Uncle Mattys Dog Training

Over time and changes in my household, my now-older, rescued Chihuahuas became territorial and aggressive toward one another, resulting in an unsafe house filled with barking, marking and snarking! The smaller dog (S) displayed fear aggression, escalating into baring his teeth, screaming and snapping if you tried to handle him. If in the same room, my very anxious dog (D) would cue off of S’s growling and attack him. Our vet ruled out medical reasons for their issues and recommended I involve a behaviorist. That’s when I remembered Uncle Matty from his PBS series and reached out to him. Uncle Matty responded promptly to my request for help. He listened to my experiences and concerns, and was very supportive. He met with us and observed behaviors, interactions and temperaments, after which he gave several options for training. Yes, it is expensive. However, I wanted to be able to enjoy my dogs, not be consumed by worrying all the time, and make sure that my pets and people in my life would be safe at all times. I appreciated the descriptions of his methods and the concept of training as a journey, rather than a set number of meetings and then being on one’s own. Uncle Matty is very observant and differentiates his training methods for the needs of each dog. He emphasizes tools, schedules, repetition, consistency, and of course, love and praise. For our situation, Matty helped me to create a positive and safe environment at home for when I was at work, and set routines for when I came home. While implementing these, we worked with leash training and commands. Matty’s “I do it, you do it” style of training, and concept of training as a journey (because each dog has its own temperament and rate of learning), supported all of us by not only addressing our training goals, but also enabling me to work confidently with the dogs, myself. Matty helped me to be less anxious, set boundaries, and learn the skills to support positive behavior. Matty worked with us mainly at our home, and when we were ready, moved our training out into more public places so that the dogs got used to being with other people, dogs and situations. The dogs have had on-leash and off-leash training (individually and together), and have grown tremendously in their skills, behaviors and confidence, as have I. Uncle Matty has supported us through his positive outlook, knowledge and humor every step of the way! The results of Uncle Matty’s training and care have been remarkable. Our home is calmer and safer, and I am finally able to enjoy my pups! We have all benefited tremendously from Matty’s insights, training and constant support.

I called Uncle Matty after my German Shepherd mix busted through my screen door and bit another dog walking by. The dog was OK, but it's owner understandably reported the incident to the county. The thought of losing my dog was just unbearable. I knew it was time to call a trainer who specialized in behavior training. Matty listened to my story, and told me he would know within 2 minutes of meeting my girl if he could help her. When he got here, she was fiercely growling at him, which really heightened my fears about her future. Matty told me that the good news was she had fear aggression, which was the easiest of all the different types of aggression to fix. My dog went from aggressively growling at him to basting him like a Thanksgiving turkey after only 1 lesson! She loves her Uncle Matty, and gives him the warmest and sweetest greetings now! Matty not only fixed her fear aggression, but he's turned her into a well mannered dog! I no longer have to sit on her when people come over to keep her from jumping on them. She heals, sits, stays, etc all by commands given from across the room! He taught me how to be the leader I needed to be for training her. My family and friends come over, and are always remarking how she's a completely different dog now! Matty saved my girl!!!!!

I contacted Uncle Matty about 8 years ago when I rescued a sickly Jack Russell Terrier puppy who was very shy, fearful and had a little bit of aggression. I wanted a reputable trainer and Uncle Matty was recommended to me by a friend. Uncle Matty worked with me for over a year, even after our paid sessions had expired. I could call him at any time with a question or concern and he would take the time to explain how to address and correct it. A few years later I decided to get another JRT puppy and contacted Matty before I picked her up. We started the training immediately which was an advantage because of the fact I had 2 females which could lead to problems. My two girls bonded thanks to the guidance and training from Uncle Matty. Fast forward to today with my 3rd female JRT puppy and Uncle Matty. My new pup spent the first 4 months of her life in a crate and had several issues. She was a very sweet, sweet girl but fearful of everything and started to become very aggressive. Uncle Matty took her to his house for 3 weeks, worked with her and the change is unbelievable. I compare it to breaking a wild horse. She has her sweet disposition back and is confidant and independent. Uncle Matty truly cares about you and your dog. He is passionate about his profession, loves dogs and is committed to train and teach the dog until they learn. This is evident with the amount of time he spends with the dog and owner. Uncle Matty is very direct. His method of training is with love, praise and affection. He has been training successfully for over 50 years and I have 3 amazing female JRT’s to prove it.

I can't recommend Uncle Matty enough! From the very first session, it was clear he had a deep understanding of dog behavior and a genuine passion for training. He took the time to assess my dog's needs and tailored a training plan that worked perfectly for us. When we began with Uncle Matty, my dog was afraid of cars, dogs, vacuum cleaners and rolling trash cans. Within just a few sessions, I noticed a marked improvement in his behavior. I am happy to say, our dog has mastered nearly all his fears! Uncle Matty is a straight shooter. He will tell you things you may not want to know about your dog. Nobody wants that, but I can tell you, he is right! He knows how to address even the most difficult situations with love and praise. We enjoy our dog so much more now that he has good manners. I can confidently take him to outdoor restaurants and other places dogs are welcome. If you're looking for a skilled, compassionate, and professional trainer, Uncle Matty is worth a good long look.

I recently adopted a young husky from the SPCA who is very sweet, but was insecure and was scared of just about everything, including getting into the car. She almost found her way back to the SPCA when one day she slipped out of her harness (that I have learned is not a good for training) and ran like a crazy dog around the parking lot near a busy street. Instead of giving up on her, I decided to get her professional training. Obviously couldn't take her to group training, so researched in-home training and came across Uncle Matty. He came over right away and assessed her personality and explained his training method of love, praise and affection, which resonated with me, so we signed up and low and behold, the very first training he had her getting in the car without a fight and now she loves going for rides. She loves Uncle Matty and is so excited when he comes to train. I highly recommend Uncle Matty's Dog Training!