Sjabo Dog Training

You will be in the best hands with Sjabo Dog Training LLC . My wife and i bought a rescue puppy who was homeless and abandoned, was afraid of literally everything and had no obedience. Within a couple of weeks of training, you would have never thought this dog was afraid of people, and now we can have him off leash and he listens to me and my wife and comes right back to us when we call him! I cant express how happy I am with the training that my dog has had. And he doesn't just deal with just malinois, If I could go higher then 5 stars, I would, because sjabo deserves all the stars, so if you have a dog that needs obedience work or any kind of training, I highly recommend, you will not be disappointed!

Edit: I want to add some context now that more time has passed and we’ve had additional professional input. I brought my Malinois into the program excited but inexperienced, as I didn’t yet know what questions to ask or what gaps to look for. After my dog experienced an injury and a noticeable shift in mental state, the class structure and overall approach remained largely the same rather than adapting to those changes. In structured training environments, my dog performed well. However, in real-world, unstructured settings, he struggled to regulate himself, particularly with fear-based reactivity and avoidance behaviors, and I felt increasingly unsure how to bridge that gap as a handler. Although we were enrolled in foundational and advanced obedience, the program progressed into protection-style work while underlying behavioral issues remained unresolved. As training continued, my dog’s reactivity and emotional regulation were not addressed in a way that led to consistent improvement. When concerns were raised, I was told it was handler error — which is fair — but clear solutions or adjustments were not consistently demonstrated or implemented. We were told these areas would be worked on, but they were not addressed during class, which eventually left us feeling we were no longer receiving value from the program. Some strategies helped temporarily, but the underlying issues persisted, resulting in inconsistent outcomes despite continued time and financial investment. We eventually explored other outlets such as dock diving and agility to allow him to decompress, gain environmental experience, and allow me to grow as a handler as well. This direction was discouraged, and over time we realized the program was no longer the right fit for our situation. Moving on allowed us to seek multiple outside opinions and pursue approaches better aligned with our dog’s specific needs. That change led to meaningful progress and significantly reduced the mental and emotional stress for both my dog and me. I’m sharing this update so future clients — especially those new to working breeds — can ask deeper questions, understand the scope of the program, and ensure the training approach truly aligns with their dog before committing. _________________________________________________ Original Review: John is absolutely awesome! My fiancée and I had a working line GSD show up on our doorstep - abused, malnourished, and scared. Luckily we found John and actually got her into his protection k9 program (she killed basic and advanced obedience very quickly). Our GSD loves John, and loves going to training on Saturdays. She’s a dick if she doesn’t get to go to class lol. It has been mind blowing to see that level of dog training. So much so - I went and bought a working line Belgian Malinois for me. I was already going to class with my fiancée - now instead of going 1 hour a week, we go for 2 and I don’t get so sit around anymore. Sign me up - put me to work John. Never heard of this breed - I would have told you it was a lab and shep mix 2 years ago. Literally no idea. Seeing John’s (owner) dog and then falling into a ton of rabbit holes (along with John and my fiancée planting the seed of a puppy in my head) - I pulled the trigger. This dog is WAYYYY far outside of my comfort zone and skill set - but that’s why I have John. John thinks I just bought the dog for me and my 1/4 life crisis - but he’s the only reason I even wanted a dog like this. Half for me - half for John. John is awesome - makes class fun - and makes training your dog FUN!!! As long as you put in the work and do what he says - prepare to have your entire world flipped upside down. 12/10 fully recommend. Check out my profile - I be posting dog stuff a lot 🤷🏼‍♂️ my results speak for his art 🤙🏼

We are currently 2 weeks into a board and train with our reactive pitbull, Doug. We've had our dog trained before on an e-collar with another trainer and Doug would listen great when using this tool but his underlying behavioral issues were still very much present. Dog doesn't listen? Turn up the e-collar until he does. This was the mindset of our old trainer and unfortunately many trainers in our area. There was no discussion of the relationship with our dog outside of "just play with him sometimes", this led Doug to still be the same dog who only listened out of fear of being shocked. We went with John for a board and train because he was the only trainer I contacted who was genuinely willing and enthusiastic to train our dog without any tools. No e-collar, no prong-collar, no ramming treats down his throat to bribe him into listening, just working on the fundamental obedience and relationship that our dog has with John and us. We receive regular video and text updates on Doug's training. I will stop out once a week when I have time to meet up with my dog and John during which John takes me through a 1 on 1 training session and clearly explains all the nuances and details of working with your dog. Any questions I have, he answers and explains in great detail. I'm looking forward to getting our boy back from board and train at the end of the month and continuing with weekly classes at John's. If you're looking for a trainer that is worth his salt AND genuinely cares about your relationship with your dog then this is the place for you.