From basic obedience to severe aggression and anxiety, Koru K9 delivers real-world training that works. We don't just treat the symptoms; we fix the root cause so you can confidently enjoy the city with your dog.
Voted Best Animal Behaviorist in San Francisco | Vet Recommended | 5-Star Rated
Transform Your Dog’s Behavior. Reclaim Your Life in San Francisco.
From basic obedience to severe aggression and anxiety, Koru K9 delivers real-world training that works. We don't just treat the symptoms; we fix the root cause so you can confidently enjoy the city with your dog.
Voted Best Animal Behaviorist in San Francisco | Vet Recommended | 5-Star Rated
Stop Stressing Over Your Dog’s Behavior.
Living in the Bay Area with a reactive, anxious, or disobedient dog is exhausting. Whether you're dodging other dogs on crowded San Francisco sidewalks, dealing with apartment noise complaints, or afraid to have guests over, you are not alone, and your dog is not broken.
At Koru K9, we succeed where other boot camps and "positive-only" classes fail. Fill out the form, and let's build a customized, balanced training plan to bring peace back to your home.
Does Walking Your Dog Feel Like a Battle?
We know the frustration of loving a dog whose behavior is out of control. See if any of these sound familiar:
Being dragged down the street or lunging at other dogs on walks.
Being dragged down the street or lunging at other dogs on walks.
Severe separation anxiety that makes leaving your house impossible.
Severe separation anxiety that makes leaving your house impossible.
Biting, nipping, or aggressive behavior toward strangers or guests.
Biting, nipping, or aggressive behavior toward strangers or guests.
Ignoring commands the moment a distraction appears.
Ignoring commands the moment a distraction appears.
If you nodded "yes" to any of these, we can help.
Dog Boarding & Training (Boot Camp)
Forget stressful warehouse kennels. Our premium Board & Train program takes place directly inside our expert trainers' homes, with a strict maximum of five dogs per trainer. Your dog will learn real-world manners in real-world environments. Practicing at local parks, cafes, and city streets. We build a foundation of trust, structure, and accountability, then coach you on maintaining it.
Private, In-Home Dog Training
Need help right where the bad habits happen? Our private training brings a certified Koru K9 trainer directly to your San Francisco home. We work side-by-side with you to build clear communication, reliable obedience, and polite doorway etiquette. This is perfect for owners who want to be deeply involved in every step of the day-to-day training process.
Private, In-Home Dog Training
Need help right where the bad habits happen? Our private training brings a certified Koru K9 trainer directly to your San Francisco home. We work side-by-side with you to build clear communication, reliable obedience, and polite doorway etiquette. This is perfect for owners who want to be deeply involved in every step of the day-to-day training process.
Aggressive Dog Training & Rehab
Aggression and leash reactivity are terrifying, especially in a dense city. Whether your dog is dealing with human aggression, dog-to-dog fighting, leash lunging, or resource guarding, we can help. We use a safety-first, balanced approach, including proper leash management and muzzle acclimation, to rebuild trust, lower your dog's defensive arousal, and teach them exactly how to handle stressful triggers.
Dog Anxiety & Fear Training
Living in SF can be incredibly overwhelming for a nervous dog. If your dog suffers from severe separation anxiety, noise sensitivity, or fear of the vet/groomer, we provide a structured path to peace. We never "flood" or force your dog into a panic. Instead, we work below their threshold, using predictable routines and clear guidance to teach them coping skills so they finally feel safe.
Dog Anxiety & Fear Training
Living in SF can be incredibly overwhelming for a nervous dog. If your dog suffers from severe separation anxiety, noise sensitivity, or fear of the vet/groomer, we provide a structured path to peace. We never "flood" or force your dog into a panic. Instead, we work below their threshold, using predictable routines and clear guidance to teach them coping skills so they finally feel safe.
Puppy Training Programs
Set your new companion up for a lifetime of success in the city. Our puppy foundation programs focus on the essentials: crate training, reliable potty training, early socialization, and engagement. By building confidence and establishing mutual respect early on, we help you avoid severe behavioral issues down the road, ensuring your puppy grows into a well-adjusted, confident adult dog.
Real-World Ready
Real-World Ready
We prepare your dog for everyday city life. Instead of empty obedience rings, we practice on busy sidewalks and around real-world distractions for reliable, lasting results.
Balanced & Fair
Balanced & Fair
We use a relationship-first, balanced training approach. We reward good choices while providing fair, safe guidance for unwanted behaviors, ensuring your dog understands exactly what is expected.
Unmatched Support
Unmatched Support
Training shouldn't fade over time. Enjoy up to 12 months of LunaDogAI support, providing custom lessons, video feedback, and real-time answers directly on your phone for lasting success.
