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Jeff Tinsley is the owner of Sound Animals and Seattle's most trusted dog behavior expert. He has been helping Seattle dog owners to solve their dog training and dog behavior problems for over 22 years. Recommended by veterinarians, rescue organizations, breeders, and other pet professionals, Sound Animals has all the dog classes and dog behavior training that you need.

At Sound Animal Services, we use positive reinforcement, which includes treats, praise, and fun! Through a range of classes, private lessons and counseling services, we work closely with pet owners to enhance their understanding of their animal's behavior.
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In our classes our goal is to teach the owner how to interact with their dog in a variety of situations. We help everyone learn more about training, pet communication, dog care, and how to have fun with their canine friends. We teach people how to work with distractions and how to shape a dog's behavior through the use of positive reinforcement, play, and other fun training techniques.
In 1957, a dog in Russia named Laikia, launched into space & became the world's first ever space astronaut. Do you have separate classes for big dogs and little dogs? No. Of course, safety is top priority, but our primary focus in class, is to help all dogs learn to live life on life's terms. What techniques do you use?
Just unscrew the Bouncy Bone and slip off the rubber ball. Slide a gnawhide ring on either side of the ball screw the bone back together and let the fun begin! The Gentle Leader EZ Walk Harness features 2 quick snap buckles, 4 adjustment points and a martingale closure which tightens slightly across the chest to discourage pulling.
In many cases, this is a great way to add a dog to your home. It can be a very rewarding experience. Sometimes these dogs are wonderful pets just waiting to find the right place to go, or maybe they just need a little work with basic obedience. Other times they come with many other problems like anxieties, people aggression, dog/dog aggression, etc.
Reviews (22)
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Kayla T.
Mar 20, 2022
Took my 12 week old puppy for playtime. No one verified our vaccinations, and there seemed to be no one verifying age either. Some very large, clearly-not-puppies were in attendance. I was slightly concerned about this for exposure reasons since small puppies are especially vulnerable until fully vaccinated. The second time we attended, my puppy was actually attacked (twice) by an aggressive dog.

The staff handled this poorly. On top of all of this, the facility is not well kept and when dogs pee or poop it is not cleaned up in a timely manner. I would not recommend this facility. Look elsewhere for your puppy.
Joshua Kelly
Jul 18, 2021
The puppy play group was amazing the women running it gave me so much help and advice and all the training was so helpful I was doing some thing wrong that I didn't even realize. She helped with resource guarding anxious dogs you name it she can help with it all come check it out
Jennifer L.
Apr 24, 2021
Jeff is an incredible trainer and a really nice person. He has helped us train 3 dogs with classes and in-home training. He is creative and fun with training - and includes our kids in the process. I can't say enough good things about Sound Animal Services.
Carrie Gerstenberger
Dec 28, 2020
Extremely welcoming and relaxed. I attended their puppy socialization class and felt like all puppies were safe and supported. The trainer was great and responsive to the puppies needs and parents questions. The class was dedicated to playing, with as little or as much parent interaction as wanted. The trainer taught the parents how to properly protect their pups when nervous and helped to point out unacceptable behavior and how to address the behavior.

The class provided open play time with the opportunity to interact with other puppies too, not just your own. The space is large with a garage door that opens to fresh air and sun. Plenty of parking and a great group of pups with all different sizes and play-styles.
Kristine P.
Aug 31, 2020
This place has been a lifesaver! I was having trouble finding ANY social play groups for my new puppy, and I finally found Sound Animals when she was 11 weeks old. It's absolutely amazing that they offer this 2 hour play session for FREE, and owners are allowed to stay with the puppies. Many places are currently doing drop-off only because of COVID, and this was a deal breaker for us because our puppy is very shy around new people, especially if they try to handle her.

This group has been perfect (limited to 10 people currently and everyone must wear a mask and socially distance) - she's gotten exposed to more new people and gotten some valuable playtime with puppies having similar levels of immunity. She's really come out of her shell and I can't thank Sound Animals enough for this!
Nami K.
May 24, 2019
Both my sister's and my dog use daycare regularly. My sister's dog was rescued and out of control before he got trained by Jeff. My sister also needed to go through the classes with her dog first but very happy with the outcome. This day care is excellent place for dogs to socialize and learn dog-good-behavior but not the place for your dog to get pampered, watch TV and sleep whole day. "Tired dog is a good dog". I like seeing my dogs to be tired when they comes home.
Liz A.
May 22, 2019
I would not take your pets here. I witnessed a worker pulling a dog up by its collar choking it. He dragged the dog to get back into the facility. I was walking by when I saw this and also heard dogs howling as if they were scared. I felt so bad for all of those pups. Please don't put yours through that!
Taryn R.
Jul 12, 2018
I've never taken my dog here, but I work in an extreme close vicinity to this business. What I, my co-workers, and customers have witnessed from this place is appalling. The owner and employees scream at the dogs on a continual basis (the doggie daycare, I have no clue about the dog training), spray them in the face with a squirt bottle and eat in front of the dogs so the dogs go crazy.

