Business Details
22 Years
experience
Expert Dog Training & Behavior Solutions in San Francisco
Pooch Coach, founded by Beverly Ulbrich, has been a leader in personalized dog training and behavior modification for over two decades. With a BS from Rutgers University and a Master's from Santa Clara University, Beverly combines academic expertise with hands-on experience working with over 3,000 dogs. Her empathic dog training methodology emphasizes mutual trust and respect, addressing issues from basic obedience to severe behavioral problems. Accredited by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and the International Association of Canine Professionals, she has served as an AKC-certified evaluator and collaborated with shelters, rescue groups, and therapy organizations.Beverly's work extends to media appearances, including Animal Planet and MythBusters, and she has trained dogs for film and television. Pooch Coach offers tailored solutions for puppy training, aggression management, separation anxiety, and temperament evaluations, maintaining an A+ BBB rating for 20 years. Clients benefit from free group practice sessions and ongoing support, reflecting a commitment to long-term canine-human harmony.
Services
Dog Obedience Training
Dog Aggression Training
Separation Anxiety
Puppy Training
Temperament Evaluations
Resource Guarding
Behavior Modification
Canine Good Citizen Test
Fear & Shyness
Multiple Dog Households
Details
- Year established: 2004
Highlights and features
- 20+ years of experience solving complex dog behavior issues
- Personalized training programs tailored to each dog's unique needs
- Specialized expertise in aggression and separation anxiety cases
- A+ BBB rating for 20 consecutive years
- Free group practice sessions included with private training
Associations and certifications
- Better Business Bureau
- Association of Pet Dog Trainers
- International Association of Canine Professionals
- American Kennel Club
What people say
Knowledgeable trainer
Empathetic approach
Transformed our dog
Patient and thorough
Expertise in aggression
Services
Dog Obedience Training
Our obedience training develops reliable command response through positive reinforcement and empathic methods. We teach essential commands like sit, stay, and come while addressing leash manners and household rules. Clients learn to communicate clearly with their dogs, creating lasting behavioral changes that improve safety and daily interactions.
Dog Aggression Training
Specialized aggression rehabilitation addresses territorial, fear-based, and inter-dog aggression. We create customized behavior modification plans using desensitization techniques and safety protocols. Owners receive comprehensive guidance for managing triggers and preventing escalation while rebuilding trust with their dogs.
Separation Anxiety
Our anxiety program teaches dogs to remain calm when left alone through gradual desensitization and confidence-building exercises. We implement structured departure routines and environmental enrichment strategies to reduce destructive behaviors and vocalization while owners are away.
Puppy Training
Early socialization and foundation training establish lifelong good behavior. We focus on housebreaking, bite inhibition, and basic commands while addressing common issues like jumping and chewing. Owners learn to set boundaries that promote confidence and prevent future behavioral problems.
Temperament Evaluations
Professional temperament testing identifies behavioral traits for adoption screenings, court cases, and therapy program qualifications. Our evaluations assess sociability, resource guarding tendencies, and reactivity through standardized protocols developed through 20+ years of clinical practice.
People
Beverly Ulbrich
Owner
Beverly Ulbrich, founder of Pooch Coach, holds degrees from Rutgers and Santa Clara University. With 20+ years of experience, she's certified by APDT and IAACP, and served as an AKC evaluator. She's worked with 3,000+ dogs and multiple rescue organizations, redesigning therapy dog testing protocols and training dogs for film and television.
Questions
What dog training services do you offer?
We provide obedience training, aggression rehabilitation, separation anxiety solutions, puppy training, temperament evaluations, and behavior modification for resource guarding. Specialized programs address fear, multi-dog households, and AKC certification preparation.
Do you work with aggressive dogs?
Yes, we specialize in aggression cases with 20+ years of experience. Our behavior modification plans use positive reinforcement and safety protocols to address territorial, fear-based, and inter-dog aggression through customized rehabilitation programs.
Are training packages available?
We offer personalized training programs with initial consultations followed by tailored sessions. Packages include free group practice meetups and ongoing support for long-term success with your dog's specific needs.
Can you help with separation anxiety?
Our separation anxiety program uses desensitization techniques and structured routines to reduce destructive behaviors. We teach dogs to remain calm when left alone through gradual training plans that build confidence and independence.
Do you offer puppy training?
Yes, our puppy program covers housebreaking, basic commands, and socialization. We focus on early education for bite inhibition, leash walking, and household manners to establish good behavior patterns from the start.
What areas do you serve?
We primarily serve the San Francisco Bay Area, with specialized services available for referral cases and temperament evaluations. Virtual consultations may be available for select situations outside our immediate service area.
Videos
Reviews (6)
Jt
Jan 27, 2022
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Hard to recommend. Not the warmest bed side manner while competent. Her home based training environment is not fantastic. Pricing very high for training sessions and cannot really say $200 an hour is warranted. Detail oriented training advice is effective but nothing you haven't already read if you actually picked up a training book. Does give useful insight on how to implement training techniques not easily conveyed via the written word. Does not sugar coat advice, trustworthy. Seems to see dogs more as working than family.
Her advice is reasonable but the less risky path; we as rescue fosters are willing to put more time and effort into a dog than we get back while still managing the risk of failure. She is very black and white in her analysis. Update: 3 years later; our foster found her forever home. Long journey but glad we didn't take the advice to give up. Our deaf Australian Shepherd mix deserved her second chance.
Her advice is reasonable but the less risky path; we as rescue fosters are willing to put more time and effort into a dog than we get back while still managing the risk of failure. She is very black and white in her analysis. Update: 3 years later; our foster found her forever home. Long journey but glad we didn't take the advice to give up. Our deaf Australian Shepherd mix deserved her second chance.
Lisa D.
