Diana Rapa

Diana Rapa founded The Perfect Dog rescue in 2010. She has saved, rehabilitated, and re-homed an average of 50-100 dogs per year from local kill animal shelters. She specializes in special needs dogs, both behaviorally and medically. She has worked with deaf, blind, feral, fear aggressive, leash reactive dogs. She started teaching obedience dog training and puppy classes at Petco in Morgan Hill, CA in 2012. In 2017, she started her own business, Perfect Canine Plus Academy, LLC.

Training Philosophy

Diana Rapa believes in transparency and integrity. She only uses positive reinforcement training methods that have the most recent scientific backing and the support of animal behaviorists who are well-respected in their field. Her priority is to make sure the dog feels safe and teaches them to choose desired behaviors on their own through the use of positive reinforcement and force free methods, without the use of intimidation, positive punishment (physical, forceful correction), or tools that cause the dog to feel discomfort or pain.

Services

Perfect Canine Plus Academy, LLC offers basic and advanced dog training classes in Tuolumne and Mariposa counties. They also serve clients from the Bay Area. They provide private in-person and online dog training, boarding, board and train, behavior modification training for dogs with behavior issues, fun trick training classes, and even trick training other species of animals (pigs, chickens, sheep, goats)!

Group Classes:

• Puppy Elementary School: $85 - 4 week course (1hr/wk) for 10 week old - 15 week old pups
• High School: $130 - 6 week course (1hr/wk) for dogs 4 months and up
• College: $130 - 6 week course (1hr/wk) for dogs 8 months and up
• University: $130 - 6 week course (1hr/wk) for dogs 8 months and up
• Circus School: $130 - 6 week course (1hr/wk) for dogs 6 months and up

Private Training:

• Initial 1hr in-person behavior consultation for one dog: $125
• Additional in-person lesson: $80
• In-person tutoring - 4 lesson package: $280
• In-person tutoring - 8 lesson package: $480
• Initial 1hr online behavior consultation for one dog: $80
• Additional online lesson: $50
• Online tutoring - 4 lesson package: $240
• Online tutoring - 8 lesson package: $400

Boarding:

• Boarding services on a case by case basis for $45/night.

Board and Train:

• 3 week board and train program (on a case by case basis) for $2,500.

Funny Farm School:

• Mini Pig School: $130 - 4 week course (1hr/wk) for pigs 3 months and up
• Chicken School: $130 - 4 week course (1hr/wk) for chickens 6 months and up
• Sheep/Goat School: $130 - 4 week course (1hr/wk) for sheep/goats 6 months and up

Certifications

Diana Rapa is a CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed), a Professional Member of the APDT (Association of Professional Dog Trainers), and a CGC (Canine Good Citizen) Evaluator. She has also completed both levels of the Canine Behavior Academy with Trish King, and attended seminars by Dr. Ian Dunbar, Suzanne Clothier, Debbie Jacobs, and attended an online course by Karen Pryor.

Specializations

Special needs dogs, both behaviorally and medically. She's worked with deaf, blind, feral, fear aggressive, leash reactive dogs. She also specializes in performance dog sports, including Agility, Disc Dog, Barn Hunt, Nosework, Rally, and RallyFree.

Training Methods

Positive reinforcement training methods, force free methods, without the use of intimidation, positive punishment (physical, forceful correction), or tools that cause the dog to feel discomfort or pain.

Customer Reviews

Vida and Nigel: “Two years ago we adopted Nigel from the animal shelter. He was literally scared stiff after being dropped over the fence in the middle of the night and abandoned. It was clear that Nigel had never been socialized or inside a house. He was afraid to walk across different flooring, afraid to eat out of a bowl, afraid of water, afraid of anyone who came into the house. His fear of people led to aggression and I knew we needed immediate help to rehabilitate him.
We signed up with Diana for basic obedience class and after that followed up with the circus trick class. Nigel thrived on learning new things and learned to trust each of our family members in the process. He gained self-confidence with each new command and trick. We then had Diana come to the house for private instruction to help with Nigel’s nervousness at strangers coming into the house. This training was, in fact, much more a training of the humans than of Nigel. Diana taught us how to read what Nigel was communicating to us and how to make him feel safe and comfortable in the presence of people outside the family unit.
Nigel is a new dog who has learned to love and trust people again, but also learned to enjoy life. The change in him is nothing short of incredible and we thank Diana for much of that.”

