​
​
​
Aggression
Resource Guarding
Cognitive Building
Bite History
Deaf Dogs
Cognitive Enrichment
Reactivity
Blind Dogs
Crate Training
Leash Reactivity
Basic Manners
Scent Work
Generalized Anxiety
Newly Adopted Dogs
Tricks
Compulsive Behaviors
Fear
Noise Phobias
Sound Sensitivity
Puppies
Proprioception
​
​
And more...
How I Work With San Francisco Dogs
All of my coaching is virtual, and for behavior work, that’s a feature. The real training happens in the moments between sessions, so instead of saving everything up for a weekly appointment, you get regular feedback throughout the week as you practice. And our schedules never have to line up. You send video when it works for you, and I respond with what to adjust.
Through The Dog lab, my behavior coaching program, you get:
​
• A management and modification plan built for your specific dog
• Video reviews with my voice over feedback twice a week
• Direct WhatsApp access to me Monday through Friday
I’m Sara Scott, a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT-KA) and certified separation anxiety behavior consultant (CSAP-BC) with 25+ years of experience working with aggressive, reactive, fearful, and anxious dogs, including a decade teaching reactive dog classes. An expert in your corner all week, not for one hour every other Tuesday.
Start With How I Think About Behavior
My blog is the fastest way to see how I think about behavior before you book. I’ve written in depth about reactivity, aggression, fear, and anxiety, and reading a post or two will tell you whether my approach makes sense to you. Start with what is dog reactivity for the foundation, then reactive dog training: what works for what the process actually involves. If how I think lines up with what you’re looking for, The Dog Lab is where we do the work together.
Looking for a Dog Behaviorist in San Francisco?
If you’re searching for a dog behaviorist in San Francisco, you’re probably dealing with something serious. Aggression, biting, reactivity that’s getting worse, fear that’s taking over your dog’s life. You want someone who works with difficult behavior, not a trainer who teaches sit and stay. That instinct is right. But the word “behaviorist” means something more specific than most people realize, and it’s worth two minutes to understand what you’re actually looking for.
A veterinary behaviorist is a veterinarian who completed a residency in animal behavior and holds board certification through the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. They can diagnose medical conditions and prescribe medication. There are only a couple in the Bay Area, and for some dogs, especially where medication is part of the answer, they’re exactly the right call.
The Unprotected Word
Here’s the part nobody tells you: outside of that credential, “behaviorist” isn’t a protected term. Any trainer can put it on a website, and plenty do, with no certification behind it at all. So the word you’re searching is used by both the most qualified professionals in the field and the least.
The Certified Behavior Consultant
For most serious behavior problems, this is what you’re actually looking for: someone credentialed in behavior modification who works with aggression, reactivity, fear, and anxiety as their specialty. That’s what I do. I don’t call myself a behaviorist, because I’m not a veterinarian. I work on the same problems people search that word for, and if your dog needs medication alongside training, I’ll tell you and coordinate with your veterinarian.