Home Environment
Home Environment
Your dog is treated like a true family member. Our immersive programs are strictly home-based and complete with GPS collars and active camera monitoring to ensure ultimate safety.
We worked with Irini, and she was amazing — super knowledgeable, attentive, and really tuned in to both our puppy and us. From the 1st meeting, we felt…
Had a great experience working with Irini. Enrolled my year and a half old cocker spaniel puppy in the board and train program. The goal of the training was…
I highly recommend the local trainer for Marin, Jennie that Koru K9 set us up with. She came to our home and did a thorough behavior analysis and helped us…
A shout out to Koru K9 Dog Training and Rehabilitation who we recently hired to provide an intensive board and train program for one of our large and…
I took my 1 1/2 year old “hyper” aussie doodle, Gigi for a 3 week board and train with Irini. She sent photos and videos of training updates during her time…
Ready For Real-World Results
Don't spend another day stressed by your dog's behavior. Let's get to work.
We do not “side” ourselves with any one approach, as every dog is different. We will choose a path and use the tools that are right for you and your dog. We will show you how to properly use these training tools. Unfortunately, there is a lot of mis-information and plenty of opinions out there when it comes to dog training. Beware of any trainer that tells you that their way is the only way to train a dog!
Modern E-Collar training is the most safe, humane, effective, and reliable training tool available today. We use low-level, communication-style, modern E-Collar training. We use prong collars because we find them to be the best tool for connecting and communicating with the dog with the least amount of physical stress to the dog and owner. Most tools tend to only mask or manage the behavior, while the prong collar allows us to actually break through and effortlessly communicate, creating a vastly different state of mind and a highly responsive dog. When used correctly, they have been proven to be the least physically taxing, most humane, and one of the safest tools available. Please check out our YouTube page so you can see these tools in action.
Yes. We work with any breed, any dog, any problem, and offer a range of services. We specialize in working with the most challenging of dogs, including those with leash reactivity or aggression. If you are struggling with your dog’s behavior, please don’t give up. We can help you.
Yes, we are balanced trainers — which means that we don’t adhere to one specific method. We work with your dog to find out what motivates them. One size does not fit all — dogs are unique in their likes and dislikes, just like humans. Some dogs aren’t very food motivated and prefer play, toys, praise, etc.
All of our sessions are non-refundable and have a 24-hour cancellation policy. We schedule out our dog training sessions weeks in advance and ask that you are committed to the time that you agree on. Dog training is a process of teamwork and collaboration, and due to the many variables involved in the training of your dog, including owner commitment, consistency, and doing your homework, it would be unethical for us to offer a guarantee. We can get dogs to behave for us all day long, but that doesn’t do us any good if they aren’t behaving for you! Our goal is to train YOU to train your dog. If you are consistent and do your homework, you will see breakthrough results and amazing transformations.
Your initial session with Koru K9 Dog Training is roughly 1.5 to 2 hours (longer if there is 3 or more dogs). We spend a great deal of time analyzing the problem behaviors and your goals. From there, we determine a training program that will outline how many sessions are needed. Each session after the initial will last roughly 1 hour depending on your dog’s ability that day and what is being taught. Remember, you as an owner, must be fully invested in this learning process to get the results you want!
At Koru K9, 100% of our focus is on you and your dog and your unique situation. We look at the entire picture and address the behavioral problems from a holistic standpoint. Dogs are intelligent, unique individuals with specific needs…a one sized fits all approach to training does not work. Many times what goes on inside of your home results in problems outside of the home, which is why we conduct our On Board session in YOUR home. We identify and work through behavioral and environmental issues in your every day environment and in a setting where we can control when to introduce other distractions (i.e. other dogs, people, children, etc.). Most problem behavior is NOT best addressed in a group setting with many distractions, other dogs with behavioral issues or one trainer for multiple dogs without the ability to customize a program or dedicate the time needed to address your specific issues. For more information, please contact us.
Of course! Consider this like sending your child to college. We are like the cool teachers, but you’ll always be your dogs #1. We understand that it’s difficult to send your dog away for 3+ weeks for a Board & Train program, so you will get weekly updates, with pictures and videos.
We cover the following areas: The entire San Francisco Bay Area: the City of San Francisco, the Peninsula, East Bay, North Bay. Northern California, San Diego, Orange County, Portland and most of Oregon, Seattle-Tacoma Metro Area, Denver Metro, Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Austin, and Scottsdale. We will travel further, however with additional travel surcharge, please contact us for more information, or reference our Location page.
Right away! It’s important to set your puppy up for lifelong success by starting training the minute your new puppy comes home.