I adopted a year old Black Labrador, named Jack. He is full of energy, friendly and playful. However, he pulled like crazy on leash walks, would bark or lunge at other dogs, would jump on people, and demanded constant attention. I knew Jack was smart, because he quickly learned to sit and stay with me teaching him. I did not have the knowledge or skills to train him on the other issues, so I signed up for a dog obedience class, through community education. John Rossakis was the instructor. I was immediately impressed with John's demeanor and confidence. He provided clear instuctions and demonstrations on foundational skill building, starting with sit and down. We continued on with wait or stay, go to place and stay, recall, leash walking skills, and off (prevent jumping). He led the class for one session a week for six weeks, and I witnessed the progress of Jack, and the other dogs and owners. It was fun and rewarding, as John mixes in stories and humor throughout the class.
I wanted to fine tune Jack's training, especially in leash walking and go to place and stay. John offers private training sessions, either as package sessions, one time private, or group classes. I signed up for three private sessions, for a very reasonable price. We began with getting Jack to stop pulling during our walks. John introduced me to using a prong collar properly. It was a great tool to get Jack's attention on me during our walks. Through John's guidance, and many repetitions, Jack now walks beside me in the heel position, or extended leash position, without pulling. We worked on place, so when people come to the door, Jack now goes to his
mat and waits for guests to enter, before he calmly greets them, without jumping. John introduced me to an e-collar, which is another tool to assist in training. John was very patient with training me to train Jack. He described the techniques clearly, demonstrated them for me, and then had me do them with Jack, until I was confident with each training technique. He emailed me recaps of each session, so I could refer back to them for details. The whole experience has bonded me with Jack in a very positive way. Training , I learned, works with patience and lots of repetition. I am no longer frustrated with an unruly and ill-mannered dog. This training has paved the way for a lifetime companion that is a joy to be around! I highly recommend John Rossakis to be your dog trainer. read more