Professional Dog Training in Phoenix, Chandler, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Mesa, Gilbert and Tempe, AZ

My wife and I contacted Mark after adopting our 6 month old poodle, Newman, and quickly realizing we were in over our heads. We were dealing with biting, barking, jumping, and overall disobedience. The most distressing issue, though, was that Newman was becoming aggressive toward me in certain situations. He would be very friendly toward my wife but would lunge at me with his teeth showing. Even though he’s a little guy, when he goes into full Kujo mode, it can be pretty scary. Mark was excellent. He had great insight into why these behaviors were happening and offered practical, effective ideas for how to curb them. One thing that really stood out was that Mark brought his own sweet dog, Angel, to help with socialization. Having a calm, well-behaved dog modeling good behavior was incredibly helpful for Newman. The progress was amazing. Mark trained us just as much as he trained Newman, which made all the difference. We now have the skills and confidence to keep working with Newman and continue improving his behavior. We feel so fortunate to have found Mark and would highly recommend him to anyone who needs help with their dog.

I’m so grateful Mark was my dog Harvey’s first trainer! I didn’t know anything or what to expect since my dog was aggressive so that alone made me super nervous, but Mark knew exactly what to do & never left our side. Mark is the best! He’s patient & taught me so much. I noticed a big change in Harvey’s behavior and obedience with just the 4 weeks training, so I can’t imagine what more advanced training will do to him. I will definitely be reaching out again. Thank you so much Mark! Harvey’s a confident and happy boy on his walks now.

I adopted my dog, Copper, from the Maricopa County shelter and was told he was a dog aggressive dog. I had no idea what to do for training so I turned to Mark for help. I hired him for private one-on-one training with Copper and we figured out together that Copper isn't dog aggressive, he just needed some socialization and confidence building! Mark used his own dog during training to introduce Copper and even had my friend bring her dog to training class too. He also had me bring an out of town friend to another session to help my dogs with obeying somebody else. Mark taught me how to introduce Copper to other dogs in a way that worked for Copper to help reduce his herding dog tendencies. I also brought my other dog, Fox, with us. I thought Copper was the problem child in the pack but it actually turned out to be Fox. She is very reactive to bikes and motorcycles and small children running around parks and Mark taught me how to keep her calm and distract her with methods that work better than anything I have tried before. With Mark's help, I was trained on how to train my dogs and now they both know I'm the alpha of the pack. Mark not only built up my dogs' confidence but also mine. His methods are easy to learn and VERY effective with consistency. I was impressed with how quickly Copper learned sit, stay, down, heel, and off leash recall work. Mark even taught us how to look for agility friendly obstacles in our own neighborhood to keep these energetic dogs focused and lean into their work mentality. We have a lot more work to do but with Mark's methods, my pack is off to an amazing start. I appreciate how Mark explains my dogs' behavior based on dog psychology and how my dogs view the world. I look forward to getting my two pups in for group training classes with Mark soon.

We enrolled our puppy in Mark’s beginner puppy class and we are so glad we did! Mark gives great advice on everything from nutrition to obedience. He makes recommendations specific to your puppy, covers a large amount of content, and sets owners up for success. We feel well-equipped to keep training our dog at home. Thank you, Mark!

Mark really knows how to teach you how to train your dog to be a good citizen. Just finished his class. Big improvement in my dogs behavior.

Mark is a great option for your dog training needs! We brought our dog Boots, a 4 month old minature australian shephard, to class not clear on what direction we should take our dog’s training next. 4 weeks later, he is a completely different dog. Mark focused on greetings/socialization in small group settings (average class size of 4 dogs), commonly used and practical commands (i.e off, heel, leave it) making sure we as owners were well equipped to practice these at home. Our time with Mark has made Boots super comfortable around other people and dogs, helped him gain respect for us and our commands, and allowed us to challenge him in his training. Highly recommend Mark and Doggie Steps!

