Taj Panganiban was born and raised in Sacramento, CA. He has been a Bay Area resident since 2002 and currently lives in San Francisco with his wife, Michelle. He enjoys basketball, football, reading, animals and video games. Taj’s experience in pet care includes completion of an obedience training course at Animal Behavior College(www.animalbehaviorcollege.com) receiving a certificate as a dog trainer, has interned at Tony La Russo’s Animal Rescue Foundation (www.arf.net), is a former volunteer at San Francisco Animal Care and Control (www.sfgov.org/acc) volunteers training for Rocket Dog Rescue (www.rocketdogrescue.org), member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (www.apdt.com), National Association of Professional Petsitters (www.petsitters.org), Animal Behavior College Alumni owner of a five year old male American Staffordshire Terrier Mix, seven year old female tuxedo cat, four year old gray cat, and is always looking for continuing education on animal learning theory and best practices by attending seminars, workshops and lectures.

Nor Cal Dog Academy covers the entire city of San Francisco and Daly City and focuses on reliable obedience, exercise, socialization and attention - all the things that dogs love and make them enjoyable. When a dog is not mentally/physically exercised or socialized it doesn’t act in a manner that is appropriate around humans. Thus any attempt to obedience train is hindered by a sub-par relationship. Nor Cal Dog Academy makes personal and professional effort to improve life quality for humans through their pets by offering stimulation for the dog and training for the human as exercise is the foundation of training. Even though cats practically care for themselves they still need socialization with humans and LOVE attention when raised appropriately. Although Nor Cal Dog Academy primarily specializes in dogs, Taj Panganiban’s personal relationship with his cats has moved him to include feline needs as well through pet visits and inside play.

As you may already know, dogs are born dogs and thus need an education in human behavior. Learning obedience can be served through group class and private training for specialized need and/or attention. Above all, puppy class is by far the best class as it sets you off in the right direction – an ounce of prevention is definitely worth a pound of cure. Your dog is a learning machine and by 8-12 weeks you are most likely teaching it to nip, jump and other behaviors that will be inappropriate and difficult to un-train as an adolescent or adult. While it may seem unreal to the general public, the Humane Society of the United States estimates 60% of dogs are surrendered to animal shelters due to untreated behavior problems. These behavior problems are easily avoided or corrected with dedication and a genuine care for your pet’s life. Nor Cal Dog Academy uses positive reinforcement to increase good behavior and control dog behaviors such as house soiling, chewing, jumping on humans. Positive reinforcement is giving something the dog likes after he does something you like. It is not always with treats but encompasses all rewards such as walks, jumping, pulling and barking. Yes jumping, pulling and barking are extremely fun for dogs and since it’s so annoying to humans we’ll help you teach your dog only to do it when you OK it. For example, it is not OK for children to run scream and jump at the store (for most of us) but it is OK at the park. Likewise with your dog, we want them to enjoy being a dog, but there’s a time and place for everything. Feel free to browse through the site for training tips, recommendations and sign up for exercise or training so you can get started on improving the quality of you and your pet’s lives!

Please contact us at admin@NorCalDogAcademy.com or 415-225-6724. We hope you find this insightful and welcome questions or comments you may have.

Serving the San Francisco Communities of:
The Mission District | Ingleside | The Excelsior | Hayes Valley | The Tenderloin | North of Market | South of Market (SOMA) | The Financial District | The Embarcadero | Portrero Hill | Chinatown | Nob Hill | Russian Hill | Bernal Heights | Barbary Coast | The Castro | Noe Valley | Pacific Heights | The Western Addition | Japantown | Outer Sunset | Haight Ashbury | Cole Valley | Inner Richmond | Outer Richmond | Inner Sunset | The Marina | Cow Hollow | Bayview | St. Francis Wood | West Portal | The Presidio | Twin Peaks | Glen Park | Lake Merced | North Beach | Fisherman's Wharf | Visitacion Valley

94102 | 94103 | 94104 | 94105 | 94107 | 94108 | 94109 | 94110 | 94111 | 94112 | 94114 | 94115 | 94116 | 94117 | 94118 | 94121 | 94122 | 94123 | 94124 | 94127 | 94129 | 94131 | 94132 | 94133 | 94134