»

A terrible dog trainer experience. Betsy was rude and condescending to me and my husband. The worse was that she was scared of our dog but she agreed to train him saying she specializes in training dogs. Our dog was a puppy needing to polish his puppy skill training. He was scared of Betsy and clearly she was not only scared of him but she showed disinterest. When it was clear to us and the owner of the business that Betsy way in way over her head, she told us that our dog needs a puppy psychiatrist which she could recommend. We found another trainer and our dig is now 6 and trained and loving. Wow. I believe Betsy should find a new job.

Perhaps this agency has all the customers they need. However failing to return an email from a potential customer is just poor business practice. Makes me wonder. .
. .
Update: This trainer has contacted me to apologize for the oversight — and states she never got my initial email. I sent the email through her web page — so apparently there is some sort of connection issue. That however does not change my initial review as I attempted to reach this business using the businesses own mechanism for communication and got no response.. It was a nice gesture to apologize and I do appreciate that.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you go with Betsy, to train both you & your dog. I spent a lot of time searching & studying which trainer to hire for my new Smooth Collie puppy. Wanted to make the dollar investment worth it, & get my pup & me off to a good start.
Salt, my pup, is a very intelligent boy, & needs lots to keep his mind learning good behaviors. Betsy was & still is everything you would want a trainer to be. She is calm & confident, & your pup will sense that right away.
We have just finished our first 6 sessions, & I have a great pup who walks, by my side, sits, comes, stays, leaves-​it, drop-​it, touch, & plays with other puppies really well. He even rings the bell I have on the back door to tell me when he wants to go out to potty! Yea!
We have chosen to continue training with Betsy, so Salt can be a Therapy dog when he gets older. Now is the time to train.
Thank You Betsy!

I bought a shih tzu puppy at 7 weeks old. She was adorable, yet came with potty training issues and separation anxiety. I was near the thought of giving her away after a few months of no progression. I invested in 4 sessions with Betsy. I don’t regret a thing!!! She was awesome. My dog is well trained, actually goes on walks and follows commands, but most of all she encouraged me to keep her and I am so thankful. :) People invest in their children’s education, pet training is a great investment. While you need to continuously perform the positive training methods to keep your dog behaving, I am so grateful for Betsy’s advice and tips. My dog loves her too! I tried PetsMart training classes and they were a joke, you can read their tips on google. Betsy actually shows you and you will see results. Thank you Betsy!

I’ve known Betsy for several years. I have had the privilege to work with her on several cases over the years. I also have been with Betsy in our local trainers study groups. Not only is Betsy a skilled and knowledgeable trainer, she isn’t one who settles for good enough. She will train you and your dog together as a team.
She is also always trying to improve and better the profession. Working with Betsy will give you all you need to learn how to handle your dog’s training and behavior issues. What’s more Betsy promotes training based on cruelty free methods based on how dogs really learn and not force and correction type training that I could never recommend.
As a trainer myself, I highly recommend Betsy and have every confidence in her.

Betsy is the best trainer in the beach cities hands down. My Mom adopted a German Shepherd Puppy that was very ill and missed all opportunities to socialize during key imprint periods. Once the dog was well she was terrified of everything. We had a 65 pound fearful dog on our hands. Betsy showed my Mom the most sensible, humane and modern ways to train and communicate with the dog, build her confidence and gradually socialize her. She also was realistic with what we could expect for rehabilitation of the dog and how we need to manage her environment, taking her out in public, introducing her to strangers and visitors to our home. Betsy is patient, explains everything, gives the reasons why these techniques work and how the dog perceives the process. We are forever grateful for her help.

Betsy is knowledgable and kind and treats both me and my dog with patience and clarity. She is training me as much as my dog, so that I can carry on after our lessons finish. My dog, Toby, is a rescue, so he came with some bad habits (leash reactivity off the charts & peeing in house) and Betsy is teaching me how to teach him to be a good companion dog. Betsy also linked me to some fabulous videos that helped reinforce the training with visuals & additional explanations & modeling. I could not be happier! Betsy is slightly expensive, but worth every penny. Positive reinforcement, non-​punitive training is the way to achieve lasting results. She’s awesome! And my dog is always super excited to see her!

Betsy is the best. Our dog is really high energy and Betsy has helped us with tools for all conditions presented. She is always on time and goes way above and beyond with helpful emails and videos.

We couldn’t be more pleased with the results we were able to get with Betsy’s help and guidance.
Her philosophy (positive reinforcement) and style (practical and relaxed, but professional) were exactly what we needed. In truth, she was training us how to train our dog.
In a few short weeks we saw amazing results — before Betsy our dog absolutely refused to go anywhere near his crate. Now, it is his ‘home’ and he prefers the crate over his other spots. We don’t even have to tell him to go in — he does it on his own whenever our son is around. ‘Sit’, ‘down’, ‘stay’, ‘come’, and ‘leave it’, are completely ingrained in his routine.
Betsy put us on the path to success. We highly recommend her.

It was a difficult transition for me from my well mannered and predictable 14 year old dog to my rambunctious new puppy. After the thrill of his young spunky cuteness subsided, I faced the task of training him to be a good citizen and companion like his predecessor. I decided to take him to the puppy play school held this morning. Betsy was the trainer and the little guy and I really enjoyed the class. He was able to safely play with other pups as Betsy explained their body language in play and also gave us training tips. Great bargain at only $ 20. We can’t wait to go again!

I’m one lucky dog trainer. I have colleagues who support me when I need help with a particularly difficult client behavior issue… sometimes it’s the dog’s behavior, sometimes it’s the human’s! Great trainers are always learning, don’tcha know?
Betsy is one of those colleagues. Generous with her time and knowledge, she helped me work with my very own new rescue — a smart, responsive, affectionate but leash-​reactive Pit bull mix. In just minutes, Betsy shared a technique that helped Layla focus on me rather than «that dog over there.» It was a brilliant technique that allowed Layla to decide, on her own, to orient toward me. That’s powerful stuff!
I’m enormously grateful for Betsy’s help and encouragement. We have lots of work to do, Layla and I, but now I have a beautiful new tool in my toolbox with which to help both my pooch and those of my clients.

Betsy is highly-​knowledgeable and non-​judgemental. She tailors her training sessions to each individual dog’s/owner’s needs — and really helps to educate owners so they can work with their dogs. Her insights and observations of dog behavior is extremely helpful in assisting owners to understand how to motivate and guide their dog’s behavior. I would highly recommend Betsy for any dog-​related training need.

I photograph animals for a living and have had a lot of experience working with and training dogs. So I have strong opinions when it comes to dog trainers. Betsy is exactly the type of dog trainer I like to work with. During a recent lesson I had with her, she explained to me VERY clearly what she was doing with my dog Louie, why she was doing it and what goals she was trying to accomplish with Louie. She is patient, concise and eager to teach both the dogs and their owners. I would wholeheartedly recommend Betsy to anyone looking for a dog trainer.

I highly recommend Betsy Calkins if you’re looking for a dog trainer. She is highly regarded within the dog community, has tons of experience and education and is truly dedicated to her clients. Best of all, she uses a positive reinforcement method and I’ve seen how effective her training methods can be. She’s helped me with my pup and I’ve seen many of her other clients benefit from her training.

I recommend Betsy Calkins if you are in search of a great dog trainer. She has taught me some valuable lessons about the way dogs think, which has helped me immensely! She uses positive reinforcement, which works wonders, especially with stubborn dogs. She teaches a puppy training class, which is essential for new dog owners. She is friendly, energetic, professional and really loves what she does!