What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm Sunday 9am - 5pm

Angie Fonseca

Ethical and emotionally considerate behavior help for humans and the animals in their lives. I have been helping pet parents in San Diego since 2002.

I work with dogs, cats and other pets, and always use gentle training techniques. I never employ the use of harsh methods or tools for the sake of quick and easy results. My methods are based on scientific research about animal learning and most importantly, ethics. I promise to never sacrifice your pet's emotional well being for any reason.

04/29/2024

“Leave-it” aka “Dog, don’t put that in your mouth!” requires patience and practice and proofing. Riley is in the early stages, but look how good she’s doing ignoring a few of her favorite things!

02/20/2024

Beamer invited himself to our dog training session and then got annoyed that he was involved in a dog training session…

02/13/2024

How am I supposed to get any work done with this going on?

02/05/2024

It might not be a proper greeting, but it’s absolutely perfect 😍

02/01/2024

Did you know that when a cat’s tail is in the shape of a question mark it means he’s comfortable and content? Most people know that an animal’s tail can say a lot about how they’re feeling but what often gets lost in translation is how many expressions there actually are in a tail.

I believe that part of the responsibility of keeping a pet is knowing their body language. is an amazing artist who has dedicated some of her work to this subject. Her work is creative, fun, and informative.

Take some time to get to know the basics about your pet’s body language because it’s their only way to communicate their feelings. Ears, eyes, mouth, posture, and tails have a lot to say if you’re listening!

01/31/2024

Hi old and new friends! With my new account and all the changes I figured now would be a good time for a quick backstory. About ten years ago I left my position at the San Diego Humane Society and opened my private training practice called SDK9. After a few years, I decided to rebrand the business and changed the name to Bloom Pet Training. With a decent following and client base it was a risky move, but the transition went well. Last year I decided to step away from self employment and took a position as a research assistant at a major biopharmaceutical company here in SD. It was a big decision and I committed fully by closing my business. I deleted my website, social media accounts, FB group, Google business, Yelp, etc. Three months into my new job, the company laid off nearly 150 people and I was one of them. After some grief and soul searching (and with my new certificate in Applied Animal Behavior from UW) I decided to go back to working with pets. So while it might appear that I’m new here, I’m not; I’ve just started over. This year marks 10 years that I’ve been operating my private training business and I’m pretty proud of that! Thank you to my old friends and followers for coming back and thank you to the new ones for joining me! My goal here is to share ethical, emotionally considerate, current and science based information about animal behavior and training. Thanks again for following!

01/24/2024

In honor of National Train Your Dog Month Nola and I were invited to talk dog on KPBS radio today! We had a blast and I am so honored to have been asked. The interview airs soon so tune in! 🐾

01/22/2024

Figure 1. Teddi and her favorite rock 🪨

At 10 weeks old we introduced Teddi to rock climbing to bring out her adventurous side. I think this kind of activity helps puppies develop confidence, body awareness, and balance. In a couple of months it has become her favorite activity and she even knows exactly where her favorite rocks are in the neighborhood (see Figure 1) 😄

01/15/2024

Every learner is motivated by different things; food, play, touch, even applause works sometimes! Ask your learner what they want in exchange for their participation. If they stick around and keep trying, you know you found what works! 🦴 🍪 🎾 👏🏽

01/07/2024

For your viewing pleasure. You’re welcome.

01/04/2024

Like dogs, horses have been (and still are) subjected to emotional harm in the name of training. While fear and force free training has become preferred by many for dogs, there are still tons of people using outdated and unnecessarily harsh methods with horses. Fortunately, with advances in animal behavior and training there are horse trainers out there teaching truly gentle training methods and equine veterinarians who specialize in fear free handling. I’ve seen horses ridden without a bridle and vaccines administered without restraint. A lot can be accomplished when an animal is treated with respect and kindness 🤍

01/02/2024

This is one of my favorite pictures that I’ve captured in my career. Both of these men came to me with their new puppies and similar goals; to help their dogs grow up to be well behaved dogs through kind and gentle handling. I eventually brought them together to practice calm behaviors around other dogs and we had the pleasure of working as a group in various places around San Diego. They all set an example for pet parents with mastiffs, German shepherds, and other dog breeds labeled as too big or too aggressive for gentle training. These dogs are proof that a commitment to fear, coercion, and pain free dog training is good for any dog. So proud of these 4 boys ♥️

12/31/2023

Happy New Year’s Eve! This is where I’ll be at midnight 😝 My pets don’t care for the celebration sounds of NYE so I’ll keep to our routine, close the windows, and put on the tv to drown out the noise. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable night! See you in 2024 🎉

12/29/2023

That after the holidays feeling, am I right?

08/29/2023

Did you know that kids make awesome dog trainers? I find that kids of all ages usually get really good results when given some direction on how to work with their dog. Kids generally don’t have a history of doing it a different way, like adults do, and they’re more literal than grown-ups, who tend to make inferences based on past experiences. In other words, kids just listen and do the thing without overthinking!

If you have a dog and dog loving kiddos, consider dog training as an extracurricular and sign them up for my Jr. Trainer lessons!

