A Pleasant Dog listing logo

A Pleasant Dog

Grand Rapids, Michigan

4.4/5· 216 Google reviews

About A Pleasant Dog

A Pleasant Dog offers gentle, modern dog and cat training, behavior help, and grooming in keeping with the advice of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.

Training & services

Training goals

  • Behavior consultation
    Program details

    Resource guarding, territorial aggression, fear based aggression, conflict aggression, interdog aggression, separation anxiety, and hypersensitivity hyperarousal syndrome are all challenging behaviors. We can help you modify these behaviors using evidence based training and management strategies.

  • Leash training
    Program details
  • Obedience training
    Program details
  • Puppy training
    Program details
  • Socialization
    Program details

Behavior support

  • Aggression training
    Program details
  • Counter surfing
    Program details
  • Reactivity training
    Program details

    Reactive Dogs Are Good Dogs Too! We live by this motto at A Pleasant Dog and have a host of offerings for our reactive friends, everything from private lessons to group classes, and beyond! We are particularly proud of our group sport classes for reactive dogs!

  • Resource guarding
    Program details
  • Separation anxiety
    Program details

    Separation anxiety is a complex behavior disorder. Our owner and head trainer, Jenn Gavin, has developed a method for treating this disorder that is the subject of a book, Pleasantly Independent, and scientific research demonstrating its efficacy. In person or virtual training available!

How training happens

  • Board and train
    Program details
  • Day training
    Program details

    Too busy to train? Let our professional dog trainers train your dog for you with drop off day training. Drop your dog for a full or half day, and we will teach them what they need to do between fun play sessions with other dogs and/or humans. Also available for reactive dogs!

  • Group classes
    Program details
  • Online or virtual training
    Program details
  • Private training
    Program details

Dog age

  • Puppies
    Program details

Assistance and working dogs

  • Therapy dog training
    Program details

Dog sports

  • Agility
    Program details

Your dog’s background

  • Rescue dogs
    Program details

Training approach

  • Positive reinforcement
    Program details

Additional services

  • Boarding
    Program details
  • Daycare
    Program details

    We offer luxury doggy daycare with a care ratio of four dogs per human on our 2.5 acres of rolling hills in the city! Our doggy daycare is staffed with professional trainers and offers the safest, gentlest doggy care in the city! Add training for an additional fee.

  • Dog walking
    Program details
  • Grooming
    Program details

    Fear Free Grooming for your dog. We groom dogs one at a time and owner may be present for the grooming session. Perfect for fearful, anxious, or reactive dogs. Does your dog struggle with the groomer? We can help!

Other listed services

View 24 additional details
  • Dog bathing and blow dry
    Program details
  • Dog ear cleaning
    Program details
  • Dog training
    Program details

    We offer group classes for general obedience and dog sports, private lessons, and behavior consultations, as well as classes specifically for reactive dogs.

  • Animal Behavior Consultants
    Program details

    Does your dog struggle with anxiety, separation anxiety, noisephobia, reactivity, aggression directed toward humans or toward other dogs? We can help! Our behavior trainers are the best in the state, and we can help restore harmony to your household.

  • Animal Learning
    Program details
  • Canine Trainers Academy
    Program details
  • Classical Conditioning
    Program details
  • Continuing Education
    Program details

    We offer continuing education to the training and veterinary industries on a diverse array of topics. Our research in animal behavior has been consistently honored with selection for presentation before the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and others. We also offer trainer workshops.

  • Dog Barks
    Program details
  • Dog Camping
    Program details
  • Dog Parks
    Program details
  • Dog Parties
    Program details
  • Dog Sports
    Program details
  • Dog Welfare
    Program details
  • Education Seminar
    Program details
  • Family Dogs
    Program details
  • Flea And Tick Prevention
    Program details
  • Medical Treatment
    Program details
  • Play Groups
    Program details
  • Private Consultation
    Program details
  • Six Week Class
    Program details
  • Stay & Train Program
    Program details
  • Veterinary Behaviorists
    Program details
  • Walk And Train
    Program details

Confirm current programs and availability directly.

Business-stated qualifications

Qualifications stated by the business, not independently verified.

Jenn Gavin
CPDT-KA

Questions & answers

From Google

What people have asked about this business.

What are your fees for taining and what specific training do you offer?

Our fees vary depending upon the service provided! We offer positive reinforcement training in private sessions for basic skills and tough behaviors, group classes, and drop off day training; together with grooming and cooperative care training sessions! As of 7/2024, our fees start at $160 for six week outdoor agility classes, $199 for our 6 week indoor basic skills classes, and go up to $350 for or reactive dog classes. Private lessons start at $100. Behavior consultations start at $250.

