Canyon View Ranch in Topanga Canyon

We'd used different pet services in the past, but there's nothing like Canyon View. They clearly deeply care about the animals and their owners. It's all about communication and affection for their two-legged and four-legged clientele. When my husband and I were having our first baby, we asked the owners for advice on introducing the baby to our first ""baby,"" our dog. We decided to send our beloved mutt to Canyon View for some training and boarding while we worked out our new schedule with our newborn son. When we picked her up, the owners worked with us on techniques they had been working on with our dog like stroller training and being gentle around the baby. The dog was trained but we were too. It has been an amazingly simple transition and one filled with real trust in the techniques used. Whenever we drop Biggy off, her excitement is like a kid being told they are going to Disneyland. She can't wait to run around, splash through the pool, sleep under a tree, and see the owners who are the best camp counselors a dog could ever have. Highly recommended! more

We'd used different pet services in the past, but there's nothing like Canyon View. They clearly deeply care about the animals and their owners. It's all about communication and affection for their two-legged and four-legged clientele. When my husband and I were having our first baby, we asked the owners for advice on introducing the baby to our first ""baby,"" our dog. We decided to send our beloved mutt to Canyon View for some training and boarding while we worked out our new schedule with our newborn son. When we picked her up, the owners worked with us on techniques they had been working on with our dog like stroller training and being gentle around the baby. The dog was trained but we were too. It has been an amazingly simple transition and one filled with real trust in the techniques used. Whenever we drop Biggy off, her excitement is like a kid being told they are going to Disneyland. She can't wait to run around, splash through the pool, sleep under a tree, and see the owners who are the best camp counselors a dog could ever have. Highly recommended! more

I have 4 dogs dogs and wanted them to have a place where they can have a great time when I have to travel. Canyon View has been clearly created with dogs in mind. You really have to see it to believe it. I would highly recommend you check it out. more

If you want a place that is both fun and safe for your dogs this is definitely the place ! more

Life has many disappointments...but guys, THIS AIN'T ONE OF THEM! The first thing that hits you is how pristine everything is...and then bam! here come the dogs bounding out of tunnels and down hills and splashing in a bone-shaped swimming pool, while members of a terrific staff throw them balls in an endless game of catch. We've been trusting them with our dogs since they've been in existence, so I can tell you it's not just for show. If there were a Dog Mythology, the god of dogs would live at Canyon View. more

Life has many disappointments...but guys, THIS AIN'T ONE OF THEM! The first thing that hits you is how pristine everything is...and then bam! here come the dogs bounding out of tunnels and down hills and splashing in a bone-shaped swimming pool, while members of a terrific staff throw them balls in an endless game of catch. We've been trusting them with our dogs since they've been in existence, so I can tell you it's not just for show. If there were a Dog Mythology, the god of dogs would live at Canyon View. more

I have had my last 4 golden retrievers trained, boarded and groomed at Canyon View Ranch dozens of times in the last several years. This is an immaculately kept, high end (it's like a Four Seasons for dogs!) loving environment where my dogs have been treated like family members and have come home happy and healthy every time! I can't be enthusiastic enough about the 2 dog-loving owners, their trainers and the beauty of the place. I recommend it highly to anyone who cares about their dear four-legged friend! more

I would highly recommend Canyon View Ranch to all friends and family. I have boarded my dogs there numerous of times with never any issues. The location is by far the best of any boarding facilities in the Los Angeles area. Crew members there are always very polite and I even took a tour of the large ranch. Hours are great and they even pick up my dogs when needed. more

My mother and I own a Papillon named Missy. We brought Missy to Canyon View Ranch on the high recommendation of another dog owner. Missy had never been to a ranch of any kind before this stay. Canyon View offers such a beautiful, peaceful setting for the dogs unlike any we have ever seen. Yes, there are many kennels or ranches where you can leave your dogs. But Canyon View Ranch offers something special, the special talents of its staff, but also a special setting crafted expressly for dogs. We wouldn't feel comfortable leaving Missy anywhere else. We cannot imagine what we would do without Canyon View Ranch. \r more

