Our Testimonials
On this page, you will find dog training reviews from our many wonderful clients. All client reviews are from real people we worked with. Many will gladly provide references when asked. These client testimonials are a testament to the work and effort we put into helping every dog develop its full potential. We recently also started collecting dog training reviews on Google. You can find them on our Google My Business Profile.
From 2012-2017, we also connected with clients through Thumbtack. You can read 46 more reviews on Thumbtack. Some were cross-posted on our website.
Our Dog Training Reviews Cover Many Areas
My clients have written me many five-star reviews over the years. I think the breadth of these speaks for itself. These testimonials cover a broad range of dog training areas. They include basic and advanced obedience training, helping fearful dogs gain more confidence, getting aggressive behaviors under control, training for GRC Dog Sports, shadow programs, and many other behavioral areas.
Does a dog training review with any particular client dog resonate with you? Does a case sound similar to what is going on with your dog? I love helping people whenever possible and often can make progress where others fail. I have and continue to spend a significant amount of time and money every year to further my canine knowledge. My clients benefit.
If you are ready to get help with your own dog(s), please use our dog training contact form to schedule a free phone consultation.
Quick Links
Before hiring Ralf, we struggled to train our puppy ourselves. After seeing how well-behaved our friend’s dog was, we immediately asked them who trained their dog. Our friends highly recommended Ralf, so we contacted him and began our dog training journey together. Our puppy Allie is very shy, timid, and weary of strangers, so it took her a while to warm up to Ralf. Once their relationship was established, she began to look forward to her weekly sessions with Ralf. You can tell that Ralf loves dogs, and it shows in the way he talks passionately about his own dogs and the issues affecting dogs. His knowledge of training, techniques and general wellness of dogs was extremely beneficial to us. He not only showed us how to train our dog, but he was always available to answer any questions we might have or recommend products that were useful for our puppy. Thanks to Ralf’s wonderful training, we now how a well-behaved, friendly, and beyond-loving puppy! We highly recommend him to anyone who is looking to train and or build a better relationship with their dog.
— Lisa S.
Our Golden Retriever puppy was very hard to control. He was constantly chewing on everything, including our hands and feet. We needed help, so we hired Happy Dog Training. Ralf has been working with our dog Teddy for six weeks, and he is now well-behaved and manageable. Ralf is very knowledgeable in the area of canine behavior, and his knowledge has resulted in excellent results I highly recommend Ralf and his team.
— Tony C.
As many of Ralf’s clients have stated, we saw a significant change in our dog Sparky after just one session. Yesterday, after just six sessions, Sparky “graduated.” Those sessions with Ralf transformed not only Sparky but us as well. Frankly, my husband and I needed the training as much, if not more, than Sparky did. We learned about dog psychology (pretty fascinating) and what was happening in Sparky’s brain. He was picking up on MY anxiety and acting out on our walks. He used to bark, growl, and lunge at people and dogs we would meet – very embarrassing.
Now, he barely acknowledges them. I feel much more competent as a dog owner now, and when we go on our walks, I feel confident and in control. When we go in or out of a door, he waits for me to go first. Because you see, I am now the PACK LEADER. All this is thanks to Ralf. He was wonderful to work with – besides being extremely knowledgeable, he is very interesting, personable, and quite a funny guy. He REALLY knows dogs, what they need, and what you can do to help them. We would recommend him to anyone needing help with their dog. Thanks, Ralf.
— Toni C.
Ralf is amazing!!! I can’t say enough great things about him. What I can say is that whatever is wrong with your dog, he can fix it!
My dog “Buddy” is a Golden Retriever that I adopted from a shelter approximately three years ago. Buddy came with so many “issues” that my Vet put him on Prozac. I spent many agonizing hours and a lot of money trying to help my Buddy. From the “Thunder Shirt” to every kind of obedience training there is – nothing worked UNTIL I FOUND RALF!
Within 30 minutes of the first visit, my Buddy was a changed dog. Ralf immediately identified his problems and knew precisely how to correct them.
Buddy and I still have some more learning to do; he is currently decreasing the Prozac. But up until now, it’s been great, and I know with Ralf’s guidance – Buddy will become a happy and well-behaved companion.
UPDATE: Buddy is now completely off Prozac, and his fear and aggression are almost completely gone 🙂
— Nannette B.
Services and Area
We are located in Southern California and train dogs nationwide. Happy Dog Training currently offers local dog training services in the following counties. Riverside County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Los Angeles County, and San Diego County. In addition, we offer our board-and-train program nationwide and all virtual training services worldwide.
