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
We adopted Fergus as an 8-year-old pulled from Animal Control by a rescue group. He lived happily in a foster home with other dogs and cats. Imagine our surprise then when, on our first walk with him, we saw another dog being walked, and he became a lunging, screaming banshee. The other dog and its human looked scared and walked the other way quickly. People came out of their houses to see if we were okay because Fergus was so loud and crazed.
We tried many things to help him (and us), and they helped…a little. In desperation, we turned to Happy Dog Training and Ralf. Ralf instantly saw that Fergus was scared, not aggressive, and helped us learn how to build his confidence through play. He also taught us how to tell Fergus “NO” in a way that he could hear, even amid a freak-out. Now he’s much better on our walks and doesn’t bark whenever anyone dares to walk by our house. Thank you, Ralf, for giving Fergus a better quality of life and for helping us learn how to help him.
— Amy & Jerry
Happy Dog Training has been a wonderful experience. He transformed my rambunctious American Staffy into a well-behaved Angel. Working with Ralf was so easy and he explained everything thoroughly. I never felt like I was out of the loop. Coco stayed with Ralf for eight weeks and although I missed her terribly, I would do it all over again. Ralf provided weekly photos and videos. Ralf is extremely professional and is truly passionate about training dogs.
— Yvette S.
My dog, Hobbes, a 2-year-old Husky/Golden Retriever, started having behavioral issues. He would bark at strangers, children, and dogs during our walks or while we were out in public. I had tried watching online videos on how to correct his behavior, and nothing worked or stuck. So I decided I needed professional help and found Ralf at Happy Dog Training. Ralf explained the foundations of his program on how we would work with Hobbes, which was building confidence in him. We worked on building a strong basis of communication with each other that was repeatable and easy for Hobbes to recognize.
Ralf’s methods made it very easy to understand as he always explained why and how we were doing a training exercise. During every session, Ralf answered all my questions very thoroughly, and I appreciated his patience as I had a lot of questions. I’ve had dogs my entire life, but throughout the training, I realized how much I didn’t know about dogs. Not only was it training for Hobbes, but also, more importantly, training me. I was able to effectively communicate with Hobbes on what to do during training and in social situations. I saw immense progress that Hobbes went through each week. He went from barking at Ralf during our first meetup to lying down in front of a coffee shop and watching people walk past him. The behavior change has been incredible for Hobbes, and I’m very happy with the results. I will recommend Ralf to my friends and family!
— Philip H.
Ralf was helpful and patient working with our little Cody. We found it fascinating how basic games turned into amazing ways to get Cody’s attention. They also distracted him from events that would overly excite or stress him. Ralf’s methods were gentle and built confidence in Cody. Cody always looks forward to when we work with him using Ralf’s training tips. He especially loves seeing Ralf (the treat man). Thank you, Ralf, for all the wisdom and patience you displayed working with us. And helping Cody to become a more confident and calm boy.
— Loretta and Bruce G.
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.