Mark is not only an excellent dog trainer, but an all-around great person. He didn’t just teach me how to be a better dog owner for my puppy, Harley—he also helped me become better around dogs and people in general. Highly recommend

Mark is a great dog trainer! He helped with my puppy Miso very much. She’s turned out to be a great and very calm dog! Thank you Mark

We cannot say enough good things about our experience with Mark! We have a Saint Bernard/Poodle mix, and we were honestly at a loss before working with him. From the very first session, he brought a sense of calm, structure, and confidence, not just to our dog, but to us as owners too. He didn’t just “train” our dog, he taught us how to communicate with him, which has made all the difference. Whether it was leash walking, recall, or managing his excitement around new people, Mark gave us clear tools and realistic steps that worked. Our Saint is now more respectful, easier to manage, and still his lovable self. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to start, especially with a giant breed, this is your person. So thankful we found him!

Mark really helped us with our puppy + older dog situation. We had some behavioral issues between our older dogs and our new puppy. With Mark's help it really turned the behavior around in our house and made everyone much happier. Picture of our good girl Esmeralda now.

Mark was a godsend for my dog's separation anxiety. My corgi/cattle dog mix would bark, drool, and destroy the blinds when left alone. Now after 4 weeks of in-home training with Mark, we just left him alone, loose for almost 2 hours with no signs of anxiety or destruction! We also got a really nice, solid foundation of obedience tools that have made my dog so much easier to live with. I would recommend Mark to anyone.

I can't say enough good thing about Mark. He helped us train our 5 month old mini Aussie; from the first session we had with him, we saw immediate improvement. Over a few weeks, he improved our confidence in handling our dog and we feel like better dog owners as a result. Mark is also great with kids and kept them involved with all aspects of training. If you need a dog trainer, I'd start with Mark and Doggie Steps.

Where do I start? Mark is an EXCELLANT trainer! My dog and I learned so much. Did I say learned something? Yes! Mark trains the owner on many things that were 100% spot on when I used the techniques he gave me. Mark is prompt and easy to work with. So kind and smart. My dog is 100% a better dog from the training she received. Money very well spent. I would do it all again, but I don't need to because my dog is doing so good. I loved Marks training program!

Mark is an incredible dog trainer!! He was able to teach our 5 year old Golden Retriever how to get in and out of the car, walk well on a leash in just a few classes! We never thought it was possible as we tried and tried without any success. We highly recommend Mark!!

The best of the best! Professional, kind, and did amazing work with our dogs. Recommend him 100%, you won't be disappointed.

I seriously wish I could give this review 10 stars. Working with Mark has been such an amazing experience both for our 2-year old pitbull, Broly, and my fiancé & I. When we came to Mark, we were told that Broly was aggressive & reactive. I wanted to try to mitigate this and help him as much as possible. I spent hours and days looking for a trainer, and when I found Mark, I felt so much comfort knowing he would help us. Its been 5 months since we began working with Mark, and all I can say is life has been a night and day difference with Broly. Not only has Broly's obedience/behavior improved, we can take him out in public, around other dogs, and even have pup-dates without fear. We learned Broly was not reactive, but just a bit awkward when meeting other dogs. We learned more about Broly than I ever thought we could, and learned how we can best support him and his needs through Mark's guidance. Broly has just graduated Advanced Group Class, and I never thought I'd see a day where I would be saying (typing) that, or see him engaging with other dogs & wanting to play. I'm so excited to keeping working with Mark and the rest of the Doggie Steps Dog Training Team, and continue to learn more, and have Broly make some more friends!

We used Doggie Steps to help us re-socialize our rescue lab. Not only did Mark help our boy, he also armed us with the tools needed to ensure ongoing training. We all loved our sessions and plan to go back with our latest addition once he's a little bit older. Highly recommend Doggie Steps for anyone looking for an excellent trainer.

I originally contacted Doggie Steps to help socialize my dog to cats. Not only did Mark successfully help with that, but also provided training for other behaviors. He was always prompt, professional, and had a wonderful way with my dogs. His style is firm, caring, and positive. I would not hesitate to recommend Mark to anyone looking for dog training!

