Name:
Susi Hankins
History:
Susi has had a passion for dogs all of her life. Being the owner of two very shy and sensitive German Shepherd Dogs, Roro and Dallas, she has been motivated to become a Positive Reinforcement Trainer to ensure her dogs have the best fulfilled life they deserve. Susi started training as a Volunteer Mentor and Canine Companion at the Oakland SPCA and soon became a dog trainer and Mentor at the Dublin Petco, where she received her training certification in June 2010.
Susi is the proud co-founder of The Dog School in Pleasanton that was established in October 2011 to 2014. She is now the owner and head trainer at Dog Soul located at 39 California Ave # 301 in Pleasanton, California.
Training Philosophy:
Susi believes that Positive Reinforcement is the most effective and fairest way to establish a forever bond with your dog and teaches them to be part of your family. Since most people do not speak “dog” and dogs do not speak “English”, Susi will teach you to understand and communicate clearly with your dog.
Services:
Dog Soul offers puppy & dog training that will insure you & your dog are off on the right paw to building a forever bond. We focus on establishing loving & trusting relationships, using only positive reinforcement techniques that are fun and safe for you and your family. We offer private training & small group classes in a safe, controlled environment.
Puppy Beginning Manners
- Puppies 8-20 weeks
- Drop In Class (Join at anytime)
- Saturdays @ 10am and 11:30am
- 4 week class – $130.00
- This Puppy class will introduce your puppy to beginning manners such as, sit, leave it, down, stay, walking on a loose leash and much more. This puppy class will focus on manners as well as socialization, and will include discussion on many puppy issues such as potty training, mouthing, chewing and jumping up. This class also includes free puppy Socials & Playtime sessions.
- Proof of two DHPP vaccines required, Rabies for puppies over 16 weeks.
Family Dog
- Drop In Class (Join at anytime)
- Saturdays @ 1pm
- 4 week class – $130.00
- This Dog training class will use positive reinforcement methods to develop basic manners and obedience. This class is designed for dogs 5 months or older. Behaviors covered include: loose leash walking, sit, down, leave it, settle, polite greetings and more. Please note: aggressive dogs may have to be excused from class.
Scary time! Oh my!
- Please check registration for available class dates
- 4 weeks – $105 (missed classes cannot be made up)
- This dog training class is for dogs who are scared and worried by new places, things on walks, fearful of new and strange objects, or afraid and shy of greeting new people. These dogs need patience, understanding and the ability to make a CHOICE.
- In this class you will learn to understand the signs of stress, and ways to calm and reassure them. They will be able to explore at their own pace, we will give them the choice to meet the scary thing and watch them grow.
- This class is for dogs 5 months and older.
- Proof of DHPP and Rabies is required
Puppy Manners
- 8 weeks to 4 months
- Sundays @ 10am
- 4 Drop In Class
- Buy 4 sessions, get 1 Free! Only $60
- This Puppy Class will deal with every day Puppy Issues such as mouthing, barking and learning every day manners. Puppies will have supervised playtime. We will work an polite manners such as sit, down, stay, come and introduce leash manners. This class includes free puppy playtime on Thursdays at 7PM.
- Proof of 2 DHPP vaccinations are required.
Adult Manners 1
- 5 months and older
- Sundays @ 11am
- 4 Drop In Class
- Buy 4 sessions, get 1 Free! Only $60
- This Adult Dog Class will deal with every day issues such as leash pulling, barking, and learning every day manners.
- Proof of 2 DHPP vaccinations and Rabies is required.
Certifications:
Susi received her training certification in June 2010.
Specializations:
Puppy training, obedience training, socialization, fear and anxiety training
Training Methods:
Positive reinforcement
Customer Reviews:
Madison
HI!!!!!!!! My name is Madison and I am a black dog. That’s really about all we know. You see my Momma and Daddy believe in rescue dogs. That’s also part of the problem. Since we don’t know what I am it is kinda hard to figure out why I do the crazy things that I do. Enter Miss Susi. My Momma was ready to kick me to the curb when we found her. Wow, did she make a difference. My Momma and I have done both group and private lessons with Miss Susi for over 2 years. Miss Susi teaches Momma and me how to ‘talk’ to each other better. See if I know what Momma wants, I will probably do it. Well, mostly anyway. Sometimes we even have Miss Susi come over to our house so she can see the crazy antics I go through. We are now working on trying to get me so that I don’t get so upset when Daddy fires up the Harley. That’s real scary.
As a veteran of DogSoul I highly recommend Miss Susi to all you crazy doggies out there. She can help you communicate with your Momma and Daddy better so that you can have a long and wonderful life together.
Melody and Morgan
About 18 months ago, when I was two, me and mommy decided dat I should take classes to help me be a better ambassadoggie fur my breed……an American Pit Bull Terrier. You see, we are a berry misunderstood breed of doggie and I wanted to change dat…..one person at a time! Sure, I took all da puppy classes at da pet store but dey were impersonal so we went looking fur someone speschel. And we found ‘Auntie’ Susi! She totally understood me and thought dat ‘real world training’ would be best fur me. All my classes were held outside where I was able to interact with other doggies and people and learn how to deal with day-to-day situations like motorcycles, softball games and lotz of kids! It was just PAWsome and I gwaduated at da top of my class! If you are looking fur a trainer with gweat skills and a wonderbull heart, I highly recommend ‘Auntie’ Susi! She iz da best!
Laura and Icarus
We had waited years to get a wonderful companion pet. When he arrived at 4 months, he was limited in what he knew to do and more interested in playing and napping than learning how to sit, stay, roll over or anything else. Susi was contacted and arrived with nothing more than a few treats and a spirit of enthusiasm and patience. Within 15 minutes, our pup was sitting and learning his second command. She left us after an hour with a dog who now knew how to sit, stay and walk alongside of us without trouble. What Susi accomplished in a few sessions is generally the result of months of arduous group training techniques in a frenzy of pet owners and dogs. We experienced a comfortable environment with real love and respect for our pet as well as someone who honored our time. I have and continue to recommend Susi and her training to anyone I know who is in need of it.
Debbie and Angel
I am the proud owner of Angel, a Lab/Husky mix. With just a couple of private lessons, Susi has made a very positive difference in our lives. Susi’s love of dogs, and belief in positive reinforcement makes all the difference in training dogs….and us humans too! I highly recommend Susi.
Cyndi and Rouge
I wanted to take classes with my 9yr old Doberman, Rogue when I learned she had lymphoma. I wanted to spend as much time as possible doing activities she enjoyed, and she loved the food, time with me, and opportunity to learn that training provided. I called Susi at Dog Soul and she completely understood what I was looking for. She suggested I sign up for Family Dog I. Rogue and I went almost every week for the next 15 months. It’s a 6 week drop-in class but Susi understood and invited us to keep coming. I saw many dogs go through the class. I was always very impressed at how well Susi remembered each dog & their owners. She remembered everyone’s strengths and weaknesses and helped them accordingly. Although everyone learned the same key skills, the individual attention made it seem like one-on-one training. Rogue loved going to training and Susi in particular. In fact, after our last class Rogue insisted on going back in to spend a little more time with Susi and (we think) to say goodbye. I’m so glad I found Dog Soul. I doubt we would have had such a great experience anywhere else. I wouldn’t consider taking a dog anywhere else!
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