About

Hollywood Dog Training School was founded in 1927 by Carl Spitz Sr. an international respected dog trainer who was known for his police dog, war dog, and studio "trick" training. In the early 1950's, Carl and his son, Carl Jr., relocated the school to our current location.

The land was purchased from Rudd Weatherwax, the owner and trainer of the original Lassie. In fact Lassie's paw prints are embedded in the cement of one of our kennel floors. This is a daily reminder of our proud history.

Rick Karl has been the director of Hollywood Dog Training School since 1978. Rick has over 35 years of experience including training guide dogs for the blind, sentry dogs, and thousands of family dogs. Mr. Karl is a licensed sentry dog trainer and sits on the Los Angeles County board of examiners of Sentry Dogs Trainer testing. He has served the Department of Animal Regulation, and others, as an expert consultant in the areas of barking and vicious dog ordinances. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Illinois with a degree in sociology and psychology. He worked as a teacher in the Vista program before starting his career in animal care and training. His experience includes some of the finest dog kennels and obedience schools in the US., Dornwall Shepard Kennels in New York, Willy Necker Kennels in suburban Chicago, Lindamark Kennels and Guide Dogs for the Blind, both in San Francisco.