© Complete K9 Training 2011 Real Stories Real Clients and their Experiences with Dog Training at CK9 My family and I are so thankful for CK9 Training and especially for Heidi for training our Australian Shepherd, Belle.  Belle is a smart and energetic dog, and I could tell with proper training she would be a great addition to our family; however, I just didn't have the know-how, time, or patience to get Belle there on my own!  Although she had attended "puppy kindergarten" and "basic dog obedience" and had learned most basic commands (sit, stay, down, etc.), she chose to obey only when she felt like it. She has a very dominant personality and really wanted to be the boss of the family. She would jump on anyone and everyone, pull on walks, lunge in the face of my two daughters (and others!), bark too much, and just had general all-round bad manners!   After her time at CK9 Training, Belle has transformed into a much calmer, happier, more obedient, well behaved dog. She left CK9 knowing what was expected of her, and then Heidi was able to teach me (and my family members) how to continue it at home. She now heels beside us on walks, no longer jumps, her barking has decreased, and she will sit nicely on her "place" (dog bed) for extended periods of time when commanded to do so. Most importantly, she now respects my husband and me as her authority figures. This is most evident when she occasionally tests us and attempts some of her old, unwanted behavior; she now responds quickly to correction. We have no problem getting her back in line quickly.   We are now able to enjoy Belle so much more as a family, as she is able to join more in everyday life. Belle seems happier as well. We are all very grateful to CK9 Training for our "new" dog! Ginny & Belle Cypress, CA We cannot thank Heidi and EJ enough for Complete K9 Training. We got Mylie when she was 8 weeks old and she was a little mess. She was the cutest little puppy but so wild, hyper and naughty. We couldn’t take her for a walk – she wouldn’t cooperate. Prior to Mylie starting the program, I was in contact with Heidi and she began giving me helpful tips to start practicing with her. When Mylie came home, we were amazed – it was like a brand new dog. She minded and followed every command given……and was perfect on her walks. Mylie still is very well behaved and follows all commands. We take her on all of our river trips and has become such a fantastic leader of the boat and a great swimmer…..we even take her shopping in all the shops at Lake Arrowhead Village! “Place” to us is the most wonderful command that she learned. We decided to put Mylie through the ultimate test…..we had a birthday party with approximately 40 people including several children, loud music going and the room filled. Before the party, we put Mylie on her “Place”.  She stayed on her pillow for the entire party (about 6 hrs). She barked twice when she had to go potty but went right back on. The kids were playing with her and people were talking to her and she was not even tempted to get off her pillow. Everyone kept commenting on what a well behaved dog she was. We took her to our Thanksgiving and Christmas family functions, brought her pillow, put her on “Place” and she stayed. She definitely knows when she has to really behave.  Don’t get us wrong, she still needs continual discipline/corrections as no dog is perfect but with Complete K9 Training it was such an enormous help. It is worth every single penny and then some….thanks again! Dave, Cecilia & Mylie La Habra, CA Hi EJ and Heidi   I just had the most wonderful Thanksgiving at my daughter’s house. She had 13 people at her home for a get together and dinner. She also has her black Lab Lucy. Daisy and I arrived on Wednesday around 11:30 am. Sue and Lucy were the only ones home at the time which made it easier for Daisy to adjust to the new surroundings and other people and a large dog. At first she was quite excited and almost uncontrollable. Sue having had her dogs trained and just said "Mom, let her off the leash for a minute and see how things go between her and Lucy since she seems overly interested with her."  I did and the two of them did their usual sniffing of each other and then Daisy got down and rolled over on her back to let Lucy know that she was allowing Lucy to be the pack leader. She then went to Sue and sat at her feet and looked up to her very quietly. Sue then pet her and she just sat and enjoyed it. As others entered I ask them to just ignore her when she went up to them all excited and they did. It worked out great because she would calm down almost immediately so she could get the attention she wanted by sitting or lying on the floor and letting them approach her and pet her.   I had to share this with you because it is a testament to the kind of training we got from you.  It proves that if a person comes to you for help with their dog and listens to and continues with your instructions for them. a long loving relationship with their dog can be one of the most beautiful experiences of their life.   Thank you and God Bless you and that precious little boy of yours.   Grace & Daisy Mae Laguna Woods, CA I wanted to send you a quick "Hello", and give you an update on JackJack. I've also attached a few recent photos of him. He's a big boy~ weighing in at 55lbs at 10 months, but he's all muscle. The vet says he'll continue to put on weight for a few more months.   I cannot tell you how many compliments I get on JackJack's behavior. He's still a puppy and is so well behaved. We work on his training a little every day, mainly so that he knows I'm still in charge. He'll walk by my side without pulling, sits when we stop and will do the 'down' position without fail. He'll come when he's called, but only from a very short distance. We are working on it from a LONG distance (like trying to leave the dog park). Recently~ we have started to work on walks outside OFF the leash (which is coming along VERY WELL). I have also found out that he cannot swim :( The little guy struggles and struggles and then sinks like a rock.   I run into other bullies* all the time and their owners cannot get them to do anything. They complain that their dog is “stubborn,” and make excuses that “that's just the way bulldogs are". They see me and JackJack and are always amazed when I have him off leash and he behaves. He loves all other dogs and plays well with others.   