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"There are many dog trainers scattered around Los Angeles. Some are skilled communicators but lack professional training skills. Some are great trainers but are unable to communicate effectively. Still others have both training and communication skills but treat dogs as possessions rather than family members. Jenina is that rare trainer who loves what she does and truly respects the dogs and people she works with. She has excellent training skills, honed through years of study and working with dogs of all temperaments. I highly recommend her."
Paul Owens
author of The Dog Whisperer and Director of Raise with Praise, Inc.
I've been involved with rescue for years which is how I first met Jenina. A couple had hired her to help them work with their dog because they wanted to bring a second dog into their home and their dog could be dog aggressive. I could not believe the difference in this dog from the first time I met her to when we were able to do a meet and greet with one of our rescue dogs. From that moment on I have been using Jenina for my own dogs as well as our rescue dogs. She does not believe in, nor does she use a choke, prong or shock collars. She is all about positive reinforcement, consistency, and patience. Jenina has taught me so much about dog behavior and how they communicate. She is a phenomenal trainer and makes it fun for both dog and owner.
Barbara D.
"We hired Jenina to help us learn to train our puppy. She came to the house and all of our animals, 2 dogs and 5 cats, fell in love with her. They all came to class and she worked so well with each of them. The cats sat on the table and watched the dogs work out and everyone got treats! Jenina was wonderful with our dogs and with us. The trick to training a dog apparently is to train the owner properly. Alas, she did not give us tasty treats! But we had a great time and our even our old dog responded. Our puppy did an awesome job of learning from her and transferred that obedience to me, mostly. I would and have recommended her to anyone asking about a trainer and to some who just obviously need help. She is kind and warm with the dogs; they love her as if she were a goddess, and she trains them without jerking, yelling, or hitting them. They are never afraid of her or corrections. she is easy going and funny. Thank you Jenina for your work and kindness to all of us."
Cat R.
"My wife and I wanted to thank Jenina for setting us on the right course to train our German Shepherd, 'Liebe.' Liebe is a beautiful dog, but she was a bit of a problem when we got her, even though she was only a few months old. She was timid, sometimes aggressive, motion sensitive, difficult to socialize with other dogs and people. She began to improve immediately under Jenina's training guidance, which we carried out and continue to do, for it will take a while to get Liebe totally cool, I understand. This "no-stick, just carrot" approach is the way to go. Punishment seems to confuse the dog, but the giving and withholding of treats does wonders. Liebe is much more able to be controlled on her walks and in the way she deals with people who come into the home. And a lot of the training and learning is on the part of the owner -- me. I've learned quite a bit about the responsibility involved in raising a dog, things that can be applied to life in general. I'd recommend any parent-to-be to get a dog and train the dog in the way that Jenina advocates. Some of the training tips are sure to come in handy with any kids that come along."
Rick
"We cannot say enough wonderful things about Jenina and her skills for training. She has taught us practical and useful techniques to help us train our dog Yoshi. We had a very bad experience with a previous trainer who was very rough and we were concerned that Yoshi would be seriously injured. We were delighted to see that Jenina adopts a very positive, kind approach in her training. We have seen a big improvement in Yoshi's behavior and plan on continuing to work on the things we have been taught. Yoshi loves her training sessions and it is fun for all of us! THANK YOU SO MUCH JENINA!"
Debbie and Steve
Long Beach
"I want to express my sincere thanks to you for your expert and most patient dog training for Groovy...and more importantly me! You are so wonderful and knowledgeable about dogs and their behavior and I truly learned a lot from you. I am very glad to know you and proud to say that you helped train my sweet baby girl Groovy."