Jun 12, 2021
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Buyer Beware. Pros and cons. One in person session - good - learned new things. Then the struggle began - I pre-paid a huge premium for beginning, intermediate and specialty training for my fearful rescue. I really only wanted specialty fearful training as the rest is commodity dog training. Over 3+ months of our relationship I was only able to schedule one in person training session - I'll say that was good!
But the rest was a frustrating struggle with Beverly to find the time within her busy schedule to perform the rest of the services that I had pre-paid for. So I canceled this contract for which she had no contrition - nothing - although she gave me a 25% refund thanks for maybe 10% of the services fulfilled (I'm being generous). Buyer beware. Make sure that she has time for you vs. filling her bank account without delivery of services.
But the rest was a frustrating struggle with Beverly to find the time within her busy schedule to perform the rest of the services that I had pre-paid for. So I canceled this contract for which she had no contrition - nothing - although she gave me a 25% refund thanks for maybe 10% of the services fulfilled (I'm being generous). Buyer beware. Make sure that she has time for you vs. filling her bank account without delivery of services.
Meg F.
Jul 01, 2020
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I should not have paid up front for a series of sessions. I should not have let her severely correct my dogs. I should not have listened to her tell me that I deserved to have unruly pets because I was too weak to correct them in her sharp manner. I am glad I left and never returned. I don't care that I never used the remaining prepaid sessions because I felt I protected my dogs by never going back; I feel I failed to protect them by going in the first place.
As I sat with my injured pet at the vet clinic asking my vet if Beverly's sharp corrections a few days prior were the cause of my dog's neck injury, my vet said if I was even ASKING if Beverly's corrections could have caused the injury, then I had the answer I needed, which was not to return to her. We'll never know for sure if she injured my dog's neck, but I never went back because I believe she did.
If you opt for the series of pre-paid sessions (pricing sounds better, right?!), then think about how you'll be stuck with her if you don't like her or her tactics and how much more you'll end up spending on those unused prepaid sessions plus the next trainer you will be hiring.
As I sat with my injured pet at the vet clinic asking my vet if Beverly's sharp corrections a few days prior were the cause of my dog's neck injury, my vet said if I was even ASKING if Beverly's corrections could have caused the injury, then I had the answer I needed, which was not to return to her. We'll never know for sure if she injured my dog's neck, but I never went back because I believe she did.
If you opt for the series of pre-paid sessions (pricing sounds better, right?!), then think about how you'll be stuck with her if you don't like her or her tactics and how much more you'll end up spending on those unused prepaid sessions plus the next trainer you will be hiring.
Edie L.
May 08, 2020
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Our puppy Annie is doing so well because of Beverly's training. She is learning to "come." She can walk on a leash quite well AND she is learning to stay by my feet when I ask her to. Also, she is learning balanced play and to interact with other puppies/ dogs and people respectfully so one day we can go everywhere with her! Further, she is learning to be by herself in the home without us for a short period of time.
This way she grows up healthy and happy and won't develop frustrations and fears down the line. She is growing to be a very well trained and happy puppy because of Beverly's knowledge. Thank you Beverly for your expertise and guidance in raising our Labrador puppy to one day be an emotional support service dog!
This way she grows up healthy and happy and won't develop frustrations and fears down the line. She is growing to be a very well trained and happy puppy because of Beverly's knowledge. Thank you Beverly for your expertise and guidance in raising our Labrador puppy to one day be an emotional support service dog!
Heather Ford
Apr 19, 2020
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Beverly has a plethora of knowledge on everything dog (proper care, training, health, behavior, well-being, etc.) and understands the importance and ins and outs of the human-dog bond. She holds a holistic perspective, which is invaluable to not only the dog, but also the owner. She is a prime example of someone that embodies her work and makes it a part of her minute to minute existence. She has a tremendous passion for what she does and will go above and beyond to support anything and anyone related to her line of work that touches upon her core values and beliefs.
She has a strong network of professionals, which acts to provide owners with many trustworthy and reliable resources. Her extreme love for what she does is evident beyond measure. I would give her 10 stars out of 5 and would highly recommend her services. She truly wants the best for everyone that crosses her path and I fully trust her with me and my standard poodle.
She has a strong network of professionals, which acts to provide owners with many trustworthy and reliable resources. Her extreme love for what she does is evident beyond measure. I would give her 10 stars out of 5 and would highly recommend her services. She truly wants the best for everyone that crosses her path and I fully trust her with me and my standard poodle.
Alana Cloud
Mar 28, 2017
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I've been working with Beverly for several months now, and have seen a huge improvement in my previously aggressive and fearful Jack Russel/Chihuahua mix. He is infinitely happier and has a far more positive relationship with other people than ever before in his 6 years! Beverly is incredibly knowledgeable and insightful about all things dog psychology and has a very sensible approach to her training.
I've found each of the trainings to be somewhat academic in structure, they are easy to follow and each lesson builds on the previous one in a logical way. Beverly provides a clear, customized written breakdown after each lesson with resources to review what we covered and help with homework. Since ALL dog training depends on consistency on the part of the owner, her course is self-paced, and she's great at setting milestones along the way to measure progress. We've recently moved away from SF, but are excited to continue working with Beverly remotely as my dog's training continues to progress! I HIGHLY recommend working with the Pooch Coach!
I've found each of the trainings to be somewhat academic in structure, they are easy to follow and each lesson builds on the previous one in a logical way. Beverly provides a clear, customized written breakdown after each lesson with resources to review what we covered and help with homework. Since ALL dog training depends on consistency on the part of the owner, her course is self-paced, and she's great at setting milestones along the way to measure progress. We've recently moved away from SF, but are excited to continue working with Beverly remotely as my dog's training continues to progress! I HIGHLY recommend working with the Pooch Coach!
