Z Dog Training Academy

Z Dog Training Academy We specialize in reactivity

Dog Training in Simi Valley | Puppies, Family Dogs & Online Programs

Heather Mazahri (ABCDT, ABCSDT) and her team provide professional, science-based dog training in Simi Valley and surrounding communities.

08/30/2026

Hope you are having an epic birthday weekend Dani • Z Dog Training Academy!!! Happy,happy birthday!!

To know Dani is to love them! Dani is always hard at work here behind the scenes we are grateful for their help and the constant love they pour into their work, the dogs and our clients 🩷

We love you!!

08/28/2026

From getting my professional start at PetCo, to running multiple different training programs under her own business 🔥💕

Private training, Board and Trains, Group classes, Board and Stays, and our very own Hybrid Day Training programs.

So proud of all the growth, and grateful for the lessons learned along the way 🥰💕

📌 SAVE THIS. Your dog is learning all day long—not just when you decide it’s “training time.”One of the biggest shifts I...
08/28/2026

📌 SAVE THIS. Your dog is learning all day long—not just when you decide it’s “training time.”

One of the biggest shifts I want dog owners to make is to stop asking:

“How do I get my dog to stop doing this?”

…and start asking:

“What am I teaching instead?”

Because quality training isn’t about doing MORE. It’s about becoming more intentional with the repetitions you’re already creating.

Here’s how to actually apply each of these 👇

1️⃣ THERE IS NO QUICK FIX — BUILD BEFORE YOU EXPECT.

Before you ask your dog to perform a skill somewhere difficult, find out where they can successfully do it now.

Want a focused 30-minute walk?

Start smaller.

Can I get engagement inside? ✔️
At the open front door? ✔️
In the driveway? ✔️
For 30 seconds? ✔️

Build from there.

Don’t start at the finished product and get frustrated that your dog can’t do it yet.

2️⃣ MEASURE PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION.

Start paying attention to the little things.

Did your dog recover faster?

Could you work 10 feet closer to a distraction?

Did they check in with you without being asked?

Could they hold the behavior 10 seconds longer?

Did they need fewer prompts?

Those are data points.

📌 TRAINING TIP: Pick ONE measurable thing and track it for a week.

You might be making significantly more progress than you realize.

3️⃣ WHAT YOUR DOG REHEARSES, YOUR DOG GETS BETTER AT.

This is a big one.

If your dog pulls for 45 minutes because “we have to get the walk in,” they’re still practicing.

If they rush through the door every morning because you’re in a hurry, they’re still practicing.

If jumping gets them attention every night when you get home, they’re still practicing.

You don’t get to choose whether learning is happening. You get to influence WHAT is being learned.

Sometimes 5 intentional minutes is more productive than 45 minutes of practicing the behavior you’re trying to change.

4️⃣ TRAIN BEFORE YOUR DOG IS OVERWHELMED.

Your dog sees another dog at 50 feet and can still look back at you?

👏 THAT is where I want you working.

Not after you’ve moved closer and closer until they’re barking, lunging or unable to respond.

Think:

Notice → process → respond → reinforce.

If your dog

08/27/2026

Making space for some gratitude for these pups and all of our amazing clients who trust us with their care and education 🐾🧡

Z Dog has grown so much in the last year, and we couldn’t have done it without the support and trust from you all.

Thank you 🐶💕

08/26/2026

Who else is OVER this heat 🥵

We can’t wait for the weather to cool a bit! Most of clients have inside dogs who DO NOT like this weather because they aren’t used to it! I can’t blame them 😆

One of my absolute favorite moments in training is when it finally clicks — not just for the dog, but for their person t...
08/25/2026

One of my absolute favorite moments in training is when it finally clicks — not just for the dog, but for their person too. ❤️🐾

Mollie’s mom described it perfectly:

“I wasn’t working ON her — I was working WITH her.”

YES. 👏🏼 This is what we’re after.

Dog training isn’t about controlling your dog or constantly telling them what they’re doing wrong. It’s about learning how to communicate clearly enough that your dog can understand you — and teaching you how to understand them right back.

That moment when the leash starts feeling less like a battle…
Your dog starts checking in with you…
You’re moving together instead of fighting against each other…

That’s where things start to change. 🥹

Mollie and her mom worked HARD for this, and watching that relationship come together was such a freaking joy.

This is why I love what I do. 💜🐩

Training should build communication, confidence, and connection — on both ends of the leash.