Michelle
"Our dog, Sheriff, was a rescue dog. He is a Pit/Lab mix. When we found him, we could not handle him. He was constantly jumping and nipping at our arms, clothes, and anything he could attach himself onto. Jenina arrived and put a comprehensive game plan in place. It involved educating us as much as Sheriff. With her patient handling, Sheriff has become an exceptional dog. Having your dog trained is a long term process. Jenina gets results by breaking this process into manageable steps. Jenina is fantastic and we highly recommend her. Our cat Davy likes her too. Thank you Jenina,"
Rick and Kathy Graham
"Keleigh and I had such fun taking your training class, and Wooly absolutely loved it. I'm sure she won't know what to do now with her Saturday mornings. To compensate, we'll have to make a point of offering her heaps of chicken and plenty of "Jaaaaa, Wooly, your the Best of the West!" Or we'll just have to find time for Wooly to see you again soon. When we started the class, Keleigh and I were at wit's end trying to gain just a little control over Wooly's behavior. She was a maniac in the apartment, racing around the carpet, peeing behind the couch, digging through the garbage, and we couldn't get her to enjoy going outside. She hated her leash and lay down in protest whenever we tried to walk her. We'd tried harnesses and patience, and choke collars and yanking, and then back again to the harness with some yanking because we'd mostly run out of patience. Then we started taking classes with you and we learned such a pleasant, positive way to train little Wooly. Now she loves going for walks. When we open the front door, her eyes open 3 times their normal size and she rushes to my side. She no longer goes into the garbage or behind the couch, and she only races around the carpet when we're playing. She even leaps into the bath on command! She's become the little angel we've always suspected, but, more to the point, Keleigh and I have become better owners. We're all much happier after learning your techniques. Thank you very much, Jenina. Now we're looking for other dog owners to whom we can recommend your classes."
Drew
"Cara (my 5 month old rescue puppy) and I want to thank you sooooo much for taking a very special puppy and making her even more special. In only 10 short in-home visits you somehow managed to teach her all of the basic commands -- and you made it a fun adventure for her (and myself). Your method of 'educating' our little friends certainly works wonders very quickly. I never expected Cara to reach a very high level of training since she's still a puppy. She is such a dear, sweet little pup and now she even has an 'education.' Today we took 3 walks and she prances right along by my left side -- tail wagging constantly. There is never any tension on her leash and we both enjoy our outings immensely. I thought I would have to wait a year or so to have such a well-behaved companion. She is such a happy little thing and seems even more so since her sessions with you. Sit, down, stay, find-it and, believe it or not, 'heel' are now words that she seems proud to understand and obey. I can highly recommend you and your training methods to any person that wants to grab onto the great pleasure that comes from having a happy, well behaved companion. We thank you so very much for making our lives even better (and they were pretty darned good even before the training!!)."
Dave
Westside German Shepherd Rescue
"Lacy, Jack and I would like to thank you very much for the training class which we just completed. All three of us learned a lot. Not sure who learned the most. At any rate, we really appreciate your approach. You really have a knack for connecting to the animals. One can easily see how dedicated you are in trying to get the most out of each dog and their owners. We will continue to work with Lacy on the things you taught. We know that Lacy needs to learn to socialize more with other dogs, and we have to relax and only repeat a command once. She gets it, for us it's harder."
Ruth
"I wanted to thank you for the referral of Jenina Schutter [Smart Paws]. We are so delighted with her and the results that she has been attaining with our Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy who amongst other traits has a dominance problem. She is absolutely wonderful with dogs and they love and respect her. We would recommend her highly to anyone who needs a trainer for their dog. Jenina works miracles and we enjoy every minute of our sessions and achieve such results. She is patient, loving, calm, firm but gentle - with such a depth of knowledge about dogs and their psychology."
Diana & Jack
(a referral from the Dog Psychology Center of Los Angeles)
"Thank you so much for spending the time and effort to come out here and help us with Chaplin. I have grown very fond of him, and I cannot believe he is the same dog we rescued. I will continue to implement your methods. I would highly recommend your services to any dog owner because I think you are a very talented and highly skilled dog trainer. I cannot thank you enough for your help."
Laura
"We are always so grateful that we have Jenina to recommend to the people who have adopted from us. Everyone just raves about her. We can rest assured that she will work them through whatever their needs are, whether it be obedience training or a specific problem."
Robin
Westside German Shepherd Rescue
Located in Silver Lake, Smart Paws Dog Training offers dog training services within the Los Angeles area, including group training classes, in-home visits, and training reinforcement walks.