K9Psychology101

Yelp ! - 5 star reviews

 

Nikki F - Culver City *****

 

" Got dog problems ? Not for long! Call Allan!
I am a first time dog owner and this year adopted two rescue dogs. I had owned cats all my life and had no knowledge at all about dogs. So when Venus and Marley came into our family life we were eager but not very informed.

Our dogs are lovely, sweet animals (obviously a rescue wasn't going to give first timers problem dogs) but they had a few quirks in their behaviour that were really bringing our family down. The main one was incessant barking out the windows of the house at everyone who walked past. The other one was that the dogs slept in our bed  and it was causing back pain for my husband to sleep in strange positions.

My husband was really getting over it - between the lack of sleep, back pain and barking he was getting ready to send little Venus and Marley to the returns desk.

We had previously tried group dog lessons at Rancho Park and were definitely the class dunces. I really couldn't face 2 months of turning up once a week to a group lesson just to make little progress and be demoralized by the perfectly placid poodles and old dogs who aced the class.

Then I had the good fortune of meeting a friendly, helpful dog owner at Culver City Dog Park. He said "Oh, you should meet Allan. Here is his card."

I spoke with Allan and booked him to come to my house, meet the dogs in their domain and talk about our specific issues.

What an amazing day! When Allan arrived he asked me about our issues and while he patiently listened to my tale of woe he quietly observed the dogs. What I saw next was truly amazing. Within two hours he established himself as the dominant animal in the pack, instructed the dogs and me on how to keep them away from the window. Taught me how to correct the dogs behaviour when they transgressed. He also taught me and the dogs that my bedroom is off limits and how to reinforce this behaviour. Then, because he had nailed all the crucial problems well before two hours he also took on how to get the dogs to walk well on a leash and behave themselves around unfamiliar dogs on the street and also how to get the dogs from mobbing people who enter the house.

By the end of two hours the dogs were fully submitting to the new rules. To see Allan work his magic on dogs is truly amazing.

Allan then follows up at the end of the month to check if there have been any issues with sticking to the new system - Allan is also available via text, phone and email if anything crops up in the meantime.

From the end of the first 2 hour session the dogs were transformed. No returns desk here. Of course, it is up to the dog owner to enforce the rules and not get soft on their cute little mutts - any backsliding we had during the month was entirely from members of the family not following through on the rules established by Allan.

I can't recommend Allan enough. He is a complete professional. A great listener. A dog pro and he gets the result you want very fast - truly, at the end of the 2 hour session our dogs were reformed! "

 

 

JQ - Studio City *****

 

" Allan changed the game for my dog Cairo and I.  The training is simple and easy to digest.  The real trick is in having the patience to regularly apply what he teaches.  Since most of the training happens on the human it is so helpful that Allan is emotionally supportive of the owners just as much as the dogs.  

Cairo used to be overly reactive to excitement and to domination but today for the first time a larger dog climbed on top of him and instead of getting upset he just ran to me and laid down at my feet where he knows he is safe.  

The bond between my dog and I has grown so strong with the help of Allan's training.  

Thank you for teaching me to be a responsible owner so my pup and I may both live happy healthy lives! "

 

 

John N - Los Angeles *****

 

" When we first met Max, a 4 month old Lab/Pit mix, he was a cute bundle of energy. It was love at first sight. It has been nearly 20 years since our last puppy, and we had forgotten how much time and energy it took, and Max took even more. After two months of obedience class and working several hours a day with him to reign in his exuberance, I was ready to find him a more suitable home. Then we met Allan at the Bone Yard in Culver city, where Max was known as the Wild Thing. Without any initiative from Allan, Max approached, sat, and waited calmly for Allan's attention.
After a brief conversation with him, I learned that he was a professional trainer. Since I had been looking for an individual trainer but had not met any that impressed me (or Max) I booked an appointment with Allan.
His method is to come to your home and spend an hour with your dog, and then, more importantly, another hour working with you on how to interact with your dog. In Max's case it was a matter of containing and controlling his excitement level. After his visit, Allan set us a curriculum for Max's training. We then had a three-week period to implement the program. Allan was available via text or email at any time for help and consultation. When we ran into him (and his lovely dog, Molly) at the dog park, he generously worked with Max and me on control issues. After about two weeks, it was clear that we would be able to keep Max. At the end of the three weeks, Allan spends another hour debriefing the experience and suggesting further training options. Now, at almost 10 months, Max is well on his way to being a model companion.
In observing other dogs and their owners, I relearned what I had learned with my other dogs: it is the owner than needs to be trained.
In addition to the fact that Max loves Allan, his quiet, confident, and affirming professionalism in training me has made all the difference. "