I took my dog to Canyon View recently. The first thing I hear when I walked in there was the employees yelling at the dogs to SHUT UP. Then I noticed the little dogs in the front yard and someone was CHUCKING tennis balls at the dogs in a mean way. I didn't like the fact that the dogs would be in there crates for most of the day and all the night without someone there and WITHOUT WATER. According to animal control, dogs must have water available at all times. The only part I would say that I liked was that the trainers are good. So I talked to some former clients that I personally know of Canyon View to see how there pets were treated, and this is what I got. Alot of their dogs either got HURT or VER SICK there. Some dogs came home with giardia because they don't clean the water and from dog feces runoff. They also said that when there dogs got sick they were not informed and inquired huge vets bills. They all said that the grooming was horrible. One client said that they took there dog there within the last three months and that the grooming was better. But most clients said that they treated their dogs like shit.WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT THEIR DOG TREATED LIKE CRAP? They don't have enough people working to watch all the dogs. They continued to say that the owners were most of the time verry rude and that they are on drugs. From learning all of this I will never take my dogs there. This is one of the biggest boarding places but I would rather take my dog to a smaller boarding place with more one on one attention with better treatment. I don't understand why people continue to take there dogs there. It sounds to me that there business ethic is horrible and there facility is not within the compliance of kennel laws. I also thought it was very disturbing to hear that the owners are on drugs. How can you run a business when you are strung out? I am not just saying this out of my a$$ These are proven facts. more

We LOVE this place!! We just picked up our lab today and I've already noticed a difference, although it will also take alot of work on our end..I would totally recommend this place to others and we plan on using the boarding in the future! Manny is the trainer that we worked with and he is the GREATEST! He also has the best way of explaining why dogs do the things they do in a very easy to understand way...The behavior totally made sense after talking to him! But he is really a great trainer, honest and loves what he does which helps with everyone including the dogs! =) this place is very clean and they do a good job with keeping you updated with how the dog is doing and anything important that you need to know...Another great thing, they promise a life time guarantee for the training, and we are able to go there for extra training and the trainer(s) are willing to go to your house or meet you for a ""post check-up!"" Bottom line...THIS PLACE IS GREAT and so is MANNY...Thank you again Manny!!! See you soon.... \r more

I recently moved to LA and boarded my dog here for a few days---I have tried a few kennels over the years----my dog lets me know which kennels he doesn't like----he poos in the house for several days after the stay....He didn't like this place and I noted that he avoided the trainer when we were leaving---Since my dog doesn't talk I have to rely on other means of communication..... Pros: beautiful looking spot Cons: I won't be back more

Oure dog had a cast that was just put on before we took him there. We received a message saying it ""fell off"" and they needed to take him to a vet. They never tried to call us before he went to the vet. Our vet would have picked him up and taken care of the cast. !! We incured over $300 in vet bills that were unnecessary!! They were very rude when we tried to dicuss this with them. They have a big piece of land but they do not provide proper supervision. Cons: they dont care more

We first met Joe Timko, one of the owners, to retain his services as a trainer for our family pet. Although his professionalism and dependability initially impressed us, it was his patience and obvious love of animals that won our trust.\r \r We have subsequently boarded our dog at Canyon View Ranch on several occasions and have been extremely pleased with the cleanliness, efficiency and humane nature of this establishment. Most kennels function in the same manor as a prison facility. Unfortunately, in the average kennel the dogs spend the night caged in tiny crates that greatly inhibit movement, as well as most of the day except for a few hours in a confined and usually barren dog run. At Canyon View Ranch the dogs are organized with consideration to size and temperament into several groups that are allowed to spend the majority of the daytime in a 'run-free', park like atmosphere. \r \r If we didn't have Canyon View, I seriously doubt the possibility of any future guilt-free family vacations!\r \r more

Best K9 help Manuel Hernandez of Canyon View Ranch I feel very comfortable recommending Manuel Hernandez at Canyon View Training Ranch. His ability to work with dogs has been very impressive. He has helped us solve behavioral problems with our two dogs and provide them with structure and guidelines in a short time. Along with their training he has educated my wife and myself with useful skills necessary to continue reinforcing their obedience training. Manuel Hernandez, is confident and knowledgeable in his dog training skills. Along with his capability as a trainer we found him to be very congenial and pleasant to work with. I know you will be pleased with the progress your dog makes under his guidance.\r \r Pros: Love for dogs, Professional, clean, Happy enviroment more

We brought our dog for a 5 night stay at the gorgeous Canyon View Ranch. Upon returning home he walked in the door and began throwing up. I called the ranch & asked if they had noticed anything unusual in his visit & was told that he hadn't eaten for the last 3 meals. I had not received a call while we were gone or any word upon picking up our pooch to let us know that he didn't seem right. \r \r After a scary afternoon of gastrointestinal troubles from all ends, we went to the vet with our listless dog. Over the course of a week we spent over $700 on vet bills, medications and tests. Not only did our dog suffer from the GI illness, but 3 days later he developed kennel cough. \r \r We then sent a letter to Canyon View & we were never contacted by the kennel to discuss the matter or even to acknowledge the letter. It's hard to say if there was a sick dog among the other guests or if the pools & fountains are not cleaned regularly; but our dog will not be returning to Canyon View Ranch. Pros: Beautiful, country location Cons: Unsanitary & unwilling to communicate with us. more

