The Savvy Dog Training and Education Center
Service area: Serves Truckee, CA and surrounding areas within the Truckee Donner Recreation and Park District vicinity.
Service Overview
Types of Dog Training
- Family Dog
- Behavior Modification
Specialty Focus Areas
- Puppy Training
- Barking Excessively
- Biting / Nipping
- Potty Training
- Separation Anxiety
- Reactivity / Aggression
- Jumping on People
- Recall
Training Formats Offered
- Private Lessons
- Group Classes
- Private Facility
Program Formats
- One-Time Consultation
- Sessions Package
- Ongoing Weekly
Types of Dogs
- Herding
Age of Dogs Trained
- Puppy (<1 year)
- Adolescent (1-2 years)
- Adult (2-8 years)
Dog Training Methodology
Methods:
- ✓ Positive Reinforcement Only
Equipment:
- ✓ Clickers
- ✓ Food Rewards
- ✓ Harnesses
- ✓ Flat Collars
- ✓ Obstacle Courses
Group classes are 6-week programs held weekly, covering Puppy Kindergarten (8 weeks–4 months), Adolescent Good Manners (17 weeks–1.5 years), Adult Good Manners, and CGC preparation. Private training starts with a 1.5-hour consultation to assess behavior and create a customized plan. Sessions are scheduled by appointment and focus on problem behaviors and modification. Playgroups provide supervised socialization and exercise for dogs whose owners work all day. CGC evaluations are offered during the final class of the advanced manners course or by private appointment.
Pricing & Policies
Pricing Summary
Group classes cost $170 for a 6-week session. Private training begins with a $170 initial 1.5-hour consultation, followed by $90 per hourly session. Multi-session packages and payment plans are available for private training.
Testimonials
“I found Carla to be incredibly unkind. I had just adopted a 6 mo old border collie puppy from a rescue and needed to train her, so I enrolled in the puppy class. My dog had strong herding instincts and wanted to herd all the dogs during the free play time. She would often have the ‘border collie’ stare and get down low. Carla called my dog UGLY several times. Who would do say that to a puppy?! Carla has said numerous times in class, ‘Oh there is that ugly border collie face.’ I felt so humiliated and insulted. My dog also started feeling super overwhelmed by all the people and dogs freely roaming around during the play time and began barking a lot when other dogs came at her. Carla’s solution was to put us in a corner of the room, behind a tall room divider. My dog could hear and smell everything, but couldn’t see what was happening, which made her even more anxious. She was confined to a tight space and all this freaked her out. I couldn’t put my dog through the torture, so I had to stop going to Carla’s class. Clearly, that’s what Carla wanted, for us to drop out and she didn’t care if her ‘solution’ was damaging to my dog. She saw my dog shake and whimper, but offered no other solution or assistance. After that horrible experience, I used Youtube dog training videos to train my dog, and my dog is the best behaved dog ever with excellent recall, obedience, and impressive amount of tricks. However, thanks to Carla, my dog is still traumatized by room dividers, and tight indoor spaces. Carla’s class did so much damage to my dog. I would recommend people to find another trainer with more knowledge and most importantly, more compassion for your dog.”
– Anonymous Review
“Excellent puppy class offered at the Truckee Rec Center. We learned so much and our puppy had a great time meeting and playing with other pups. Highly recommended!”
– Anonymous Review
“Carla Brown worked gentle, yet firm, miracles with our Border Collie. She also helped to train us. Cannot thank her enough.”
– Anonymous Review
About the Trainer
The Savvy Dog Training and Education Center is owned and operated by Carla Brown, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) with 15 years of professional experience. The center offers positive reward-based dog training services including group classes, private training, behavior consultations, playgroups, and Canine Good Citizen (CGC) evaluations. Classes are held at the Truckee Donner Recreation and Park District Building in Truckee, CA, and include Puppy Kindergarten, Adolescent Good Manners, Adult Good Manners, and CGC preparation. Carla specializes in working with challenging behavior cases and collaborates with local veterinarians. She emphasizes building strong human-dog relationships through force-free methods and does not use choke chains, prong collars, or punishment-based tools. Additional services include pet selection guidance, playgroups for dogs whose owners work all day, and seminars. Carla is also an AKC CGC Evaluator and a long-time volunteer with the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe.
The business provides structured, science-backed training programs designed for dogs and their families, with a focus on making training fun and successful. Private training begins with a 1.5-hour consultation to develop a customized behavior modification plan, followed by hourly sessions. The center also offers FAQs and educational resources to help dog owners understand positive reinforcement, crate training, bite inhibition, and house-training.
Carla writes a monthly column, “The Savvy Trainer,” for the Sierra Sun, and is a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT). The center serves the Truckee, CA area and surrounding communities.
Accomplishments
Carla Brown is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) by the Council for Certification of Professional Dog Trainers, an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, and a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. She has 15 years of professional training experience and writes a monthly column, “The Savvy Trainer,” for the Sierra Sun. She volunteers with the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe.
How to Get Started!
For group classes, register online through the class calendar. For private training or behavior consultation, contact the center to schedule a 1.5-hour initial consultation, during which a customized training plan is developed.
Contact Information
Availability
- Weekdays
- Weekends
- Morning
- Afternoon
- Evening
Certifications
- CPDT-KA
Associations
- APDT
- AKC
Languages
- English
Misc Features
- wheelchair accessible entrance
- wheelchair accessible parking
Other Services Offered
- Dog walker
Location
10961 Stevens Ln, Truckee, CA 96161Listing Tools for Trainers
For The Savvy Dog Training and Education Center Only
Update Your Info
To update your profile, contact us with your changes.
Share Your Recognition!
You’re listed among Truckee’s best dog trainers. Add this recognition badge to your website to stand out from the competition, convert more website visitors into clients, and let clients know you’re part of a trusted community.
Upgrade Your Profile - Get Featured!
Become the obvious choice for dog owners in the Truckee area and grow your dog training business.
- 3x More Views – Featured profiles are seen first and visited the most
- Qualified Leads – A constant stream of motivated Truckee clients
- Enhance Your Profile – Stand out from the crowd with more photos, social media links, and custom sales copy
- More Web Traffic – Improve your site’s search engine exposure (SEO)
- Build Your Brand – Establish trustworthiness and prestige