Testimonials

 pru

“We are so grateful to Laela for all of her help with our little 7lb hearing impaired dog with leash aggression. Her approach was so thoughtful. She taught us many useful skills that have really helped to turn the situation around for us. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Laela to anyone who needs help training their dog, and training pet parents how to work with their dogs.” - Julie

pax

“Our beloved 1 yo pup Pax had some serious issues when we adopted him, especially aggressive reactivity to strangers and fearfulness in new environments. We were first time dog owners and Laela took us under her caring wing, teaching us how to recognize and understand Pax’s low-level signals, give us tools to help him feel safer in the world, and reward his success along the way with lots of loving fun! She is absolutely incredible with Pax herself (second to none!), and really good at translating her knowledge and skills into clear, concrete practices my partner and I could use on a regular basis to help Pax and also help our selves. We really appreciated how much she cared about what mattered to us in addition to what was right for Pax, and her dedication and positive spirit through the inevitable ups and downs of training were regularly clutch. We deeply, deeply appreciate her support, we would never have been able to keep Pax without her help! We recommend her services to anyone seeking to improve their dog's relationship with the world and enrich their lives in the process!” - Kat and Joe

remy

“I am so grateful for Laela. We worked together on issues around my dog’s walking. My odd-bod one-year old was not a cooperative walker, often refusing to budge. After a consultation and an observation of my pup in his environment, Laela worked both one-on-one with my dog and with me on strategies to get my boy walking with less hesitation. Very quickly I observed a more confident dog, much more at ease in the world beyond my house, who happily and briskly walked by my side. After just a few sessions, it was almost like he was a different dog. Working with dogs is really about working with their humans and Laela was kind, empathetic and patient with me – a first-time dog mom – throughout our experience.” - Margaret

“I own and operate Oakland Pet Care and I've been fortunate to refer training clients to Laela and she hasn't let us or her clients down. She is a rock solid science based ethical trainer who is fear and force free. I can't thank her enough for her care, patience and expertise.” - Delia

abbie

“We just had a wonderful 8-week experience with a gifted trainer, Laela Peterson-Stolen of Scallywag Training, and would like to recommend her highly to anyone in the area who is struggling with any kind of issues with their family pet. She uses only force-free techniques — treats, clickers, toys and praise — and genuinely loves and cares for all her clients. In our case, we’d just moved from a single-family home with a fenced backyard to a condo, and naively assumed our smart 7-year-old German Shepherd would quickly adjust. She did NOT. We were at a crisis point when Laela arrived. But she helped us with Abbie’s anxiety, her leash-pulling, her increasing alarm over the jack-in-the-box nature of our doors and elevators — and helped us all find calm and confidence by teaching us positive, reward-based techniques.” - Thea