I can hear smaller dogs screaming out in pain all the time (probably from bigger dogs going after them since they aren't separated like in most doggie daycares), and I hear them howling because they are lonely. I've gone out and talked to the dogs, when I can see that no one is watching the dogs and they all come to the fence, starved for attention.

The best is when I've seen dogs escape out of their fence, run across the road and into different businesses. How is that for your dog being protected? I am a dog owner, and take my dogs to a doggie daycare. I know there are better options out there for your dogs.
Juls Oostyen
Jun 20, 2017
After going through a Petsmart training class I came here. It was nice to work with Jeff who helped me teach my dogs to live in this crazy human's world. I wanted my dogs to be dogs and not little humans. I have since taken an interest in becoming a trainer and volunteered to work with Jeff.
Cheryl J.
Jun 16, 2016
My two little dogs went through training classes as puppies and now have spent the last 3-4 years attending daycare once a week. I love that Sound Animals picks up and drops off my dogs at my home. When they arrive, my dogs can overhear the other end and immediately recognize that it's time for them to go to daycare. They start shrieking with excitement -- which they don't do for any of their other life pleasures -- and promptly run to the door. It's the highlight of their week!
Lisa R.
Aug 27, 2015
The whole obedience class with Jeff was amazing! He has a knack of understanding what your dog needs as well as what you need to feel confident in class. He is calm, patient, funny and always looks for ways to compliment your dog as well as you. We have a very shy collie pup and Jeff knew what to do to bring him out and make him feel more confident. Strongly recommend Sound Animals to anyone!
M. E.
May 14, 2015
You should know my dog is kind of a train wreck. Well, she *was*. I have a rescue dog who has been one of the most difficult and challenging dogs in my life. She came to me as an adult with a lot of baggage in tow. I'd already gone to a couple of other trainers and classes in an attempt to help socialize and relieve her anxiety. I was referred to SA and Jeff by a friend, and attended the Growl Class. Growl Class is limited to six dogs and the focus is on safety, keeping the dogs under reactivity threshold, and learning social skills many rescue dogs have missed.

My own personal dog had a hard time tolerating being in visual line of sight with any other dog, and would lunge at the hint of eye contact from them. The best part for me as an owner? I never felt judged for having a dog that was a hot mess which made it easier to continue working with her. I attended Growl class a few times. Repeat takers get a discount, and the dogs benefit from the repetition.

If your dog needs to be in this class, there isn't a quick fix, but there is this class, which is a kind, if slow, fix. The methods Jeff uses are positive approach and positive reinforcement. I've seen other comments here on Yelp to the contrary, but I can tell you after having attended many classes at this point, I've never seen Jeff use anything other than positive methods.

When my anxious dog has reacted to him with lunging and barking in his face, he's been very calm and quietly stood with her while she settled down. If you are concerned about the comments about the water bottle he uses, then understand this: it's just water and it's generally sprayed on the ground near or in front of the dog to distract the dog that is obsessively focused on another dog.

My dog has since gone from Growl Class to the general population classes. She still has some issues, but she continues to improve. She rarely barks or lunges at other dogs. The neighbors can walk by without her harassing them. I continue to go, not just for improvement, but because it's become pretty fun to hang out with my dog and teach her things. She's come a long way from being too reactive to do anything but bark and lunge at other dogs. I can't tell you how nice that is.
Maren H.
Apr 29, 2013
We rescued a 6 year old German Shepard and part of the agreement was that we take him to training soon. He already had the basics down (sit, lay down) So I called Jeff and his team and they let us in intermediate, which was great. Jeff was very helpful in getting our dog not only trained, but what we needed even more was socialized. He is still working on that but the training did is all a world of good.
Chelsea D.
Jan 18, 2013
Although I only attended training at this facility once that's all I needed to know I did not want to return. The studio was cold and un inviting, and there was about 15 dogs which seemed like entirely way too many. I've found I prefer a training style that promotes my pup into being my helpful buddy not my scared slave and I found that was the vibe at sound animal.