I feel beyond fortunate that my commute to work takes me through Topanga Cyn. Even if it didn't, my dog, Stoney, and I would get up even earlier in order to drop her off each work day for day-care at Canyon View Ranch. From the initial ""Meet & Greet"" to this very moment 4 1/2 years later. I have been truly taken aback with not only their devotion and care of my little girl but their day-in and day-out dedication to customer satisfaction as well. When I have been faced with unusual circumstances (1. Hillside Dr. being impassable due to street paving, Jennifer, a member of the GREAT office staff, offered to have Stoney spend the night at their expense. 2. When the fires made Topange Cyn. impassable to non-residents, I worked it out with Sami, another member of the GREAT office staff, to have Stoney picked up in the morning by an employee heading into work who had a pass, and Sami brought her home), the staff has been extremely creative with their solutions. All of this, and I haven't even mentioned Dustin the absolutely phenomenal trainer. This trainer is one of the most detailed, present human beings I have ever met in my life. I had worked with another trainer who came to my home the first summer I had Stoney (before I became aware of Canyon View) who cost 4x as much and made very little progress comparatively. Dustin can train anything. The last item you need to know is that Canyon View is Canyon View because of its owners. Joe and Randy are hands on. I see Joe all the time working in any number of capacities. He knows the dogs personally. In this way, whenever Stoney is at Canyon View, I feel she is with her extended family. I have ABSOLUTELY nothing to worry about. Everyone knows her, how she is and exactly where she likes to be scratched. Tell me that's not customer satisfaction. Pros: Setting, Staff, Care more

Our trainer Manuel was amazing and in 4 weeks transformed our Bodhi ... he had an incredible way with him and it was obvious they became great friends. Bodhi was always our buddy but he was getting outta hand jumping on people, play biting and just being all around crazy but he came home completely respectful and calm and obeyed every command manuel taught him... ,my wife and i are BLOWN AWAY and highly recommend Canyon View and Manuel specifically to anyone with a dog who is becoming a lot to handle Pros: cost, staff, manuel the trainer, setting, open space, pretty much everything more

I took my dog here based on the recommendation of a friend. The facility is located in the hills of Topanga Canyon. It really is a beautiful place. I dropped my dog off for a one month (on leash) training session. After 10 days I had my first lesson with the trainer (Manuel) and my dog. When I saw by dog I couldn?t believe my eyes. She was VERY thin and VERY sick. Her snout was a bloodied and she had no ?spark? left in her at all. I felt so guilty for sending her after I had left that I went home to review my contract see how I could get her out of there. I called them as soon as they opened on Monday and told them that I would be picking her up within twenty minutes. When I arrived my dog was even sicker and looked even worse than before. She was also filthy (Covered in urine)\r \r The worst part of my expereince there was with the staff. Manuel and the manager (Jill) speak in very condescending tones and will not give you straight answers to questions relating to their training methods and what to expect when your dogs returns home. They treat the clients with little respect and at times I wondered if they were able differentiate between when they were disciplining dogs versus speaking to humans. Needless to say $1000 later and having my dog looking worse than I have ever seen her, I totally regret sending her there and would not EVER recommend this place to anyone. If your dog needs training have a trainer come to your house DO NOT take your dog to Canyon View Ranch. Pros: Beautiful Environment Cons: The Staff and the way the dogs are neglected more

'THE CHARGED ME BUT ""FORGOT"" TO TRAIN MY DOG.' I took my dog to Canyon View for training for 4 days. They charged me for 6. When I called about the bill and training, they were evasive. 3 days later, I was told the dog wasn't trained and that they would refund PART of my money. No refund ever came so I called to reschedule training. The owner refused to train my dog, refused to refund my money and said if I got the charge reversed, he'd make sure it got re-charged to my account. My friend and I tried to reason with the owner. He refused, called us both hideous names and hung up - only to call us each back 10 or so times, leaving foul messages on both our machines. When we asked (for the 90ths time) for him to simply train the dog or refund the money, he claimed it was my fault and that he had no paperwork on training. That's because HIS STAFF LOST THE PAPERWORK. I told him I had the faxed copies of the paperwork showing they had been faxed and asked him why he charged me more than $400 to train my dog if he hadn't done it. Of course, he had no reason. He continued to harass us until we told him if he kept it up, we'd take it up in court for harassment and were recording conversations. He then banished my dog, my friend's dog (the one who recommended him!), and any other dog we were affiliated with - can't understand how he stays in business. Anyhow, I had to cancel my credit card to prevent him from charging it anymore. CONCLUSION: THE CANYON VIEW PEOPLE NEED TRAINING - FORGET THE DOGS!\r Pros: Pretty location Pros: Pretty location Cons: not polite, no accountability, outrageous extra fees more