Horus Lacked Confidence
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.
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Amanda D.
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.