This review is a bit overdue. We adopted a cute little terrier mix from a local rescue and, after having to toss out many shoes and experiencing several days of frustration, hired Mark to train us and our new pup. We were convinced that our new pup was the devil incarnate and we were being karmically punished for something horrible we'd done in a past life. Mark offered scheduling options and we opted for him to come to our home for training. We mostly stuck to our schedule, but he was flexible when circumstances changed. The training was fantastic. He provided a curriculum and modified it, when necessary. By the end of the 8 training lessons, our pup was absolutely transformed. Seriously. It's not magic, though. It was up to us to consistently train between lessons. And we did. And we still do. Mark provided exactly what we needed to be successful in understanding and managing our pup's needs, and how to get him to respond to us favorably. Our 11th week with our new pack member is coming to a close and we are so happy that we called Mark to help us through the frustration. We highly recommend his services. Thank you, Mark!

We completed the beginners puppy group class and advance puppy group class. Mark was awesome, he was very knowledgeable and helpful throughout both classes! And very patient with us! He was always checking in and very helpful when any new puppy behaviors came up outside of class and taught us the skills needed to not only train our pup to have good manners but skills to help keep him safe. He definitely knows what he is doing and was always good to my puppy! I would recommend him to anyone!

We just concluded a 4 week training session with our 3 year old American Dingo rescue. Mark was able to assist us with some of the breed related issues we have been having, and he helped us greatly with understanding the training process and psychology so that we can continue confidently on our own going forward. We saw a lot of improvements in our sweet girl, and we are also greatly improved as trainer-owners! We are looking forward with joy now, instead of trepidation. We can once again enjoy outings with our dog and can provide her with the stimulation and the exercise she needs to stay a happy and confident dog. Thank you Mark!

Excellent dog trainer changed my pup into a really good boy. Very patient and has a lot of helpful tips and tricks for a great foundation.

Mark is an awesome trainer. He is very patient and understanding (with the owners). He has been an incredible resource and our dog is doing great. Thank you Mark.

We called Mark when our 10 month old beagle Lilly was getting a little out of hand. We had previously been able to train our dogs on the basics, but our skills were no match for her beagle nose which was leading to uncontrollable barking and whining. We signed up for the 4 week in-home training, and we (us and Lilly) have made so much progress in that short time. My 8 year old, very independent daughter participated in all the training, and Mark quickly picked up on how to best engage her in the process. He said that she did better than most of his adult clients, which of course encouraged her even more. Lilly and our other dog Cutie were excited to see Mark every week. It’s a small commitment of time to set yourselves up for success.We are now empowered to take what we’ve learned and keep building on it. Thank you Mark for giving us the tools, structure, and confidence we needed!

Mark Siebel with Doggie Steps Dog Training did an excellent job in assisting us with our 4 yr old rescue, Bella, a miniature poodle. We chose the class that was twice a week at his home/neighborhood and local park. He taught us a great deal and made the class fun. Mark is patient, kind, compassionate and very knowledgeable about dogs and training. We saw progress in our dog right away and she improved every week. We are so happy with his services! Bella is a much more confident dog now and has less anxiety. The walks are SO much better, she is getting along better with our old timer dog at home and has less food aggression. If you are having issues or behavior problems with your dog, don't be quick to give up on them, just call Mark! He is the best and we are so glad we found him!

Good at communication, worked with us on times and pricing when we needed it. Touched on most things on our list. Overall though he was pretty condescending and we didn’t feel we got our money’s worth. Unfortunately will be looking for a different trainer to meet our needs.

I've used Mark to train 3 of my dogs, a Rottweiler, Great Dane and now a Labrador. I keep coming back because he does an excellent job. Prices are reasonable, schedule is flexible, would definitely recommend

I have an American German shepherd little over 1 year old now. Got him when he was 6 months old, had no prior training with minimal socialization. After doing some basic house training at home, I decided to take my shepherd to a doggie daycare center to get him more socialization. Well...it did not go well at all. We went to heartstrings pet resort, the instinct he hears and sees other dogs, he went nuts! Out of control with barking and lounging. So the manager of the dog care referred me to Doggie Steps Dog Training with Mark. Contacted Mark via email and he quickly respond within 24 hours. Told Mark about the situation and we signed up for a 5 session class at Mark's place with a reasonable price. The first day of class was tough. The instinct we got to class, my shepherd was pulling the leash, barking, and lounging like a 65lb beast!! He was definitely out of my control. Mark gave me some instructions on introduction and attempted to give my shepherd chicken...well, he almost had Mark's arm!! We keep about 6 feet apart for the rest of the class but Mark didn't give up on training him. The second class went better. Mark recommended me a pincher collar and it saved my sore arm. Definitely helped with the pulling and controlling my shepherd. Mark taught me some great techniques to handler my shepherd around stressful environments. By class three and four, my shepherd was able to go up to Mark and greet him calmly. Not only that, my shepherd was allowing Mark to pet him, take treats from others, and less anxious. After just 5 sessions with Mark, I can confidently said my dog has changed. If I ever own another dog, I would certainly go back to Mark for dog training. He's been an excellent coach👏 Highly recommend!!