Tony and Bella: “Diāna came into our lives at the perfect time. I had just adopted my dog a couple of weeks before and Bella was becoming comfortable enough in her new home that her true personality started to come out. The uncontrollable walking on leash, jumping on people to the extent that I couldn’t have a conversation with them, extreme hyperactivity along with a very acute prey drive was too much for me to handle. I had to do something. I got a hold of Diāna and my world changed. Not only did Diāna show me how to deal with these “problems” she explained why they weren’t problems at all and simple communication with my dog was pertinent to our healthy relationship. The best part about Diana’s lessons are that she’s more teaching you how to understand your dog rather than training your dog. The more you understand your dog and their behavior the more you can help your dog adapt to your lifestyle. I highly recommend Diāna to anyone who has a dog for anything they may need. And to this day Diāna and I are pretty good friends and I’m so grateful. ”

Theresa and Scout: “I had just adopted a very traumatized 1 yr. old rescue (Scout) who was displaying various social anxieties. Diāna was highly recommended to us from a very good friend who also runs a rescue group. Our first introduction to Diāna was privately at my house. When she arrived, my dogs went “wild”. Cory was super excited, and Scout was displaying fear aggression. I was impressed with her calm and professional demeanor. She put me at ease immediately and didn’t make me feel like I was an out-of-control owner! She gave me advice on how to work with Scout and I was convinced her training methods would be a good match for Scout’s issues.
Scout completed both Adult 1 and Circus Tricks classes over 12 weeks. I really appreciated Diāna’s approach to training. It never felt like we were “training” Scout, rather creating a positive environment that would give her confidence to succeed! That was our foundation. Goals were always broken down into “baby steps”. If Scout struggled with a new behavior or “trick”, we would step back to a point that would allow Scout to succeed (slow and steady wins the race!) Over time, you could see the difference in her confidence, not only with herself but around others. Scout started day 1 of class barking at Diāna and wouldn’t even get near her. At the completion of Adult 1, she was joyfully running into Petco for class. At the end of Circus Tricks, she was climbing on Diāna’s lap for treats! What a difference in her confidence!
Reflecting back on our classes thus far, I’d have to say what I found most invaluable has been the tools Diāna has given me, Scout’s owner, to utilize at home in all aspects of her growth development. I’ve been able to use these tools (calm environment, positive reinforcements, baby-steps, etc.) to help Scout overcome her other fears (i.e. I can now file her nails without her freaking out!). She’s taught me to understand Scout’s different fears so that I could address them in a positive manner, versus an intimidating/demanding/fear approach.
I’ve also learned to appreciate Scout’s barking because now I realize it’s her only way of communicating to me her fears. Instead of stifling her, I look for ways to bring her a sense of calm, confidence, and love. These methodologies have fostered a very trusting, motivating, and rewarding environment now for both owner and pup!
Thank you, Diāna, for all the gems we’ve gleaned from you and your classes!”

Eileen with Captain and Vixey: “We are so fortunate to have met Diāna! She is as much our trainer as she is our dogs’ trainer. She has helped us immensely, teaching us how to communicate with both our happy, pushy, and rambunctious dog and with our shy, fearful dog. She offers constructive training exercises and insightful suggestions. She teaches us what to look for and how to respond with positive reinforcement. Basically, she teaches us how to be the best doggie family we can be. We feel more confident knowing she is there to guide us and our doggies. I can’t imagine fixing my car without the help of a good mechanic, doing my estate planning without advice from a competent lawyer, or living with dogs without the guidance of an experienced, caring, and professional dog trainer. The latter happens to be Diāna Rapa and, simply put, we love her. Her support is priceless!”

Elaine with Bruno: “Diana is absolutely wonderful with my dog. She only uses positive training methods and my dog is progressing exactly the way I wanted him to.
Before going to Diana, my dog and I used a different trainer that was all about using force to get your dog to respond (stuff like pushing his rear down to get him to sit, yanking at his neck to get him to heel). I had to dump the guy before we had even finished all our classes.
Going to Diana has been a much better experience. You can really see how much she loves dogs. I am more than happy that I made the switch to come to Diana for training. My little guy graduates in a few weeks and we plan to take the second training course as well.
Thank you Diana 🙂 ”

Kathleen with Holly: “One of the best training programs I have discovered. I am very impressed with Diana Rapa’s knowledge, skills and techniques. I love her positive reinforcement and gentle training philosophy. She is truly gifted with dogs, and loves them unconditionally.
What Diana has taught me about my dog and training makes sense and is easy to do.
I highly recommend Diana for your dog care-training and obedience needs.
A great experience for you and your dog!”

Venita with Astro: “Diana Rapa came highly recommended from two different families in my neighborhood, and I can’t say enough good things about her. She has an evident love of dogs, extensive knowledge of dog behavior, and really understands how dogs process information.
We took my 6-monthish puppy to her Adult 1 class and continued on to her Circus Tricks class, both of which helped me bond with my pup, made him amazingly attentive and obedient, and gave him so much more confidence about so many things.
I’m not sure I can list ALL of the benefits because there were so many but the two that stick out most in my mind are 1) my dog no longer loathes the car, but gets up into it on his own, happy to stick his nose out the window, and 2) he no longer pulls on his leash while walking.
Diana is amazing at troubleshooting training challenges and came up with some really creative solutions to some issues I was having. We are planning to continue on to the Adult 2 class annnnnd are hoping she creates the freestyle class she was talking about so we can do that one too!”

Obedience training available in semi-private or individual sessions. Behavior modification services provided. Special services offered for shelter/rescue adoptees. Basic dog sled/cart pull training also available. Canine manners assistance provided for expectant parents. Therapy dog training support offered. Utilizes humane, dog-friendly techniques.