Check out my website for more info on training packages 📦

08/27/2023

Adopting a pet from a shelter often comes with mixed emotions. I know this on a personal level because each of my dogs and my cat came from an animal shelter. In my career I have also seen the challenges adopters face. I helped pets and adopters in my various roles at the San Diego Humane Society for many years and for almost 10 years I have been helping adopters on the outside, in my private pet training practice. I also have an academic background in animal sheltering and the biological, physiological, and behavioral consequences that shelter stays have on pets.

These pets we rescue come with a story; one we don’t always know. We bring them into our homes and then make all kinds of discoveries about who they really are after they adjust to their new life. It’s an experience that can be rewarding and difficult at the same time. Often I get to help people learn things about themselves in the process, as we navigate the challenges of this transition together.

My background gives me a unique perspective on adopting shelter pets and I truly love helping people with the shelter-to-home transition. If you think you might need some help with your shelter pet, please reach out! All of my contact info is in my bio 🐾♥️

08/09/2023

We are so fortunate to live in a world where the bond between dogs and humans can be truly mutually beneficial. This little guy serves a very important purpose and if he’s doing his job, you probably wont even notice him. He’s an anxiety response dog and has been trained to respond to his person’s needs in a variety of ways. He’s spent over 100 hours in training and passed standardized training evaluations that represent his readiness for accompanying his person in public.

Working with this training team for more than a year has brought to light just how much bias there is surrounding service dogs. Part of the problem is it’s too easy to disguise a pet dog in a “service dog” costume so the public can’t distinguish real service dogs from fake service dogs. The other problem is the idea that service dogs are big dogs. Many service dogs assist people with disabilities that aren’t visible, like anxiety, PTSD, and diabetes. With the right training, dogs of any size and shape have the ability to provide this kind of assistance.

Service dogs should have hundreds of hours of training, be specifically trained on one or more tasks, have passed a rigorous standardized test granting them access to public areas where pets are not allowed, and should not be disruptive in public in any way.

Side note: therapy dogs are not service dogs. While therapy dogs should be highly trained and possess the right temperament, they usually haven’t been through as much training as a service dog has and they haven’t been trained on any specific tasks. Emotional support dogs are not service dogs either. Dogs aren’t required to have any training to be an emotional support animal and are considered pets. Therapy dogs and emotional support dogs have not been granted public access and generally are not welcome in places like stores, restaurants and public transportation.

You can learn more about service dog requirements through the Department of Justices’ Americans with Disabilities Act.

08/04/2023

Her homework was “down” and eye contact. Nailed it!

07/25/2023

Training a pet is about gaining an understanding. Training is not required, but it makes some parts of life with a pet easier. For example, if your dog understands that you like when he sits politely to get food then that’s what he’ll do. It’s a win/win!

My training sessions are for you to learn how to train your dog. Fun for all is a priority, simple and natural solutions are first, and a better understanding of each other is the goal✌🏽

07/23/2023

Do you know how long it takes to socialize a puppy? Breed and genetics play a part in when a dog reaches full maturity, but the standard age is 1.5-2 years! That’s 2 years that you have time to provide your puppy with positive exposure to all the things. That’s what “socialization” is…it’s way more than play time with other dogs. There are different stages to a puppy’s social development, but all you need to remember is that each stage is an opportunity to show them that trash trucks aren’t scary, other dogs are fun, kids don’t pull tails, swimming is refreshing, a harness is comfortable…you get the idea 😄 So don’t stop because your puppy started looking like a big girl or boy. Keep at it and odds are you’ll end up with a well rounded dog 🤎

07/18/2023

This is one happy customer! If your dog doesn’t look at his trainer this way, then you should find a new trainer..eh ‘em.

07/18/2023

Hi 👋🏽 I’m back! Life took some twists and turns, but I’m thrilled to be back talking to you all about pet behavior and animal training! Click on the link in my bio to check out the new website and learn more about what I’m offering and my new credentials. As always, I’m eternally grateful for all of your support 😻

06/21/2023

Hi hello! I'm back full time after a pet training intermission, now doing business as myself, "Angie Fonseca" AND I'm back with more credentials and education too 😎 Please feel free to reach out or send pet parents my way for behavior help!

Address

San Diego, CA
91942

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16197762739

Website

http://www.angiefonseca.com/

Alerts

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Videos

Play tug with your dogs already! Contrary to what many people believe, tug doesn’t create bad behaviors or allow them to dominate you. Any game that overexcites your dog should be avoided probably, but tug can be structured if that’s the case. It can help dogs learn or practice “drop it” and “take it.” It’s rewarding and fun, it’s a great indoor exercise for everyone, and if your dog likes the game, she’ll bring the toy back for another round.

Some small and also not so small distractions during today’s training session 🤪 Let’s hear it for Justin and Taza! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Every time you call your dog you present them with a choice: “should I keep doing what I’m doing or should I go?…” My backyard recall exercise makes their choice an easy one! My secrets to reliable recall are enthusiasm and predictability and little 3 month old Rosie is showing us how it’s done!