I recently adopted a 9-month old dog and wanted to jump into training right away. I retained…read moresomeone who lived very close to me and had great reviews, but after a few sessions I realized our schedules were not compatible; I was not getting consistency and reliability from her. It's important for me to make progress with my dog, so I Googled alternate options and stumbled upon Alex's page.
I called him on a Friday and he picked up the phone right away. We spoke for a while about my needs and he came out the following Tuesday for what was supposed to be a 2-hour visit. I fell in love with him immediately, he is not only so personable and likable on his own, but he really takes the time to LISTEN to what you need and work on those things right away. I had mentioned my priorities to my previous trainer, but I found that she was teaching my dog commands that didn't actually accomplish what I was after.
In our first meeting, Alex worked on SO MANY of my priorities. He got my dog to go into her crate on command, taught her to "stay," showed me how to "walk with" my dog better on her leash, and (using a 30' leash outdoors) started working on recall with her.
We were so immersed in what was going on that Alex started to go a little bit over our time, but he didn't want to stop because we were making such great progress. I told him if he wanted to give me a third hour right then and there that I was prepared to pay for it, and he did!!
I learned a lot of things from Alex myself during our first meeting, like how to employ the use of "deltas" (which my old trainer never once mentioned) and how non-verbal cues are arguably more important than verbal ones. Again, my old trainer actually discouraged me from using hand motions, but once incorporating them into my routine I noticed that my dog was much more compliant than she had been. Another positive difference between my old trainer and Alex is he really takes the time to teach you why he's doing what he's doing, and encourages you to participate. My old trainer just taught my dog a command and had me replicate/practice when she left. Alex really makes you feel like you are a part of the teaching process.
After our private session Alex recommended some "Small Group Therapy" for my pup. He came at noon on a Thursday to pick up my dog and she proceeded to go on a several-hour outing with his two chihuahuas and a dog he was fostering. The entire time he was out with her he was recording and sharing videos on an iCloud album. It was INCREDIBLE to not only see everything that was happening, but to hear him narrate why he was doing the things he was doing. I could not get enough of his videos and felt like I was there during the session.
On top of Alex's excellent communication, punctuality, reliability, friendliness, competency, and effectiveness, his rates are OUTRAGEOUS in the BEST way! I truly believe he is under-charging for his services. I can get three hours with Alex for less than I paid for one hour with my prior trainer, and I feel much better about the work that is done during that timeframe.
I adore Alex, and most importantly, what he is doing works. He really gets into the mind of your dog, and has such a wonderful way of connecting with them and their needs. I am elated to keep our work going - my pup has lots more Small Group Therapy outings in her future and it's wonderful that I have the option to use him one-on-one to teach her even more commands in the house. One day I hope to move on from essential commands to more fun ones, like "roll over" or "go get X toy."
