(925) 400-8006Call or text
For families who dread walks, hide from guests, or feel like they've tried everything else — and want their house, their walks, and their dog back. Professional in-home dog training, one-on-one, with a full year of group sessions built in.
60 seconds to start. The free in-home session shows you what's possible — before you decide on anything.
Or text Chris directly: (925) 400-8006
Ending our group session at Larkey Park, Walnut Creek — with some conversation & cartwheels.
You cross the street when you see another dog coming.
You want your puppy on the right track before bad habits take hold.
Walks have become something you dread instead of enjoy.
You've tried YouTube videos, group classes, and one other trainer — nothing stuck.
Friends and family have stopped coming over.
You're tired of being told "it's just their breed" or "they'll grow out of it."
You don't have a bad dog. You have a dog who hasn't been shown a better way yet.
Some of these dogs could not exist near other dogs without losing their minds, now they lay down calmly and enjoy a beautiful day with friends.
Six things, all included. No upsells, no add-ons, no per-session surprises.
Your dog behaves differently in your living room than they do at a dog park or a class. So we don't train in a dog park. I come to where the pulling, the barking, the door-bolting, the couch-claiming actually happen — and we fix it in context.
Most trainers charge per session. I charge for outcomes. Whether your dog needs 8 sessions or 18, the price doesn't change. You're paying for the transformation, not the clock.
Training your dog is 30% of the work. Teaching you to handle your dog is the other 70%. Every session ends with clear homework and hands-on coaching so the progress holds the rest of the week.
Once your dog is ready, you'll join ongoing group sessions with other clients and their dogs — real-world distractions in a controlled environment. The kind of practice that turns "good at home" into "good anywhere." You can't replicate this in a dog park, a class, or on YouTube.
Here's what makes this different from every other trainer you've worked with: after your program is complete, you keep coming to group sessions — for a full year. Most trainers disappear the moment the check clears. I don't.
Text me. Send me a video. Ask the question before it becomes a crisis. You're not alone between sessions.
"Chris took on our GSP/Lab Chocolate — a tough case with a history of littermate-syndrome fights. He had her responding to basic commands in a handful of sessions, and helped us safely reintroduce her twin sister."
I'm writing this review in support of Chris who is an expert dog trainer. My daughter received 2 GSP/Lab dogs from the same litter. Unknown to us at the time was Littermate syndrome which occurs when two puppies (littermates or similar age) raised together develop severe codependency, leading to anxiety, aggression, and intense, dangerous fighting. Symptoms include extreme separation anxiety, fear of strangers, and inability to train individually. Management involves intensive, separate training, socialization, feeding, and crating. My wife and I took in one of the dogs named Chocolate after the two twins had 2 dangerous fights. Both dogs are fine with other dogs and humans. But the dog we took in was playfull and loved to jump at us in a playful mood which we wanted correct and did not follow basic commands.
We were fortunate to find Chris who offered to train the dog. We first met at our house on 2 occasions and then began meeting at a nearby park. Chris clearly understood dog behavior and was able to train Chocolate with basic commands. Chris clearly states the steps involved and then demonstrates them. It was easy for my wife and I to follow those steps to teach basic commands such as OFF, SIT, HEEL, and RELEASE. We then began to re-introduce Chocolate's twin named Raven and we worked together to re-unite the twins. Chris deserves the highest rating possible as a knowledgeable, caring dog trainer.
"Our 1-year-old lab learned 'off' and 'wait' in the very first lesson. One flat fee, work guaranteed — Chris makes life with your dog an exceptionally pleasant experience."
Chris, the owner and trainer for What's Up Dog, has incredible knowledge and understandings of dog behavior. He demonstrates best practices and then gives us and our dog valuable feedback as we learn the techniques. Our 1 year old lab learned key commands such as "off" and "wait" our first lesson with Chris. This was absolutely key for us. Now she's walking without pulling. We do use an electronic buzzer, sparingly, to guide her first attempts. Chris includes it in his price. We love that Chris comes to our house, and once a month we meet up at Hidden Valley Park with his other clients so our dogs can improve their social skills. We like that Chris charged us one flat fee and his work is guaranteed, for however long it takes. He's been generous with sharing social skills training with our dog's twin sister at the park.
Make life with your dog an exceptionally pleasant experience by hiring Chris.
"I adopted a shut-down German Shepherd who'd been abandoned on a freeway. Boba was calm around Chris immediately. His method is practical, and he has a plan every session."
