Eric Temple Dog Training

When we couldn’t find what motivated our dog Rocco to reliably respond to commands and recall, as well as walking appropriately on leash and not pulling, we were at a loss until we found Eric. Eric’s style of training that is based on cooperative play and not establishing dominance was the exact kind of training that was needed in order to get buy in from Rocco and motivate him. Eric taught us how to use play to make a connection with Rocco and establish a good relationship that motivated Rocco to want to listen to us. Each time that we did private training sessions with Eric, we would look at the clock and realize we had gone over the allotted time but because Eric truly cares about making a difference, he wouldn’t end the session until we reached a good stopping point. Eric is hands on, models exactly what he is teaching you and then has you practice the skills to give you feedback. He also knows how important it is to have the skills he has taught your dog generalize to the owners and will frequently check in to make sure things are going well with Rocco. Eric is not only incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about his field of work, but truly loves what he does and it shows with how excited Rocco gets every week when Eric comes to get him. My partner and I often joke that if Rocco had to choose between us and Eric, he would most likely choose Eric!

After rescuing our dog, Buck, we realized we needed help. We were excited to find Eric, who we believe rescued us! He is super passionate about his training and brings so much knowledge to the sessions. He does a great job explaining the how and why behind a dog's behavior and what the next steps are for compliance. Buck used to nip, jump, bark consistently, and now we see that he understands and listens to what we ask of him. Eric has passed off his knowledge to us which we continue to implement every day. I am not sure what we have done without Eric!

We worked with Eric in the spring of 2022 when we adopted our 4.5 year old pit mix, Ted. He was sweet as can be but, as to be expected, he struggled with a few things - namely recall and dropping high-value objects like toys and balls. We immediately connected with Eric's approach to training - it's not about establishing dominance, it's about building a cooperative relationship through shared and consistent commands and expectations. Following Eric's training expertise we have seen a huge improvement in Ted - he comes when he is called and he drops toys that he used to refuse to let go of (because he knows now that he will get to have more fun and engage in more play if he shares). Make no mistake, it takes daily reinforcement to maintain, and Eric is very clear about that. But if you put in the time and follow his guidance, you and your dog will be on the same page, and most importantly, have a blast together. Thanks Eric!