Our dog is a puppy. 5months old. We were having lots of issues with her listening, barking, sitting and basic commands. Her biggest issue was that she refused to go anywhere near the car. So we could not take her anywhere. Other people said it could take months and even until adulthood before she may get in to the car. We had 5 sessions with Mark which to honest did not think would be enough time to get everything accomplished. His pricing was very reasonable. Just after the first visit we could see an immediate improvement. By week 5, our puppy was very well mannered, she listened to our commands, much easier to handle. And the big news is that she began jumping in and out of our car!!!! Like she’s been doing it all along. I would recommend Mark to anyone needing any type of assistance with their dog.

Friendly people

Mark was awesome with our “quarantine rebel puppies”. His calm nature and positive attitude, with us and the dogs, helped us so much. He taught us so many useful strategies and we continue to see success. We HIGHLY recommend his services. He delivers and it’s worth it!!

Mark did a great job with our dog Murphy! Murphy is a high energy dog that is now able to get along with our cat, as well as obey commands. This would not have happened without Mark! Thank you!

Best dog trainer ever definitely recommended

I need help work my puppies asap with basic training

Muy bien me gusta su servicio y su precio

We took our husky puppy Loki to the five week intro level training classes when we adopted him (he is now two). We were concerned because the breed is known to be energetic and occasionally destructive, but with Mark's help both Loki and his parents are now well versed in doggie manners 🙂 Loki is a model citizen! We will definitely consider the boarding/training the next time we go on vacation, and highly recommend any of Mark's services!

Mark is an awesome trainer and instructor. From my experience, I would say you could fully trust everyone of his great reviews and testimonials from customers. So happy I choose him and would recommend to any and everybody looking for a great dog trainer.

Just have to let everyone know that Mark is awesome. My 2 high energy 3 years and 1 year old french bulldogs were a handful. NO one could come into the house without them jumping all over them. Now that they have graduated from Mark's training classes they are so well behaved. My 3 year old Winston is a perfect gentleman. He really graduated after the 1st class in my eyes. Layla our 1 year old have made a 95% turn around. She has much more energy and will take a bit longer to be 100%. Thank you so much Mark for teaching us how to help them become great dogs.

Mark, Thank you so much for showing me how to make Badger a much better trained puppy, Your insight and knowledge of taking a traditional working dog with high energy to a playful, well behaved puppy has been fantastic. In the short 5 weeks, we have seen a dramatic change in attitude that has lead to a puppy that is a true pleasure to be around and a lot more fun to play with, Thank you again, Todd and Badger

If you're researching Doggie Steps Dog Training, you read a lot of great reviews. Here's one more: Mark is a fantastic teacher for the whole pack. Both of my dogs listened to him and respected him as an instant pack leader. My 6-year-old Catahoula can be very stubborn, but he was instantly responsive with Mark, and my 1-year-old English Shepherd calmed her "ADD" tendencies for him. More importantly, though, he's good at teaching humans. I'm the one with the dogs full time, so I needed techniques for training them and bringing out desired behaviors. Mark has a very calm, patient approach, and he focuses on teaching the human to be a better person for the dog--to have clear, consistent expectations and to be a strong leader so the dog understands how to behave. His methods are effective, and I saw an almost instant shift in my dogs' behavior. No training method or tool is "magic"--the dogs and I have a lot of work ahead of us, but thanks to Mark, we know what to do and we're making excellent progress. I hope to take the intermediate class with him in the future--it's money well spent!