I am grateful every day that he was sent to you for training. I hope that all is well with you and Claudette. :)  Thanks again. Cherie & JackJack Marina del Rey, CA *”bullies” refers to bulldogs (editor’s note) Heidi is amazing and has helped us be in better control over Griffin, our Maltese/Yorkie mix.  We had originally taken him to training classes at PetSmart but they did not work for our strong-willed, drama king dog as they only reward and do not teach the dogs that there are consequences when they do not do follow your command.  This made Griffin develop selective listening and would only pay attention to our commands when we had a treat for him.  Heidi immediately had us use a training collar for Griffin and showed us the proper way to put it on him and use it.  Griffin soon realized that whether he wanted to or not he was going to do what we said or we would make him do what we said.  He soon came to the conclusion that he would listen to us the first time and he has been great ever since. Walking Griffin was another problem area, as he would pull so that he could be leader but since training with Heidi he now walks right next to us and sits whenever we stop. The best part is that now he knows that he needs to do what we say even when he does not have his gentle leader on.  He will sit, lay down and come and heel when asked.  He is a much better dog thanks to Heidi. Stacy, Brandon & Griffin Irvine, Ca Thank you for turning Spirit (our 3-year old problem dog) into a “keeper.” As you know, we were at our wits end with Spirit when my daughter called you. Spirit had managed to dig and climb his way out of a yard that we had reinforced like Fort Knox, caused problems with neighbors through his incessant barking, paid no attention to any commands, and walking him in the evening was torture for all involved. We are still reeling from the difference in this dog after his time with you. He has settled into the yard and responds quite nicely to “QUIET.” As you know, our backyard is on a golf course where golf carts, during the day, and dog walkers, during the evening, get his attention – big time! While he still does bark at them, he responds quickly to the “QUIET” command which has been a blessing for all of us – including the neighbors. Spirit responds immediately to COME, SIT and DOWN. We are especially surprised at the COME command. Hearing that, he turns and heads for us and goes into an immediate SIT. Walking in the evening has become a treat for both Spirit and whoever is walking him. He walks nicely right beside us at the HEEL command, and goes into an immediate SIT when we stop. It is now a pleasure, rather than torture, to walk him. In general, Spirit is calmer and happier.  He has always been a sensitive dog, and your training has just instilled in him the commands and discipline he needed to become a wonderful family pet. We cannot thank you enough for all your efforts. Please feel free to use us as a reference to other dog owners who are “at their wits end” like we were. Betty, Joe & Spirit San Diego, CA Rusty has been behaving amazingly in the house. When my husband used to come home from work it would be pure craziness in our house. Rusty would be barking, jumping up on him and running around in circles, the baby would cry, and my son would also want attention. It was just the bewitching hour for the family! Now I get the baby set up with a snack, my son doing something at the kitchen table, and my husband calls when he's a block from home. I put Rusty in his “Place!” and it is a different world. I stand near Rusty when the door opens and if he stands up or looks like he's going to bolt for the door a firm “NO!” is all it takes for him to lay down and look at me with his chin on his paws as his tail wagging a mile a minute. He'll stay there and my husband can come greet him without getting hair all over his work clothes. We have a good training session and play time outside with the whole family after dinner. Then he just hangs out in his bed in the evening while we watch TV. It's really great. It seems a lot less chaotic and more fun around here. He goes through moments of “I think I'll try messing with her” and I remind myself “Stay Calm and Assertive!” and work through it. He is a pleasure to go on walks with. I used to get really frazzled trying to push the stroller and manage the leash correction at the same time. Highly frustrating because it was so awkward for me that I wasn't affective at all. Now if he starts to go ahead of me, a nick correction will bring him right back at my heel, it usually takes only one or two corrections in the beginning of the walk and then he gets it and trots alongside me for the rest of the way, or I'll only have to pat my leg and he'll come back near me. I give him breaks every couple of blocks to sniff around and hang out. I really enjoy it. The biggest difference that I noticed is that his nipping and jumping have stopped. I used to have to keep him on a leash anytime the kids or other people were around, because I never knew when he would get excited and jump up and nip at someone. Since he has been home, he has not jumped up or nipped at us at all and because of that he is able to join in so much more. Instead of being separated from the kids or guests by gates or in his crate, he is able to be with us almost all of the time and be a bigger part of everyday family life, because he is so well behaved. It's more fun for us, and definitely a better life for him! Carol & Rusty Orange, CA Since training at CK9, Carol also has taken up herding classes and flyball lessons with Rusty! When I acquired my third beagle, Strider who is 2 ½ years old, I knew I needed help. My other two beagles had already learned obedience and were completely housebroken by the time they came to live with us. Strider on the other hand did not know any of the basic commands and was not housebroken. Given my busy schedule I decided to find a doggie boot camp for Strider. I needed someone with patience to spend quality time teaching Strider everything he needed to learn. Upon Strider’s return home, I was totally amazed as to the transformation that had occurred. Not only was Strider able to execute simple commands, but most importantly he was housebroken. What a relief. Now I feel confident that he will be able to engage in agility classes. I owe all this to Heidi. I am truly so thankful for the new Strider. Heidi has a great deal of patience, respect, and understanding of dogs. I have to say that Heidi Ramos has one of the finest doggie boot camps that I know of. I would recommend her to anyone! Thank you so much!!!! Elise & Strider Ontario, CA Heidi Ramos is one of the best dog trainers around.  