08/25/2026

It’s been a while since we’ve done a Day Training round up!

These pups are all a part of our Hybrid Day Training Program— training with professional handlers during the week, and working in one-on-one sessions at home in the evenings and on the weekends!

⭐️ Nova ⭐️ This energetic girl is eager to learn— it’s like her love language is training. This week we have her last Day Training session, and are transitioning out of the Hybrid program to focus on private, one on one sessions.

⭐️ Patrick ⭐️ This sweet, nervous boy has been with us since May, and is currently joining us once a week for a few more weeks to get him out of the house and in a safe, structured training environment!

⭐️ Ōkami ⭐️ This guy is building his confidence and learning a lot! He’s about halfway through his 6 week program this week, and has already come a long way!

⭐️ Sally ⭐️ The cutest herding breed puppy you’ll ever see, Sally has lots of energy and is working on her impulse control skills, so she can be the perfect family dog!

⭐️ Riggs ⭐️ Beloved Riggs has been training with us for over a year now! He came to us very nervous and reactive— his mom couldn’t even clean the windows without him barking, jumping, and showing signs of major distress. Now, he is being to be comfortable working in public spaces, is getting more confident around other dogs,and other stressors, and he knows that he’s safe with us, and with his dog mom 🐾

We’re so proud of all these pups and their families for the progress that’s been made 🧡

Follow along for more!

🧡🐾 Dani

Your dog isn’t giving you a hard time. He’s having one — in a world that moves faster than any dog has ever had to live ...
08/21/2026

Your dog isn’t giving you a hard time. He’s having one — in a world that moves faster than any dog has ever had to live in.

Think about the dog you grew up with. Loose in the yard. Loose in the neighborhood, honestly. Hours of unstructured sniffing and roaming and doing dog things, in a house where nobody was on a video call and the doorbell rang maybe twice a week.

Now look at your dog’s day. A leash on every outing. A fence line with a dog behind it. Three deliveries before noon. A camera that chirps every time something moves. Kids, schedules, drop-offs, pickups. A body bred to work a full day, asked to hold still in a living room instead.

That whole shift happened over about 25 years. He’s not broken and neither are you. But the advice built for that other world — be firmer, show him who’s boss, he knows what he did — lands on a dog whose nervous system is already running hot. It doesn’t teach. It just adds.

What actually moves the needle: regulate yourself first. Read his body before you react to his behavior. Meet the need before you ask for the manners. Teach him what to do instead of what not to do. And protect his sleep like it’s part of the training plan, because it is.

I’ve been at this over 20 years, certified since 2012, and the biggest change I’ve watched isn’t in the dogs. It’s in the world we’re asking them to live in.

Save this one for the next hard day. 🐾

reactivedogsupport puppytraining familydogs dogparents sciencebaseddogtraining

Swipe for a — Heather’s first dog training gig! 🐶🐾Dani here— Heather’s assistant and (some of you may not know this!) ...
08/20/2026

Swipe for a — Heather’s first dog training gig! 🐶🐾

Dani here— Heather’s assistant and (some of you may not know this!) little sister! 💕

Growing up, I witnessed firsthand Heather’s passion for helping animals. Our house was filled with rescue dogs, and a rotating door of furry and scaly friends Heather rescued— snakes, rats, a ferret, and bearded dragon— just to name a few.

She started showing an interest in training dogs before I was even born— at age nine she already wanted to teach the family dog.

More than 15 years ago, she got a dog training gig at PetCo and the rest is history. Even back then it was apparent to her that there was more potential than the baseline training you could get at your closest pet shop.

If only she could see her now! 15 years later and she has her own dog training business, doing what she loves each and every day 🧡🐾



Simi Valley Dog Trainer Positive Reinforcement Ventura County Moorpark Thousand Oaks Westlake Camarillo

08/19/2026

Sniffspot are one of the best training tools we’ve utilized in the last year. 🧡🐾

These are enclosed spaces, made with dogs in mind. They can run and sniff freely without any concern that a stranger’s dog will run up on them, like at a regular dog park.

The one we frequent provides it all: sanitized dog bowls, water bottles, toys of all kinds, and best of all: SPACE.

Space to decompress, to run it out, to practice recall, to train. The day training pups are always so excited to get to the sniff spot, and honestly? So am I.

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Simi Valley, CA
93010

Telephone

+18183243558

Website

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