We adopted Max, our 90 lb pit bull, from the humane society and didn't know much about him. On our first walk, we realized Max was, what we thought to be, "dog aggressive". This is when we decided to research training to find out if their was a way to correct it. We knew that Max would need something more personal than a group dog training class. Once we met with Mark, we went over some basic training techniques to polish up Max's obedience. After two classes, we had a meet and greet with Mark's female dog. We learned how to properly introduce Max to other dogs and came to realize that what we thought was aggression was actually a combination of anxiety and curiosity. We have continued to use Mark's techniques to socialize Max with dogs and his behavior has greatly improved. We recently took in a stray female puppy and after a week of socialization using what we learned, Max is in love with his new puppy friend. We are now using what we learned at Mark's training classes to teach our new puppy.

We found Mark through an internet search and decided to try his 5 week home training sessions for our 12 year old yappy and nervous miniature schnauzer Finnegan. Friends teased us about training for a 12 year old dog—what would be the point? Finny was adjusting to a recent move from a house with his own yard to an apartment with much more contact with other dogs and humans. Well the point is we have a different dog and we are different pet owners than we were when we began this course a short while ago. Cost: Mark isn’t cheap—we paid $650 for 5 weeks of in home lessons plus lifelong group lessons. Every penny was worth it! I only wish we had found Mark years ago. You are paying for Mark’s expertise, professionalism, calm demeanor and results. If you want to accept Mark’s professional advice and follow his directions, this is a very reasonable price to pay for skills necessary to be a great dog owner and have a fabulous well behaved four legged friend. If you don’t think you have to change anything you are doing--- it is not going to work. Professionalism: Mark was always on time, he has excellent communication skills, with dogs and people, provided us with immediate feedback, and accommodated our schedule 100 percent. Mark also checked in with us throughout the week via email and was available to answer behavior questions as they arose. Demeanor: Mark is very interesting to hang out with and speak to. His calm demeanor is relaxing and pleasant. He is non judgmental about you and your doggie and only wants to help you improve your relationship with your pet and your pack leadership skills. Expertise Mark understands both human and dog behavior and was able to come up with a plan for us that was 100% suited to our dog, in our situation. Mark was able to give us the skills we needed to become better pet owners and our Finnegan followed our lead- both figuratively and literally. We would not hesitate to recommend Mark in any way.

I could not be happier with the training Mark provided both my dog and I. Sophina, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, joined our family at 8 weeks old. I researched the breed which seemed to be a perfect fit for our family. My kids are 3, 5 and 7. Sophina grew very quickly and became quite unmanageable. She was hurting the kids by jumping on them and had a disturbing habit of eating socks! I began keeping her separate from the kids and started to regret the decision of bringing her into the family. When she was four months old I decided we needed professional help. I called a number of trainers and I liked Mark from the first conversation on the phone. His first visit was at our home with all the kids. His calm and controlled demeanor was very reassuring (I'm a bit high strung myself) . He began teaching me the basics, which preivously owning pit bulls I though I knew. Sophina and I worked very hard on a consitant basis and within ONE WEEK she was able to be in with the kids without jumping on them. It only got better from that point on. After five sessions she is a completely different dog! My children are learning how to be pack leaders and Sophina has manners. I feel 100% confident with the effective tools I've been taught. At 6 months old she sits, stays, lies down, waits for food, leaves items alone, heels and leaves a room/space on command. Mark... you are awesome! Thank you!!!

Mark is a saint. I adopted my Kailey back in August and since then its been a downward spiral. MULTIPLE times did I feel like giving up and just giving her to someone else, but it was so hard to let her go. My year and a half old dog went potty in the house, walked me rather than the other way around, was so hyper, didn't listen, and was pretty much a big ball of stress. After moving to a new place I knew things had to be changed. I was not going to stress anymore! So, I called Mark to my rescue! As soon as I met him, he gave me a sense of "things are going to change" and they have! I never thought it would be possible but my Kailey is now going potty outside, has calmed down and even listens to me. I am not embarrassed to walk her anymore! I HIGHLY recommend Mark! He not only trained my dog, but he also trained me. He is the best trainer ever! Thanks Mark!

With Mark's help Andee, our rescue Golden/Shepherd, has become a delightful companion. He now is able to actually interact with other dogs, which makes walking him much easier. Mark was knowledgeable, patient and thorough. We plan on continuing instruction with him.