Dog Training Reviews

Jake is, by far, the strangest dog I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. I rescued him when he was four months old. His beautiful blue eyes, wrinkly face, and “I can do it myself” attitude captured my heart when I first met him.

From what I can gather, his first few months of life were rough. He was found by the side of the road with both of his back legs broken, and the day I went to pick him up, I also learned that he was (and is) completely deaf. After my first few days with Jake, it became clear that he had somehow been abused. Unlike any other young puppy I’ve ever met, he was very unwelcoming to touch of any kind. To make matters worse, I quickly learned he was not fond of other dogs. It started with growls and nips, and as time passed, it quickly turned into calculated attacks. I could see brief glimpses of his sweetness and softness at home, but there was such a thick layer of anger covering it up. It made me so sad to see him this way.

I spent months learning how to train a deaf dog and socialize aggressive dogs. Google became my best friend. But try as I may, Jake’s aggression towards other dogs became, quite frankly, unmanageable. Eventually, I had completely given up trips to the dog park, hiking, the dog beach, and any form of activity that offered a chance to encounter other dogs. I was sad, and Jake was visibly becoming very depressed. The quality of life for both of us had diminished, and I felt guilty and hopeless. I felt like I had nowhere to turn. And then I met Ralf.

Nothing I Tried Had Worked

I had tried other trainers in the past, and one had even told me that there was nothing that could be done for Jake at all. So suffice to say, things didn’t seem promising, and I didn’t have a lot of hope going in. I can’t tell you how wrong I was. Very quickly, Ralf taught me about being the leader and making Jake both respect and trust me. We learned that Jake’s aggression was coming from fear and not dominance, as I had originally thought. All of this time, I had been treating the wrong problem! As a happy side-effect of our sessions, our walks improved (no pulling at all!), and Jake started to let me touch him in places I’d never been able to before (ears, paws, belly, etc.). He had become more affectionate and calm and seemed much more relaxed.

Then, after two years of failed attempts, I was shocked and amazed that within only three months of working together, we could take Jake INTO the dog park for our lessons. Soon enough, he was off-leash, and it was only a matter of a few weeks until we saw him, for the first time, actually playing with another dog. He was running, wrestling, and jumping just like a puppy should, and all of this without any aggression being shown. I started crying right there in the middle of the dog park.

An Amazing Transformation

The change I have seen in Jake is nothing short of a transformation. Family members have told me that he is a new dog, and we are now taking regular trips to the dog park. I even took Jake camping with two other dogs, and he did great! I cannot say enough about Ralf and the fantastic work that he’s done with my little canine hero. He has changed our lives for the better. Thank you doesn’t even begin to cover it. I fully intend to call Ralf with all of my future dog training needs and highly recommend him to anyone with dog needs of any kind.

— Jamie S.

Shelly and Rocky were running the household until Ralf got here. One day, Shelly didn’t want to go into her run anymore. She became what could be called hysterical, in a human being; we knew we had to do something.

Ralf took charge right away and we saw progress within a half hour. My husband and I were looking at each other, mouthing, “Did you see that?” to each other.

Our dogs were not good walkers, so we almost never walked them, but let them out on the property to do what they needed to do. When we walked, they would try to rip your arms out of the sockets. They would strain and bark and go wild when there was any change in their world, a car, a leaf, a person- and watch out world- ANOTHER DOG! Once we got them in line on the walk, it is now a pleasure to take a walk, and everyone looked forward to it. They notice distractions in the world but don’t lose their composure anymore.

Ralf Teaches The Humans Too

The best part is that Ralf teaches you how to get the same results he gets. It appears to be magic until you do it yourself a couple times and realize how easy it is to be the boss of these two.

Since we had Ralf’s help, we are maintaining the rules and getting the same results. If I see us getting sloppy again, I just review what Ralf taught us and see that the answer is there. We make a few corrections and everyone is happy again.

Ralf explained a lot about how dogs think and behave and why. It makes perfect sense. If you remember the way dogs think, you can apply what you have learned when you encounter some odd behavior and need to figure out why your dog is acting the way he is.

I would recommend Ralf to anyone having any behavior issue with their dog, or to improve your relationship with your best friend, even if you see no big problem. It was fun and we got results right away.

— Lynn S.

Houdini came to us after he was abandoned and was left to fend for himself. He was very underweight and used to being independent and in charge. The main challenge for Houdini was introducing him to my cats, Joey and Baby Freaksauce. Initially, I was optimistic that we could live as a happy family. Then Houdini attempted to take a bite out of Joey’s tail. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but that day I decided to call for help. I was lucky enough to connect with Ralf.

Ralf made me and Houdini feel comfortable from the moment we met. He was patient and kind not only to Houdini, but also to me. Ralf made sure to explain the rationale behind the behavioral training. He made the sessions both educational and enjoyable. Ralf was flexible with his schedule. The fact that he was able to train us in my home was invaluable.

Training Paid Off

Today, Houdini is fully integrated into the family. I no longer worry about him attacking my cats. I can actually walk him without being dragged behind. His days as an escape artist are well past. He happily understands his boundaries and stays in our yard without attempting to escape or wander off.

Before meeting Ralf and going through our training, I was sure I could not keep Houdini. I was actively searching for another home for him. Now, I can’t imagine my life without him.

— Elizabeth M

Ralf has done amazing work with our dog Lady. To say she is a different dog would be a gross understatement. Before we met Ralf, we had some serious issues.

Lady was a rescue from the South LA Shelter who was found because she had been dragged by a car. She had several scars, both physical and emotional. Lady was incredibly sweet and loving but also had a powerful distrust of strangers and especially men. We had reached a breaking point when she had bit 2 of our friends in the same week. We had tried other trainers and decided that if things didn’t work out with Ralf, we would have to give her up to someone that could handle her issues.

When Ralf arrived, we were a bit nervous because he simply told us he wasn’t afraid and would walk into our house and demand her respect. Lady tried to bite him three times within the first 10 minutes he was there.

Amazingly, by the end of our first 3-hour session, she was walking on the leash without pulling and had clearly given Ralf her respect. Not only did he give us the tools to maintain a calm, submissive, and much happier dog, he explained in simple terms why she responded to the methods he used and taught us to use them as well.

Ralf was a great teacher to Lady, but an even better teacher to us.

Today, Lady goes out to coffee, gives strangers kisses, and only barks at the mailman 🙂

— Joe and Annie Z.