Do you want your new puppy trained right from the start? Are you looking for help for your fearful dog? Do you need to resolve a severe aggression problem? You came to the right place! We are experienced, professional dog trainers. Ralf has trained over 1500 dogs in over 18 years, and Sarah has trained over 1200 dogs in over 11 years. Consequently, we can help you with any dog training goal.
What We Offer
For many of our clients, we train their dogs from puppyhood, getting them off to a great start. However, we also have extensive experience training rescue dogs from all imaginable backgrounds and circumstances. Our Board-and-Train program is our most popular.
We can help you, regardless of your dog's challenges or training goals. Being a professional dog trainer means having experience, knowledge, and skill. Further, we developed a highly effective training program to specifically help fearful dogs gain more confidence and become the best possible version of themselves. Building Confidence is our second most popular training program.
Last but not least, we are experts in dealing with all types of aggression in dogs and are often the trainers of last resort after many other programs have failed. Most of our aggressive dog clients previously spent significant money on half-baked solutions without much improvement. This is different from us. We will give you an honest assessment of what goals are realistic for your dog. We will tell you what can be resolved reliably and what likely needs to be managed before we start.
Our flagship product is our board and train program. But our virtual dog training and coaching services have become quite popular over the last couple of years. Our setup enables us to deliver online dog training services from our indoor and outdoor training areas. This allows us to help clients worldwide.
Other Resources
Also, check out our Free Dog Training tips on Separation Anxiety in Dogs, Potty Training aka Housebreaking, and Leash Handling for expert solutions to common challenges.
Additional Services: Presentations and Q&As on Dogs | Professional Service Dog Training
Contact Us and Start Training
Finally, once you're ready to move forward, please use our dog training contact form to schedule a free phone consultation or book a paid, in-person consultation.
Terms, Conditions and Privacy Policy
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About Ralf and Sarah
Happy Dog Training is the pet dog training business of Ralf Weber and Sarah Gill. We are certified professional dog trainers in Southern California. We are specialized in advanced obedience training, all forms or behavioral challenges and service dog training. For behavioral training, we are known for our work with aggressive and fearful dogs. Our service dogs, through Total K9 Focus, have a nationwide reputation for their reliability, longevity and performance.
Ralf Weber, MS, TWC CPDT, IACP CDT, CDTA
Certified Professional Dog Trainer Ralf Weber is lead pet dog trainer of Happy Dog Training. Ralf is a long-time dog owner of German Shepherds. During his career, Ralf has worked with over a 1500 dogs of many different breeds. Moreover, Ralf has a thorough understanding of all aspects of canine training. This includes evolutionary psychology, ethology, and, most importantly, learning science. Ralf is specialized in resolving dog behavior challenges—especially fear and aggression. Apart from this, Ralf trains dogs in basic and advanced obedience, service dog tasks, and GRC Dog Sports. Ralf is further certified in a broad range of other canine training areas. Last but not least, Ralf is the author of the behavioral book If Your Dog Could Talk: Understand Your Dog Like Never Before.
Ralf loves helping people have a better relationship with their dogs. He is a certified professional dog trainer in the Training without Conflict™ methodology by Ivan Balabanov (TWC CPDT). Ralf is also a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals and also holds their basic and advanced dog trainer certifications (IACP CDT, CDTA). In addition, Ralf is an AKC-approved evaluator for the AKC Puppy Star, CGC, and Advanced CGC programs and is also certified in canine first aid by the Red Cross.
Sarah Gill, Certified Professional Master Trainer
Sarah Gill, is a professional service dog trainer and handler. Sarah entered the world of professional service dog training after a car accident. As a result, she had to use a wheelchair for almost two years, trying to maneuver in a house not designed for it. No one expected Sarah would walk again. This opened her eyes and became a driving force behind pushing herself to defy the odds. When she regained some stability, Sarah attended a dog training school and learned how to train service dogs. Sarah completed her Master Trainer Certification and gained further experience by training new trainers. However, the school wasn’t accommodating to those with physical difficulties and PTSD. Hence, Sarah moved home to Dallas. In 2019, Sarah teamed up with Ralf and moved to California.
Sarah started this journey because she had a trained dog to mitigate her disabilities. But Sarah needed additional tasking for a new diagnosis. The only option she could find was getting a second dog for the new diagnosis. She knew there had to be a different way to address this. Sarah's passion is changing the ways of the service dog training industry.
