Dog Training Reviews

Ralf is great. My french bulldog rescue has some pretty deep-rooted dog aggression issues specific to other animals. With people, however, it is a completely different story; he is a total love. So, we have a little Jekyll and Hyde situation going on. Ralf has a great understanding of this type of behavior and has quickly placed himself in a position of respect with my dog. Ralf is also quite accommodating because he travels to his clients … this is a plus. But more importantly, such travel allows Ralf to work with my dog in areas where aggression triggers are continuously present. I would recommend Ralf to anyone who is looking for help with doggy behavioral issues.

— Christina C.

Merlin, a border-collie, loves to swim. He was born and raised in Seattle. Merlin grew up chasing frisbees and balls in Lake Washington. He could play in the water for hours and never get tired. We moved from Seattle to California and were excited that we moved into a house with a pool. We thought that Merlin could continue spending hours in the water with his toys.

To our shock, our water-loving dog was terrified of the pool. Merlin would not go near the pool. He circled widely around the pool when in the backyard and hid in the bushes at the first sight of us in our swimsuits. We asked Ralf to help us with this issue. Ralf modeled for us how to slowly and consistently expose Merlin to the pool. As opposed to carrying him into the pool, which we were doing. We spent the first week just walking Merlin calmly and assertively around the pool, reinforcing that the pool was not scary. Over time, we slowly started walking Merlin into the pool. After two weeks, Merlin was successfully swimming in the pool with reckless abandon.

Ralf demonstrated a mastery of dog psychology and taught us specific techniques to address various dog behavior problems. And we learned how we humans contribute to the problem. We feel such gratitude for Ralf and his support. We recommend anyone to contact Ralf if they are experiencing any type of issue with their dog with the highest regard. Thank you, Ralf!

— Molly and Simon T.

We got Arthur from the Seattle Humane Society. He came with notes on his file that we would be his fourth home and that he was aggressive towards men. Despite the warnings, we wanted to help this poor pup out, and he played very well with our dog. Over the next year, despite hundreds of dollars spent on trainers, books, and classes, the problems got worse. His scary and unmanageable behaviors increased over time, including growling at men, lunging at cars and bikes on walks, and attacking other dogs.

Additionally, Arthur bit several members of our family. We moved from Seattle to California last year and were at our wit’s end. We were so desperate and afraid of what Arthur would do next that we started calling shelters in our new area to try and find another home. All of the shelters advised us that the best thing we could do was put Arthur down due to his aggressive behaviors. Happy Dog Training was our last resource, and my wife and I agree that Ralf saved Arthur’s life.

Ralf Saved Arthur’s Life

Ralf wasn’t the first trainer we met to help Arthur, but he was the best. The first and best thing Ralf gave us was hope. He told us during our first session that there was hope, that our snarling scary beast was a friendly, scared, and cute dog that just needed consistent, firm leadership. Ralf didn’t just give us the usual “tips and treats” like the other trainers did, telling us that “he’s never going to be a cocktail dog” or, my favorite, “he’s a real dog’s dog.” Instead, Ralf taught us a philosophy of dog leadership and specific techniques we could use and live with. As our skills and confidence grew as pack leaders, the frequency of Arthur’s “bad” behaviors rapidly decreased.

Arthur no longer growls at men and doesn’t lunge at bikes and other dogs on his numerous walks throughout the day. Now, he wags his tail when he meets new people! Arthur no longer lunges at me when I get up in the middle of the night, and we are no longer afraid that he will bite someone. Words cannot express the gratitude and appreciation we have for Ralf, his patience and knowledge, and all that he has taught us. We are now more confident, consistent, and hopeful dog owners and look forward to enjoying the rest of Arthur’s long life together as a family. Thank you, Ralf!

— Simon and Molly T.

I attended one of Ralf’s Dog Walking 101 classes. My 18-month-old female Pit Bull is obedience trained but still has a problem wanting to walk a little bit ahead of me. As soon as Ralf took the leash, she walked perfectly! He demonstrated to me the right way to hold the leash and the right way to correct it. Ralf also explained dog psychology in a way that made sense and was easy to understand. He respects the dogs and their owners.

I took my Pitty for a walk this morning … OMG! It was magic. I kept her leash much shorter, and not to say I didn’t have to correct her, but so much less, and she responded immediately. I quit being so paranoid about the fact that she wasn’t exactly where she was supposed to be according to AKC standards for obedience shows and allowed her front legs (shoulder) to be even with my legs with her head a little in front of me. Some professionals say that is a no-no. Well, it worked fine, and I was very happy with it. Sometimes she would even drop back a little on her own, which Ralf told me she would eventually do. I sure didn’t expect it less than 24 hours later!

People Noticed the Change

Sometimes, when we walk, a few people will comment on how pretty she is. This morning a man on a bicycle said, “She is a very pretty dog.” Another man walking said, “What a nice dog.” Another man on a bicycle looked back at us and said, “She is very smooth.”. I didn’t catch the rest of it cause, looking back at us, he went a little to the left and almost into the path of a bus! I had to yell at him to watch out. The whole point of this is my one lesson with Ralf last nite was amazing and made my walk with my Pitty today the BEST I have ever had with her.

I intend to go further with my dog’s training, and when she and I are ready for that, I will be calling Ralf to get started. Thank you, Ralf !!!

— Ellie D.