High Five Dog Training, LLC

Gabriela is amazing! My bully, Frankie, came to me as an abused emaciated stray. My immediate focus was on him gaining weight but as he started to get healthier, his behavior became more of a concern. He needed constant entertainment and attention. He would lunge at me repeatedly to try to get attention, and he was leaving bruises all over me. He also had sexual tendencies that were driving me crazy. During our first session with Gabriela I learned that Frankie was exhibiting classic symptoms of hyper-arousal. She helped me to understand how his mind was processing things and gave me tools to get through to him, as well as suggestions for how to just survive the next week. Frankie took to the training immediately. Between training sessions and some heavy-duty food-based enrichment toys, we started having better evenings. After more sessions with Gabriela, Frankie learned sit, down, spin, crawl, find it, and several other “party tricks.” He learned how to walk on leash, “place” on his mat, allow people to enter our home when invited, and what he can do if he feels overstimulated. After every session Gabriela followed up with an email outlining what we went over, resources to teach me more about any topics that came up, and links to anything she recommended I consider purchasing. Our progress has not been linear. Gabriela helped us work through Frankie’s fear of other dogs, which then became his uncontrollable urge to greet every dog. Frankie was doing great with training, but he started struggling more with focus as he hit social maturity. Eventually Gabriela recommended that he visit a behaviorist. He ended up on an SNRI and is once again making strides towards improvement. Frankie is still very much a work in progress, but thanks to Gabriela I actually enjoy my dog again. He goes to doggy daycare and interacts appropriately. He walks politely on leash and recovers quickly if he reacts to another dog. He goes to his mat if told to “place” and he stays put for about 45 minutes. He’s able to go to breweries and hang out. Gabriela is worth every penny. If you are struggling with your dog in any way, I highly recommend High Five Dog Training.

Gabriela was awesome! She was on time, fun to work with, and delightful with our pups. She helped us figure out practical, easy-to-implement ways to get our new dog less interested in our two cats. We went from daily chases and scratching and hissing to a relatively peaceful house where our animals can hang out in the same room without much drama. We’re still working on it, but the difference in just a few weeks is amazing! I highly recommend!