Dog Training Reviews

Dog Training Reviews

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

Review Quick Links: Thang N. |  Henry H. |  Ken M. |  Mikaila R. |  Katie O. |  Milton M. |  Heather F. |  Leanne D. |  Erin D. |  Iris A. |  Sofia G. |  Annelise L. |  Jasjeet V. |  Ginette W. |  Michael and Peggy H. |  Stephanie P. |  Barbara I. |  Kathleen M. |  Kathleen V. |  Liena R. |  Les R. |  Georgia L. |  Pat V. |  Angela A. (2) |  Robin B. |  John & Isa |  Jessie G. |  Kara H. |  Amy & Jerry |  Yvette S. |  Philip H. |  Loretta and Bruce G. |  Lisa and Nina L. |  Amanda D. |  Marene J. |  Sara W. |  Angela A. (1) |  Jeni R. |  Donna R. |  Danny and Jessica |  Lisa S. |  Tony C. |  Toni C. |  Nannette B. |  Bill & Carol T. |  Christina C. |  Molly and Simon T. |  Simon & Molly T. |  Ellie D. |  Jamie S. |  Lynn S. |  Joe And Annie Z. |  Coco B. |  Ann M. |  Joanne E. |  Julia K. |  Laura H.

When my daughter decided to take in a stray blue heeler/ Australian Cattle-dog, I just didn’t have the heart to say no. She was very cute but probably had suffered abuse, was flea-infested, malnourished, and needed medical care.

We named her Foxy. Foxy never lived inside a home before; she stayed in a corner where she felt safe. After about a month, the issues started. She would bite strangers and did not do too well with our two other dogs. I was on the edge of giving up when I wrote a message to Ralf. He was very responsive, called me, and we scheduled a meeting.

He diagnosed Foxy with insecurity, and we signed up for training, which was the best thing we could have done. Foxy immediately liked Ralf (and so did our other dogs); she accepted his training and started progressing from the first session. We began with the basics, and her confidence increased more and more each week. Ralf always made sure we knew how and what to practice in between sessions, so we never felt left alone.

Ralf was THE solution – can’t thank him enough; he completely transformed Foxy and her life with us. Now, Foxy loves to work on the farm, go for runs around the neighborhood with my daughter, and learn new tricks.

— Lisa and Nina L.

 

There aren’t enough stars to rate this amazing dog and dog owner trainer!!!

Horus is a very dominant/alpha dog and highly intelligent. But he is also very scared and lacking in confidence. A dog like this was not something I was equipped to handle. I needed help. Luckily, my friend referred me to Ralf. The first day we met Ralf, Horus took to him right away. A good sign. I felt very comfortable and at ease around Ralf.

During all our training sessions, Ralf made sure to physically guide me through everything I needed to do, the rationale and science behind it, and prompted me to look over the website tutorials as well. The trifecta of training instilled the lessons that I needed to teach my dog and how I was going to do that. Not to mention, training was always fun because Ralf was easy to talk to and not just about dog training!

Training Outcomes

Months later, and after 15 sessions with Ralf, Horus can go out in public and be around people, which wasn’t something we could do before. He is now very patient with my niece and even licks and cuddles with her. When she is rambunctious, he either lays there as she plays around him, or he moves into another room when it becomes too much. I have had family and friends comment on how much better Horus has become, and they are shocked that he has progressed this much!

After training with Ralf, I have learned Horus’ physical markers that indicate when he is scared or stressed and proactively work with him to prevent a negative response. The use of “ah-ah” and the cheese rain of distracting food still do the trick. The list of things that scare him is becoming much smaller since we started training with Ralf! Horus and I have continued to train, even after the end of our 15 sessions with Ralf. All the videos and blogs on the website have been immensely helpful for this. Horus is a new dog, I’m a better dog owner, and we couldn’t be happier!

Thank you, Ralf, for helping polish this diamond in the rough!

Training Highlights

During one of the first training days, a stray dog attempted to mount Horus (which he didn’t like), so Horus went after the dog. Unfortunately, he slipped out of his collar and ran after this dog onto a very busy main street. Immediately, Ralf stepped in front of the oncoming traffic to ensure that Horus returned safely into our yard. At this moment, I knew without a doubt that Ralf was a fantastic trainer that would do anything for animals. He jumped in front of traffic for a dog that wasn’t his. Also, we promptly switched to the Leather Agitation Collar (2 inches) from Leerburg to avoid this situation from happening again (big neck, small head).

In the next lesson, I learned that my stressed reactions only worsened Horus. At one point, Ralf had me stand back and observe. When I was not in the picture, Horus was calm and didn’t even respond to the situation like he previously had. The dog owner also got a bit of training.

— Amanda D.

 

I absolutely love my animals and didn’t think much of Charlie not going upstairs after a fire in my home. I just didn’t want him stressed out and if he didn’t want to go upstairs, well okay. When he was bitten by a rattlesnake, I realized that in case of an emergency or when Charlie needs additional care, being scared of going upstairs (anywhere) was a huge problem! Ralf was kind, firm, and understanding. In a very short period of time, Charlie was going upstairs, and now, he’s having fun upstairs once again. Learning about Charlie’s personality and how his mind works did wonders for our owner/dog relationship, now we go for walks and runs (he runs and I try to keep up LOL) and he returns to me when I call him. We play a lot. Now when he wants something from me, Charlie comes and gets me then goes and shows me what he wants. We have built a great relationship! Thank you, Ralf!

Your score is 5 stars!!!!! Charlie and I would give you 500 if it was possible.

— Marene J

 

I received a rare opportunity to shadow Ralf Weber for 2+ months this summer. Ralf’s shadow program offers a vast amount of knowledge. But, he specializes in the modification of canine fearful behavior. As a student of dog behavior, I was able to observe the changes in the canine clients he worked with. I saw their confidence increase with each session. The knowledge I received and applied to my dogs during my program has made a noticeable difference. Primarily in regards to their confidence.

Ralf uses a solid, well-researched combination of science and modern dog training techniques to help the dogs and owners achieve their goals. The program itself is well-rounded and in-depth. I had access to select daytime sessions. Both at the facility and in the clients’ homes. On specific evenings, Ralf conducts social club nights. We worked on fear and other undesirable behaviors in the presence of other dogs.

Ralf made me feel comfortable and relaxed during the sessions. He offered information on growing a business, website design, branding, and even a little sword fighting and magic tricks on the side! I observed his day-to-day training routine with clients, worked with “board and trains,” and worked with my dogs under his supervision. He was able to explain his methods clearly and answered any questions I had.

I appreciate my time with Ralf and will use the skills I learned from him daily. I recommend his program without reservation.

— Sara W

 
 
 

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.