Look No Further!

If you're as much of an animal lover as I am, leaving my dog (or any of my animals) with someone is always a stressful and scary event. Minutes after meeting Joe, I knew we had found the right person for our beloved Kala. Joe is the epitome of the "Giant Teddy Bear" persona; kind, gentle, and caring. (Just ask Kala) I only wish he would train my husband!

Jill

"Kaiser von Roll"

"Kaiser von Roll" became part of our family as a source of love and therapy after recently losing our loving dad and husband. We spotted Kaiser at a mere 9 weeks old and took him home that very day. Months went by as we all tried desperately to train him in obedience and to be housebroken. At about six months of age Kaiser was one more mishap away from finding a new owner. But we were all determined to keep our puppy no matter how much his disobedience and accidents frustrated us. We desperately researched some trainers via the internet. One Saturday afternoon we realized we needn't look any further than our local supermarket. That's where we met Joe Ingenito who had been out exercising his own German Shepherd pup. Curious, we thankfully struck up a conversation with Joe to learn he was a dog trainer who just so happened to specialize in German Shepherds! An answer to our prayers, he willfully provided us with extremely helpful advice. My mother and I both grew very hopeful as Joe offered his knowledge about Shepherds and dogs in general. As we explained Kaiser's issues to him (jumping, frequent urination, fear, disobedience) he could immediately give us a solution. At the same time he made us aware that correcting these problems would take time and consistency. We exchanged phone numbers to set up a training session; the first step toward rehabilitating Kaiser. Joe came to our home in order to see for himself how Kaiser reacts in his own familiar environment. We started with the basics; Joe sat us down in a discussion before handling our troublesome puppy. He explained how dogs respond to human behavior. The first thing Joe noticed about our home is that it is a very feminine one. Kaiser's fear of men and other humans was due to a lack of socialization; so Joe suggested exposing Kaiser to areas busy with people and noise for him to become comfortable. As far as obedience, Joe stressed that consistency with commands and hand signals was key. He showed us how to properly clicker train and when to give praise and rewards. Equally as important, when NOT to reward unwarranted behavior.

A major obstacle Kaiser faced was fear of the car. I personally would have to drag and lift him into my vehicle! Joe demonstrated how Kaiser's mind needed to constantly be moved in a forward direction. He showed Kaiser there was nothing to fear; then I performed the exercise. The next day I hopefully approached my car with Kaiser and made huge progress; he jumped right in! We literally experienced an overnight success! Now when we mention the "car" to Kaiser, his ears perk up with excitement.

Our naughty dog is on his way to becoming what we prayed he would. We are so thankful to have Mr. Ingenito come into our lives and be able to lend us his expertise of this loving and loyal breed. Joe, thanks to you, Kaiser is here to stay.

Thank you,
Camille, Julie, Anthony
Dana, and Kaiser