The Human Dog Team

I think it’s a disservice to call Gonzalo, the owner of the Human Dog Team, just a dog trainer. Yes, he is very good at dog training, as many others have noted. But what makes Gonzalo extraordinary is his ability to deepen the relationship between you and your pet. He did this for me by teaching me to better understand our family dog, Lucy, and by coaching Lucy to pay better attention to the family’s needs. Cutting through the communication barrier between us paid off right away and continues to provide us lasting benefits. Now that we better understand each other, we work together as a team. Lucy’s bad behaviors stopped (barking and peeing on the carpet), and her good behaviors became the norm. Gonzalo has been working with animals almost all his life and his expertise is apparent. He is insightful and intuitive and can read even nuanced animal body language and cues. He taught me how to tell if Lucy was getting frustrated during training, or when she was processing a new command. I learned that even though to me, “down” and “dooooooown”, mean the same thing, a difference in inflection can be confusing to a dog. I learned too that timing the reward can make a big difference on reinforcing good behavior. Beyond the usual commands, I learned “markers”, words that could encourage Lucy to keep trying or let her know if she was on the wrong track. In other words, I became a better human to Lucy, and Lucy responded by being an even better dog. Gonzalo’s guidance is professional and sincere, I never felt judged. I felt like we were being coached for success and we were all in it together. Gonzalo isn’t the cheapest trainer around, but not the most expensive by a long shot. I couldn’t find a better value though and I will likely save money because his methods are sustainable and durable. He provides free access to loads of videos and training material that you can refer to anytime, even if you don’t hire him (but you’ll want to anyway). Also, you can send him clips of your dog’s behavior or a training, and he’ll respond with feedback to keep you moving in the right direction. I really liked that because I didn’t have to wait a week to learn what I was doing right or how I could improve. Then with the next session, we would focus on new material and didn’t spend too much time with review. I couldn’t have been more pleased with how training went with Gonzalo’s coaching. If your dog has behavioral issues you’d like to correct, is a working breed that needs specific training, or if you just want a better relationship with your dog, you can’t go wrong joining the human dog team.

I have been doing virtual dog training with Gonzalo. He is incredibly knowledgeable and professional. In just 4 short weeks, my 9 month old Rottweiler can go to a “place” on command, has increased her impulse control, began to understand leash communication (improving our walks), follows my commands on the first time, and I am simply enjoying my relationship with her more because of this. I Wasn’t sure about virtual training at first, but Gonzalo explains everything so clearly, and then we practice while we are on the call. The benefit is that I gain confidence doing all of it on my own with my dog. Great experience and I highly recommend!

I am so grateful that I called on Gonzalo when I was in need of help with my pup Leo. The story starts like this...one day I decided to adopt a 70 pound untrained Pit bull that had spent 6 months in a kennel. I named him Leo and knew with all of my heart that I had no idea what I was in for. Leo and I were both extremely overwhelmed from the beginning and it was amazing to have Gonzalo by our side as I learned to navigate the situation. Leo was very hard to manage because of his strength and my fear of his strength. In addition, he had a few behavioral issues that needed to be addressed; mouthing, jumping, getting on his back legs and barking, fear of the crate. Gonzalo and I did all the training work virtually and it worked out great! I would send videos and questions, and he would always respond with feedback. The K9 portal is an awesome tool that I turned to many times, gathering the information I needed or to refresh my memory on things we talked about in our sessions. Gonzalo’s communication was always very clear and he helped me feel at ease with the process. It’s been a wild ride and this dog has transformed over the past few weeks. I am in awe at the progress that has been made thus far, and I am excited to keep training and learning about communication. I feel very inspired from the work we have done and I will forever be grateful for Gonzalo’s guidance.

In a matter of only a couple of hours of virtual consultation, Gonzalo has essentially transformed our experience with our great dane. We thought we had done everything we could to train her, but we absolutely could not get ahold of her leash reactivity. In an incredibly thoughtful conversation (limited to a video chat due to Covid-19 quarantine) Gonzalo brought to light the critical missing link in our communication with our dog. Honestly, in one session we saw immense improvement and are finding a new level of connection and understanding with our dog every day. We could not be more grateful for our continued work with Gonzalo - he is proactive in checking in on our progress and tailors solutions to your own scenario and needs. We highly recommend The Human Dog Team in every regard. Thank you, thank you Gonzalo!

I’ve been training my pup through video chats with Gonzalo. After just one session, I am more confident in my ability as a dog owner and trainer. Knowing the markers to use throughout the day with my dog has been helpful and I’ve seen a huge decrease in his barking. I have a better sense of when my communication is clear and when my pup is confused about what I want -- and from there have the tools to work with him. The K9 Portal has been SO helpful to reference as I train between our sessions. Gonzalo is also excellent with communicating and making sure everything is going well with my training. Our video chats are not only productive, they’re empowering. Because I can’t rely on Gonzalo to do hands-on training right now, I have to step up and be the leader for my pup. Overall, I think Gonzalo is the best thing that’s happened to me and my pup! He encourages us and I trust all of his knowledge -- thank you, Gonzalo!!