Jeff Stallings, who founded Better Nature Dog Training in 2011, holds a CPDT-KA certification, a credential he notes requires documented experience, professional references, and passing a formal examination. He earned it in 2013 and has maintained it since, with his current renewal valid through 2028. According to his site, veterinarians often prefer this certification when referring clients to trainers.
Stallings describes his methodology as rooted in science and an evolutionary perspective on canine behavior. Rather than applying one-size-fits-all techniques, he says he considers each dog's history: how they were raised, any previous training, past difficult experiences, and their current living situation. His approach relies primarily on rewards and positive reinforcement, though his writing indicates he believes other methods have a narrow, carefully supervised role in certain situations.
The San Francisco-based practice offers both in-person sessions for Bay Area clients and virtual consultations for those elsewhere. Services cover puppy basics like house training and early socialization, general obedience work, and behavioral concerns including leash pulling and reactivity. For more complex aggression or anxiety cases, Stallings states he refers owners to board-certified veterinary behaviorists. He also maintains a blog where he shares training guidance drawn from his research and client work over the past fourteen years.
