Caring for a German Shepherd
Caring for a German Shepherd can be a handful! Especially as they get older. In this video, I share tips and tricks for keeping my dogs healthy. My German Shepherd Max lived to be 19 years old.
Tag: dog care
Canine Enrichment
Mental stimulation is important for long-term health. This is no different for dogs. Teaching dogs to make good decisions and solve problems doesnt happen through solitary confinement. Engaging dogs on multiple levels is essential for happiness and well-being.
Category: Advice
Tags: animal welfare, canine enrichment, canis familiaris, Cognitive Canine Enrichment, dog, dog care, dog health, dog welfare, dog well-being, dogs, mental stimulation, Nutritional Enrichment, Occupational Canine Enrichment, Physical Canine Enrichment, Sensory Canine Enrichment, Social Canine Enrichment, understanding dogs
Dog First Aid Kit
Accidents happen, and it is better to be prepared. This includes putting together a great first-aid kit for your dog. Many dog first aid kits are on the market, and I have rarely seen an inherently bad one. However, once you are in an emergency with ...
Category: Advice
Tags: canine first aid, canine first aid bag, dog care, dog first aid, dog first aid bag, dog first aid kit, dog health, first aid
Build Your Dog Up!
Building your dog up is the key to a successful partnership with your furry family member. Too often, trainers just want you to punish your dog for perceived misbehavior and stop there. But how can your dog know what you want if you never made it cle ...
My Vet Said …
Understanding the key findings from the latest research on vaccinations, tick and flea control, parasite and worm prevention, spaying and neutering, allergy tests and treatments, choosing dog food, and anxiety medications help you make informed decisions.
What is Poisonous to Dogs?
You probably have seen lists of products, vegetables, fruits, nuts, or medications toxic to dogs. Its certainly good to know what is safe for your dog to eat but what is usually missing is the quantity at which consumption is truly dangerous.
Category: Health & Nutrition
Tags: Acetaminophen, Acetylsalicylic Acid, acute renal failure, advil, alcohol, Aleve, Allerest, Anacin-3, Anaprox, Apranax, Aspirin, ataxia, avocado, caffeine, canine first aid, canine poison, canine toxicity, canine toxin, chocolate, chocolate and dogs, CNS depression, coffee, Comtrex, cymbalta, Dayquil, dog care, dog first aid, dog health, dog poisons, dog toxicity, dog toxins, Duloxetine, Effexor, elevated heart rate, Excedrin, first aid, garlic, garlic and dogs, grapes, grapes and dogs, hemolytic anemia, hyperthermia, hypothermia, Ibuprofen, idiosyncratic reaction, lethargy, macadamia nuts, metabolic acidosis, metabolic disruption, motrin, muscle tremors, Naprelan, Naprosyn, Naproxen, nephrotoxic mycotoxin, nuts, Nyquil, onion, onions, pancreatitis, raisins, raisins and dogs, Salicylate, SineAid, SineOff, taking your dog to the vet, thiosulphate, tomato, tomatoes, toxicosis in dogs, tremors, Tylenol, Vanquish, Venlafaxine hydrochloride, veterinary care, vomiting, what foods are toxic to dogs, xylitol
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- Play is the Way!
- Build Your Dog Up!
- The Layered Stress Model
- Fear and Anxiety in Dogs
- My Vet said …
- Saying Goodbye to Your Dog
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.