Our story
The standard behind the certificate
Not a course someone wrote about dog care. The training a working dog-care business has used, refined and taught for two decades, now open to anyone, anywhere.
Twenty years on the leash.
Top Dog SF began in San Francisco in 2004: one person, a leash, and a lot of dogs. It grew into a full dog-care business (playcare, adventure outings and training) rated 4.9★ across 200+ reviews.
In 2014 we opened Top Dog SF Walker University to train other professionals to our standard, because we kept meeting walkers who loved dogs but had never been taught how they actually learn. The Certified Professional Dog Walker is that program, distilled and made national.
- Top Dog SF's first walks, 20+ years in the field
- 2004
- Top Dog SF's first walks, 20+ years in the field
- rated across 200+ reviews
- 4.9★
- rated across 200+ reviews
- Natalie certified as an SF SPCA trainer
- 2009
- Natalie certified as an SF SPCA trainer
Built by someone who did the work first.
Top Dog SF was founded by Natalie Tondelli Walsh, who started out walking dogs as a student at San Francisco State and became an SF SPCA-certified trainer in 2009. What she built is less a company than a standard, one every trainer and walker on the team is held to.
The academy carries that standard forward: the same method, the same assessment, now available to professionals and pet parents across the country.
Positive reinforcement, always.
Everything we teach is force-free and science-based. No shock collars, no “alpha” theatrics: just how dogs actually learn, and how to keep everyone safe while they do. Our mission is simple. Keep dogs in their homes with their families, for a life filled with joy, enrichment and positivity.
Built by the team that does this for a living.
Every course here is the system Top Dog SF runs on: the same San Francisco puppy school we've operated since 2004 (4.9★, 200+ reviews), written by the founders and trainers who use it every day. The client-retention module is the exact training we give our own walkers. Nothing here is theory.
The trainers who built this curriculum hold these credentials, and we work alongside SF Animal Care & Control.
Learn the standard yourself.
The Certified Professional Dog Walker is the whole standard, assessed and yours for life. $199, with a 14-day money-back guarantee.