If you have a dog or are thinking of getting a dog and you are near the Palos Verdes peninsula, do you and your dog a favor and contact Anita. Anita is an excellent trainer, and she really knows her stuff when it comes to K9’s. My wife and I contacted Anita when we decided to add a Rottweiler puppy to our family. We started working with Anita shortly after we got our puppy at 8 weeks and we couldn’t be happier with our experience. After 14 lessons and guidance from Anita our pup is obedient, potty-trained, has good manners and is an absolute joy to take on a walk. Anita is a great communicator and can answer any questions when you run into a training issue. She responds promptly and is always on time for training with a positive attitude and great energy. She listens to your concerns and is also always asking questions to better guide you on your training journey. Our dog is now four months old and has such a solid foundation for us to continue to build on and we are really excited about our future together. We believe a trained dog makes an obedient dog and an obedient dog makes for a happy owner. When both owner and dog are happy your dog ownership experience becomes truly enriching. We are excited to have a well behaved puppy that we can take places and it’s all thanks to Anita. She is knowledgeable, patient, attentive, fun, and we truly can’t recommend her enough.

                                                                                                                                                  July 6, 2020

Hello Pup Parents,

We are writing to you today as a group of Portuguese Bend neighbors, friends, and dog owners who have, or are currently being helped by  Anita Anderson’s services.  Each of us consider the work that Anita performs here to be a service to the Portugugese Bend community, our families, and our pets. 

Neighbors often see Anita in Portuguese Bend with our pups  and are incredulous of one woman’s ability to  safely orchestrate such a joyful gathering.  They see dogs having a wonderful time,  and  on command, the dogs respond to whatever Anita asks of them as a group, and as individuals. Observers are amazed  at her extraordinary control. 

While it may look like magic, it’s actually the result of  a strenuous and challenging series of training that these Portuguese Bend dogs and their owners have been through in order to qualify to participate with  the Bend Group (as it is nicknamed).

First, the dog owner and her pet meet with Anita for an interview and assessment.   If  Anita sees potential,  the dog and the owner begin a series of one-on-one and group training  to prepare for eventual participation in the Bend Group sessions.  Anita may work with a pair for weeks or many months, depending upon the dog’s progress.  Anita is somewhat famous for her ability to turn difficult and unruly dogs around. There are a number of Portuguese Bend dogs who previously could not safely be taken out for walks, interact with other dogs, socialize with non-family members or respond to owner commands that Anita’s training has completely transformed. 

Once the training process has progressed to a certain point, Anita may invite the dog owner and pet to observe a Bend Group play session. She carefully introduces the group dogs to the new dog, and then, over a period of weeks, the owner and dog attend together.  The dog slowly develops within the group, improving social skills, command response,  and becoming fully trustworthy. All newly accepted dogs progress to a longer leash, which is one of several safety training tools used to teach a safe, extended recall.  Not until a dog has progressed through all levels of Anita’s program is he permitted to participate in the Bend Group. Our pups absolutely love the Bend Group, and participating in this group has been  foundational to helping us raise  well balanced,  obedient and contented pups.

Anita also practices a leave-no-trace policy, cleaning up after every dog and leaving nothing behind. 

Anita and her socialized, obedient, and trustworthy dogs are a benefit to Portuguese Bend, but there are other positive repercussions….

• Neighbors in the training program begin to establish connections with each other, and new introductions to other neighbors naturally begin to occur, further expanding bonds within the community

• Dog owners who have been through Anita’s program walk their dogs often, increasing the number of resident eyes and ears keeping an eye on things in Portuguese Bend. 

• Well trained dogs are safer  for drivers and walkers, less likely to interact with coyotes, and less likely to present a danger to other dogs and cats

Portuguese Bend residents who can speak to  Anita’s excellent training programs and safety protocols are many, and that is just in this area.  Anita also trains throughout RPV, Rolling Hills Estates, PVE,  San Pedro, as well as other areas. 

We hope that this letter gives you confidence that Anita’s program is a safe and positive one for those fortunate enough to train with her. 

Thank you,

Portuguese Bend Pet Parents

8/1/2018

Anita and her method of training is loving, compassionate, and kind.  Our new puppy can't wait to see her when she comes to train. Anita has taught us how to train with consistency and patience.  We are so happy with the results, we have a well mannered, social and most importantly a safe dog who will come, sit, stay, heel and wait. And now our Sage gets to go twice weekly with other pups on their fun social outings were Anita is the chauffeur!

Thanks to you Anita

3/14/2020
We feel very fortunate to have found Anita and Mike for our pups, a 4 year-old yellow lab and a 3 year-old rescue who we adopted a year ago. We initially were just looking for a dog walking service but Anita and Mike's service turned out to be so much more than that. Our rescue dog displayed anxiety and fear which made walking him tough for Mike initially. Anita and Mike kept trying new ways to tackle the challenges and each strategy was more ingenuous than the one before. Persistence and patience really paid off! Our rescue is better adjusted than ever before and no longer displays strange behaviors. My 3-year old also had her own issues with pulling and disobedience, but Anita has helped tremendously by training and socializing. We cannot be happier with Anita and Mike. They truly offer all around, comprehensive services for our pets' needs as well as ours. Thank you, Anita and Mike!!

6/16/2019
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We absolutely adore and are so grateful for Mrs.Anita . We rescued our dog at about 4 months old, and went thru multiple trainers. Our pup had a lot of behavioral issues and was causing constant chaos in our home. We weren't even able to walk her. I was referred to Anita by a friend. Reluctantly we contacted her since we had already went thru multiple others. It was the best decision we ever made. She has changed our dog, she is calmer, loves walks is extremely calmer in our home. Anita gave us the tools to teach our dog good behavior. Our dog would lose control at the sight of another dog, thanks to Anita our pup now has had play dates with multiple other dogs! She is the best in the business, we would be lost without her!