I was given an opportunity to enroll my beagle Snoopy into her obedience classes.  I want to share a little about Snoopy before Heidi classes.  Snoopy caused $1600.00 in damages to an apartment, anything from peeing on the carpets, beds, floor, to ripping up carpet.  He even tore a hole underneath the box springs and decided that was going to be his home.  Once 10:00pm came around that is when snoopy would want to play so he would hid under the bed and start howling and then run away from you.  He would not stop until he got tired. If any of you know about beagles they don't get tired too often.  Snoopy, destroyed countless toys, cloths, and toiletries.  His favorite was toothpaste and socks.  Snoopy was a terror.  Two aspects that were really helpful to me were that Heidi had a wealth of knowledge and solutions to bring about positive behaviors in my dog.  For those who don't know about Beagles, as I found out, Beagles are typically stubborn, independent, very difficult to train breed of dogs.  They are breed to be hunters and travel at great distances, thus there very loud howl that is heard for over 2 miles away.  Typically they do not give very much affection and don't give up there habits easily.  Heidi was well prepared which multiple solutions on housebreaking, teaching him boundaries, basic commands, and dietary needs.  In addition to this the second aspect that I really appreciated in Heidi was that she taught me how to interact with Snoopy in a more positive way.  There is more to training a dog than just swatting him on the nose when he does something wrong.  I think that every dog owner owns a dog because they want to enjoy their dog and being around their dog.  I learned that training a dog is much like training anyone, you have to first learn how to effectively communicate.  If you focus all on negatives then all you will get are negatives.  Heidi gave me multiple ways to correct Snoopy without focusing on just the negative.    As a result of training, Snoopy is a different dog and for the first time in 2 years I really enjoy being around my dog.  He wakes me up in the morning to let me know he has to go to the bathroom.  He will go to his bed wait.  He will walk beside me and not lose focus when he finds something new to smell or sees other animals. He does not chew on anything except his toys and most of all he is extremely affectionate and wants to be around people.  I owe all this to Heidi and her obedience classes.  She would be a great and invaluable asset to any dog owner or program.   Chris & Snoopy La Habra, CA I'm a very busy person and didn't have time to train my dog. I needed a person who could really spend some quality time with my dog and teach her basic commands that was easy for me to learn and do. Heidi was great! She really gave Chu Chu and I the quality attention we both needed. She treated Chu Chu with the same love and respect as if it was her own dog. I just was given another Husky (Dakota) recently and I plan to give her the same great opportunity to be trained by such a caring individual. Thanks Heidi! Thanks for putting up with my "Drama Queen! Dennis & Chu Chu San Bernardino, CA Home  |  Dog Training  |  Meet the Trainers  |  Photo Tour  |  Real Stories  |  FAQs  |  Contact Us  I had been fostering dogs for a rescue agency for over a year when Elvis came into our lives.  Normally, I am very excited to find a home for our foster dog, but when Elvis came to stay with us, I bonded with him right away.  His quirky personality was always making me laugh and after a few weeks, I knew he had to stay in our family.  I had been looking for a dog to do therapy work with as my two doxie/beagle mixes weren't suited for the job.  I had been recently certified as a dog trainer and with my new found knowledge, was sure that Elvis and I would be on our way to his certification.  I found a trainer to work with as I wasn't sure what basic skills he would need to get certified.  After a month of work, we weren't getting very far.  Elvis would start out fine, and do some of the commands fine, but when it was his time to shut down fifteen to twenty minutes into the session he would just refuse to do any more work.  My only training time was early in the morning and he hated the wet grass and wouldn't stay in any position for very long. I decided that he needed a structured training program that I was unable to commit to at that time due to my work schedule, and I didn't want to wait 6 months until I could find the time to work with him. I was so pleased to find Heidi and CK9 Training.  Elvis went off to boot camp and it changed his whole attitude.  The discipline and time of the daily training schedule along with his ability to socialize with other dogs was just what he needed and he came back a changed dog.  Although he still hates to work in wet grass, he will respond to whatever command he is given and that fall we were able to complete his therapy certification and he passed his Canine Good Citizen's test with flying colors.  The first trainer I worked with was so amazed at the change in his behavior.  Heidi's training program was just what I was looking for as it not only provided the consistent daily schedule of training, but I also was thrilled that it was in a home environment as most of the programs I was looking at were in kennels. Elvis is now making routing visits at senior and assisted living centers and we will soon be certified with hospice.  He has become pals with my other two dogs and is always happy to greet a new foster dog to the house.  After spending over a year of his life with the dog rescue, and having been adopted out and returned due to his behavior, we are thankful to Heidi and her husband for all the work they did with him. Dianne & Elvis Whittier, CA