One of my least favorite lessons learned that evening was that as a female I was going to have to work harder to train my dog because they don't respect my submissive nature. Maybe that's true for fear based training but that furthers the reasons I would not recommend this studio. Remember, do you want your dog to be your slave? Or buddy?

Right away when you get into class the dogs are permitted to introduce themselves and play, my dog felt overwhelmed and tensed up about to snap I noticed and corrected my dog thankfully one second before Jeff was about to squirt him in the face with a water bottle. Wouldn't you at least like your child's teacher at school to ask if they can spank your child rather than take liberties regardless of your stance on "spanking." If old fashioned fear based training is the route you'd like to go Jeff is your guy, I myself prefer a more positive style of training one where my dog is left confident and eager to please not fearful and scared to disappoint.

My tuition was included in my adoption fee for my dog, when I requested a refund I was denied and told too bad since I'd already taken up a spot in class. All I can say to that is there was entirely way too many dogs in this class to begin with.
Aaron G.
Mar 19, 2012
Had Jeff do a one-on-one with our new dog we adopted (she had been in foster care because she was so scared.difficult). She was extremely aggressive towards other dogs encountered on walks (though sweet at home with our other dog). She hadn't done well with another expert we'd seen for a number of sessions, but after one session with Jeff she was doing better and we were much more confident that we'd be able to help her be calm (and not vicious) on walks. We feel much better equipped to continue to train her, and she continues to improve!
Hilary F.
Sep 15, 2011
I found this place BEFORE i moved up from LA, took a leap of faith in total desperation and signed my dog up for the 6 week "growl" class for dog agressive dogs. long story short, we took the class twice because we loved it so much, then went on to take the basic obedience class as well. jeff and his assistants really put me at ease, especially on that first class where i was in tears for fear that my dog would be shunned.

They were so supportive, they taught both my dog AND me confidence and how to interact with other dogs. Best part is, classes are at all hours pretty much, and if you take one series, the next series is discounted by alot. LOVE THEM and am forever indebted to Jeff for helping my beast be happier in this world.
Marjory T.
Jul 05, 2011
We took 4 classes with Jeff, my one year old, took back to back classes, Jeff is a great dog person, Sullivan did great today 7/4/11, on a walk left dogs, alone, joggers, bike people, I know it is because we went to class, he's half Shepard, Heeler, his barking has clamed down too, His sister, had not taken a class in 2 years it was great for her to go, on the heeling class, she still will not leave my side, Dilla Dew. If you have big dogs in the city, I would recommend these classes,
Nadia A.
Sep 28, 2010
Took my lil pup here for the obedience class and while I was skeptical at first thinking there was no way she was going to do the things Jeff TInsley said she would do. By the end of the course, I was proven wrong. Not only did my little Bailey pass with flying colors. after some time when I thought she would have forgotten the skills I havent really been "working on".

I know - my fault. she listened immediately, understood, and was able to recall the commands she was taught. I am not only impressed with the training here. I am going back for the next course. Cant wait. SOOOOOOoooooo love this place and all the people who work here! Thanks guys! TWO THUMBS UP! Highly recommended!
Stacy L.
Jul 16, 2010
Jeff and his crew walk on water (on all 4 paws that is). They offer wonderful classes w/ play time that have really helped me train my nearly 12 mos old Golden Retriever aka the monster. Jeff has come to the house for a one-on-one training session which helped us solve a house training issue. I'm about to have him back again. Would highly recommend him, the group classes, and the doggy photographer that works with them.
Nick B.
Nov 29, 2009
Absolutely love this training school. Kendra is magnificient and is always more than willing to help out after class to teach us a few tricks on how to get my 1 and a half year old dog to stop acting like such a d-bag. Jeff Tinsley has also been extremely helpful replying to some of my inquiries on specific dog behavioral problems that I've encountered. I have tried Ahimsa at first but I believe that this training style is much better at working with more dominant, stubborn breeds.
Alice K.
Aug 02, 2009
I have used Jeff's services for one-on-one, in-home training as well as classes for my two dogs very successfully. Jeff's advice is practical, effective and easy to implement. His style is casual and friendly, yet professional. I am very happy with the service I've received from Jeff and give him a high recommendation.
Mina W.
Mar 02, 2009
Jeff came to our house to help to help us with our 16 month old dog that was regressing into bad behavior. He was terrific. He had ideas for our dog that made perfect sense. Everything was easy for us to implement and affected Bruno's behavior almost immediately. I understand he teaches classes, which I imagine would also be very worthwhile. We would not hesitate to recommend Sound Animal Services to any dog owner!