Our Resolving Dog Aggression program is only available as a board and train program. We have limited program spots available each year and often a waitlist. Reserve your training spot as early as possible. Details below.
Living with an aggressive dog is stressful. Never being sure what will happen on your daily walk, potential injuries, vet bills, legal consequences, etc. You don’t have to live like this. Our comprehensive dog rehabilitation program can resolve your dog’s aggression problem. We are specialized in resolving dog aggression of all types and will do all we can to give you the dog you always wanted. With over 18 years of experience in resolving aggression in dogs, we can handle any case.
Evaluations
We offer evaluations to determine if this program suits your situation. Many cases our clients have brought to us did not require this comprehensive approach and could be resolved in the owners’ homes. Let us evaluate how severe your problem truly is. What may feel very serious to you may not be as bad as it seems. Many of our clients have been surprised by how easily some aggression cases could be resolved—especially with younger dogs; it’s often much easier than you think. Let us help you keep your family together!
Our attorneys won’t let us guarantee outcomes, but to date, we have always succeeded in resolving aggression in dogs where the owners have followed our guidance. If you trust us, we will help you keep your family together.
Program Benefits:
- For aggression cases, we offer a free, in-person evaluation of your dog. This helps us determine what kind of behavior your dog demonstrates. This free initial consultation is non-binding with no risk to you.
- Upon completion of the training, your dog’s aggressive behavior will be significantly reduced. What remains can usually be extinguished over the following 2-3 months in your home, as long as you follow our instructions. Most dogs in this program stop their aggressive behaviors in most circumstances.
- The total average resolution time is typically three to four months but may vary (shorter or longer). We will work with you as long as it takes to make your dog the best version of itself.
- We film all critical training sessions and make the footage available in a private YouTube playlist so you can review everything we did, share it with friends or family if you like, and have a memory of your dog’s transformation. Most of our clients love this, but it is optional. If you’d rather have us not post anything, just let us know.
- Free lifetime support for the dog the program was purchased for, including one free follow-up per month after program completion (by request).
How Resolving Dog Aggression Works:
- First, we build a strong relationship with your dog through play. At this stage, we also figure out what game and game structure is the most biologically fulfilling way to interact with your dog. Each dog is an individual.
- Second, we teach your dog the rules of the game and the consequences for breaking those rules, all as part of the game. This is deliberately done outside the context of the problem areas. This allows us to get cooperation and establish authority with your dog.
- Third, we tackle the aggression at its core. These are not superficial fixes. Your dog will begin to change in front of your eyes as we teach it to make better choices.
- The training is highly motivational and engaging, and you will see the relationship between you and your dog become stronger than you ever thought possible. It is a wonderful experience, and we can’t wait for you to have it.
- For people-aggressive dogs, we may temporarily need a muzzle for safety and better control collars, but this is rare. Avoiding this is the goal of the first step listed above.
Training Options for Resolving Dog Aggression
Board and Train: initially, your dog stays with us for 6-8 weeks, and we transition your dog into your home afterward. Your dog stays in the home of one of our trainers, not stowed away in a kennel. You also receive 1-2 weekly training videos on our YouTube channel, so you can observe how your buddy is doing in training. Due to the nature of the training and the required transition, expect to visit your dog after a few weeks for hands-on participation; 2-3 visits are typical. Multiple iterations between your dog staying with us and coming home for some time are common. Additional stays with us are usually around one to two weeks if necessary. Further, this program includes three virtual sessions after your dog returns home.
How to Get Started
Our availability is limited, and we usually have a waitlist. However, most dogs can start within one to two months of contacting us. To secure a training spot, you must make a 50% non-refundable down payment at the time of booking. That, together with signing the training contract, locks in your training spot. Both are done electronically, and we accept cash, check, credit card, or PayPal payments. Contact us today to get started by clicking below.
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.
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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.