Several months ago I adopted a 4-year-old German Shepherd female, Boba, who had been abandoned on a freeway and was in the shelter for 3 months. She had never been socialized and the Anxiety behavior was over the top. I was looking for a trainer to work with and found Chris who seemed to have the right experience. After speaking on the phone for close to an hour, we scheduled an in-home consult. I knew on meeting him that he was the guy for the job. Boba was actually calm around him, and allowed Chris to work with her on the leash. After approximately a 2-hour consult I signed up for our training sessions. We are still in the early stages of training, but when Chris arrives, he has a plan for our session. On the second session, Boba started barking when Chris arrived, and he immediately had a strategy for us to discourage the behavior. The technique has been very effective when visitors stop by. His method is practical and easy. He even thought to check how hot the cement was before we went out front on a warm day — he wanted to be sure Boba's little paws would not get burned. I highly recommend Chris and WUDOG for any pup regardless of your goals. He has a lot to offer based on your needs and your budget.
"Two other trainers couldn't stop my malamute and husky from jumping — one suggested medicating them. Chris stopped them in what seemed like 2 minutes, during the free demo."
I had 2 other trainers come to my home to stop my dogs from jumping on everyone who walked through the door, neither of them could handle my dogs jumping and one suggested drugs to calm them down!!!!
Chris stopped them from jumping in what seemed like 2 minutes... And this is all during his free demonstration, the other 2 trainers charged me just to come out, before any kind of results and they literally could not even stop the jumping.
I paid a little more than i had hoped but seeing the non results from 2 other trainers who were cheaper makes it worth every cent.
Picture of my still excited but better behaving fur babies. Waffles (malamute) and Boss (husky).
"Chris is super patient and his program makes sense. It's achievable, the fee is reasonable, and both my husband and I are learning."
Everything is progressing excellently! Chris is super patient and his training program makes sense! It is achievable and his fee is reasonable! I am learning and so is my husband and we are committed to complete the program and follow everything to a T!
"This guy is great. Helped me with food aggression and came over for a free consultation. Very personable and knowledgeable. Highly recommend."
This guy is great. Helped me with food aggression and came over for a free consultation. Very personable and knowledgeable. Highly recommend.
"From the first session it was clear we were in expert hands. Chris has a calm, confident presence — and he tailored a training plan that actually works, in less time than I imagined."
Chris is an amazing dog trainer! He is very flexible with scheduling sessions with my work schedule and makes it very convenient with home visits. From the very first session, it was clear we were in expert hands. He has a calm, confident presence that immediately put both me and my dog at ease. Not only did Chris take the time to understand my dog's unique behavior challenges, but he also tailored a training plan that actually works — and in less time than I ever imagined!
"My 60-pound dog pulled so hard my 71-year-old mom couldn't walk her. 5 minutes into Chris's demo, she was walking loosely on the leash."
My dog normally barks at men but immediately responded so well as soon as she met Chris.
I had been watching training videos to get her to stop pulling on the leash and was getting so stressed because nothing was working. Molly is a big dog (60 pounds) and my 71 year old mom wants to walk her but was never able to because she yanks too hard.
5 minutes into the demonstration and my mom and me were in shock cuz she pretty immediately stopped pulling and started walking loosely on the leash. It's already been so much better after about a week. I would highly recommend this service!
Six short questions. Takes about a minute.
Usually within 24 hours. You pick a time that works for a free in-home consultation.
60 minutes with you and your dog. I'll work your dog a bit, show you what's possible, and tell you honestly what I think it'll take.
If we're the right fit, we get to work. If not, I'll point you somewhere that is.
Group Session at Bruno Canziani Neighborhood Park, Livermore.
I came to dog training after a career in IT — I wanted to keep solving problems for people, just in a different way. Two years in, I'm glad I made the switch. Keeping a dog from bolting into the street, or from bowling over a client's elderly parent, turns out to be a lot more rewarding than explaining to someone that they need to turn the computer on before they can use it 😄
What I've learned is that the dog is almost never really the problem. It's the communication gap between the dog and the people who love them — and that's what I help close.
Honestly, I wasn't sure dog training was the right fit for me at first. What convinced me were the clients. People on the verge of rehoming a dog they loved. Owners who'd been hospitalized after getting knocked over in their own home. Families whose dog had been hit by a car and were terrified it would happen again, with no idea how to prevent it. Seeing those situations turn around — that's when I knew I was in the right place.
I'll come to you, work with your dog, and give you a straight answer about what we can do together.
Yes — non-negotiable. If you're looking to drop your dog off and pick up a trained dog, I'm not the right trainer for you. Your dog learns to listen to you, which means you have to learn to handle your dog correctly.
If you genuinely can't be involved in every session, there are ways we can work around that — we'll talk it through during the free demonstration.
Start with the quick assessment. Chris will text you within 24 hours to set up your free in-home consultation.
No credit card. No deposit. No obligation.
Or text Chris directly: (925) 400-8006