8/9/2019

My dogs and I love Anita! She changed our lives and we are so, so thankful! I have two Aussies and they were quite out of control when she first met us all. Fast forward to a couple months later and they are totally changed for the better. I no longer have to yell at my dogs when: someone comes over, someone comes to the door, something drops on the floor, etc. Anita gave me the tools to properly communicate to my dogs what I expect from them and how to effectively get them to understand and listen.

Before Anita's training my dogs knew basic commands, however, I needed a trainer to come to my house and help me with the day-to-day routine with my pups and show me where I was going wrong. In six short weeks me, my friends, and family are totally blown away by the differences they see in my pups when they visit us at home.

I can now take my dogs places off leash and feel comfortable when I call them back to me. I would have never believed that would be possible before meeting Anita. My pups are also getting very well socialized (so important!) thanks to our group training sessions. Anita really is the best and we couldn't have asked for anything more. Thank you, Anita!

6/23/2021
I called Anita in tears because we had so much chaos going on at our home. With 10-month-old Pug Puppies (a brother and sister, Ben & Daisy) and my son's new 4-month-old Giant Schnauzer puppy, Ragnar, the chaos and stress of having a huge puppy dog and two tiny pugs had become too much. We had no clue how to handle a big dog with two smaller dogs. As Ragnar was dragging me down the street one day on his daily walk, one of my neighbors said I should give Anita a call as she had trained most of the dogs in our neighborhood. The moment I got home I called her and said HELP and can you come tomorrow??? She was a doll and came the very next day. She has been a gift that keeps on giving. She took control of the out-of-control situation and now the three puppies are so happy and content living together under one roof and they play so sweetly now. Ragnar is the sweetest, but just a huge dog, and didn't realize he was being too rough with Ben and Daisy. He wasn't taking any of their cues to back off. Ben had the alpha dog complex and was constantly lunging at Ragnar if he got near me. Daisy flipped out if another dog came near our fence and got the other two wound up. We got all 3 dogs during Covid, so we weren't going to a dog park for socialization. They just knew us and their yard and that was it. Adding in a 3rd dog escalated the situation. It was just a recipe for daily disasters and Anita stepped in and I CANNOT recommend her enough! We did the large puppy package for all 3 dogs and also joined Anita's doggy playgroup. I'm telling you, the socialization is KEY for them to learn all of the behavior cues, and seeing Anita load 15 dogs into her car, it's just unbelievable. They all listen to her and respect her. She means business! 4 days a week they lay at our front gate waiting for her car to pull up. If you're on the fence about paying for a dog trainer, I'm telling you, she is worth EVERY cent!! Please call her. You'll be so happy you did! She brought peace and harmony back to our home and she has trained us humans on how to properly work with them. In just a very short time I can now walk my 3 dogs together all in harmony - 1 Giant Schnauzer on my left side and 2 Pugs on my right. It's crazy cool! My trail hikes with Ragnar are fun and I have no fear of him dragging me anywhere. He is trained and listens and we have so much fun! Such a great experience working with Anita. So grateful to her and her expertise!

10/18/2020
Anita is a professional, fun, and loving dog trainer. She made enormous improvements in Dory's (and Ed's!!) ability to take calm, fun walks. We now know how to meet other dog's with polite greetings instead of stressful barking. Dory has learned all of her commands including heel, sit, down, stay, come and her favorite..."play time!!" There is nothing more rewarding than seeing one's previously fearful puppy, playing confidently with 10 other dogs... Anita's "Woodstock Festival" as I like to call it.
Thank you Anita!

3/1/2020
Anita was a lifesaver for us when we brought home our precious 8 week old Yorkshire terrier, Levi. She helped us to understand what he needed and how to create good habits for all of us. One of the biggest issues was potty training and with her guidance we had quick success. I am grateful to her and all her knowledge. Thank you, Anita!

3/14/2020
We feel very fortunate to have found Anita and Mike for our pups, a 4 year-old yellow lab and a 3 year-old rescue who we adopted a year ago. We initially were just looking for a dog walking service but Anita and Mike's service turned out to be so much more than that. Our rescue dog displayed anxiety and fear which made walking him tough for Mike initially. Anita and Mike kept trying new ways to tackle the challenges and each strategy was more ingenuous than the one before. Persistence and patience really paid off! Our rescue is better adjusted than ever before and no longer displays strange behaviors. My 3-year old also had her own issues with pulling and disobedience, but Anita has helped tremendously by training and socializing. We cannot be happier with Anita and Mike. They truly offer all around, comprehensive services for our pets' needs as well as ours. Thank you, Anita and Mike!!

3/14/2020
I was looking for a dog walking service for our 2 dogs (terrier mix and Newfoundland/Tibetan Mastiff mix).
• Anita and Mike came to the house to meet our dogs. They watched as my husband and I walked the dogs to see the commands we used and how the dogs behaved on leash. I have a difficult time with our large dog, but Anita gave me tips on how to correct his behavior. They also let us know if something is "different" with the dogs (ie: health issues, change in behavior).
Another bonus: Mike walks both dogs at the same time!! (I usually cannot do this).
The dogs and I think this service is GREAT!!!!! We strongly recommend Anita and Mike to other pet owners.
Erin

I second Anita’s group! I bring my Yorkie specifically for getting socialization exposure to other dogs. She has come a long way, and loves her weekly outings with other pups, large and small!

Anita's Loving Pet Services (and Mike, her husband)...very professional. They do training and walking and play groups and more.

I just want to write a very positive recommendation for Anita. She worked with our pup Luna and did a great job teaching me how to be a better owner. I would definitely recommend her for her care of all dogs and her knowledge of dog behavior. Thanks Anita!