Community answer · A Pleasant Dog · 2024-09-21

Question on Google

Public community answers. Authors are not verified as business representatives; details may have changed.

Customer reviews

Google listing
4.4
out of 5216 Google reviews

Mentioned in reviews

  • positive reinforcement 22
  • managing reactivity 14
  • reactive dog training 11
  • puppy class 7
  • welcoming atmosphere 6
  • anxiety management 5
All 10 topics
  • knowledgeable trainers 5
  • private training 3
  • arthritis specialist referral 2
  • small class sizes 2

Google review topics, not confirmed services.

100 collected reviews

Text reviews first · newest first
Sara Leahy
5/5
My husband and I have seen Roxi twice (one visit per dog, both for anxiety related instances.) They truly listened to our concerns and were a sounding board without us ever feeling judged and helped us find best course of action for both dogs moving forward. We never felt rushed…Read full reviewClose full review

My husband and I have seen Roxi twice (one visit per dog, both for anxiety related instances.) They truly listened to our concerns and were a sounding board without us ever feeling judged and helped us find best course of action for both dogs moving forward. We never felt rushed or pressured into anything, and their suggestions were thoughtful, practical, and genuinely helpful. It never once felt like a money grab. A Pleasant Dog clearly runs their establishment as people who really care about helping you and your dog succeed. Highly recommend A Pleasant Dog, and thank you especially, Roxi! - Sara & Raleigh Rushing, Burt & Alfie

B Davis Scoby
5/5
A friend of mine recommended A pleasent dog to me for puppy training and I'm so glad she did. My dog is a reactive dog and the trainers and staff here have been a true blessing to myself and my pup. not only do I feel seen and heard but they see my dog for who she is and have giv…Read full reviewClose full review

A friend of mine recommended A pleasent dog to me for puppy training and I'm so glad she did. My dog is a reactive dog and the trainers and staff here have been a true blessing to myself and my pup. not only do I feel seen and heard but they see my dog for who she is and have given me the tools to help her succeed. I can't recommend A pleasant dog for training enough. Thank you so much. We are so grateful for you. ❤️

Lauren Perrin Photo
1/5
I paid for a private consultation at A Pleasant Dog, and unfortunately, everything they taught us backfired. Their approach of using only positive reinforcement did not work for our dog. We were also sent photos of our puppy destroying a stuffed animal while in daycare - somethi…Read full reviewClose full review

I paid for a private consultation at A Pleasant Dog, and unfortunately, everything they taught us backfired. Their approach of using only positive reinforcement did not work for our dog. We were also sent photos of our puppy destroying a stuffed animal while in daycare - something she has never done under our supervision. This happened while a staff member watched and found it “cute and funny.” This is not acceptable when I am paying a training facility to safely monitor my pet and work on corrective behavior. Our experience with A Pleasant Dog left us feeling like our puppy was the problem, that we knew nothing, and that they could “fix it all” with just a swipe of a credit card. Fortunately, we found a local trainer who offered corrective training with deep knowledge of our dog’s breed. This trainer understood our dog’s needs and tailored their approach accordingly. APD’s “gentle parent” approach is not only unfortunate—it can be dangerous. Their method reinforces negative behaviors by distracting the dog with treats. For example, giving an intelligent herding dog a treat when she barks at the window only teaches her that barking earns rewards. It took fewer than three instances for our dog to figure this out. It is also worth noting that A Pleasant Dog made us feel as though using e-collars and training collars was inherently abusive. While these tools must be used responsibly, many dogs benefit from a variety of training methods, and it’s essential to use the approach that works best for your specific dog. In summary, I would not recommend A Pleasant Dog. Their exclusive reliance on positive reinforcement did not work for our dog, their communication was inconsistent, and the overall experience left us feeling frustrated and unsupported. It is also deeply concerning that a friend of mine went to APD and was told her dog should be euthanized due to behavior issues. I referred her and her dog to our trainer, who discovered the puppy had significant neurological issues, potential blindness, and a stress-induced seizure disorder. This experience solidified for me that APD is not a safe or reliable place to train your animal. I would very seriously take into consideration the negative reviews on their Google listing before allowing them to have access to your dog.

Stacey Tober
2/5

Think gentle parenting for dogs. It's not going to hurt your dog, but in our case, it didn't help them or us. Zen hands are an interesting idea but my dog ended up nipping people's hands. I ended up going with a different trainer and I saw almost immediate results. She's more attentive and a lot calmer.

Cindy Minnema
5/5

I've been going to classes with my puppy here! Love their loving way of teaching pets and owners too. They use a positive reinforcement approach.

Original customer experiences from the collected Google data. Ratings without comments follow written reviews.

Explore nearby & related training