Meet David Hebler, your local dog trainer!
“It is a truism to say that the dog is largely what his master makes of him: He can be savage and dangerous, untrustworthy, cringing and fearful; or he can be faithful and loyal, courageous and the best of companions and allies.”
Ranulph Fiennes, British Explorer
I bought my dog Lila from a pet store (I know, I know, it’s bad, I should have gone to a shelter and rescued a dog) but she stole my heart from the moment I saw her.
I had grown up with dogs, but she was the first one that I could call my very own. We were and still are the best of friends, but I got her at a time when my life was a little unpredictable and not the happiest.
I was in a relationship where we had grown apart, I had just gotten out of the military with no real direction or plan with what I was going to do with the rest of my life.
I was just standing still.
There were a lot of emotions, some positive, but mostly negative, that I imprinted on Lila. Because I was so inexperienced with having a dog that was my own, I didn’t know better to watch how I was feeling when being around her.
Because of what I put on her and my lack of knowledge in dog behavior, over the years, Lila became anxiety ridden (especially with thunderstorms) and a little dog aggressive.
Fast-forward to a little over a year ago, David decides he wants to become a dog trainer. It made perfect sense. He loves dogs and has always been great with them.
His friend Joe, who he had worked with years prior in restaurants, had been in the dog training business for a while. They set up a meeting where Joe tells David all about Lorenzo’s Dog Training.
Lorenzo (if you can’t tell by the name) is the head of this organization. His methods of training were developed after working with numerous dog trainers in the late 70s and 80s by studying different methods in various fields of training.
Becoming frustrated with their weaknesses, Lorenzo took the best that each technique had to offer and developed his own style of training.
Since its incorporation in 1987, Lorenzo’s Dog Training Team is responsible for the training of thousands of dogs and trainers in the Cleveland area.
He has since placed trainers all over the world by recruiting, boarding, training, and hiring qualifying candidates to spread his technique and philosophy into the homes and businesses of dog owners around the world.
After hearing about all this, David knew for certain he wanted to be a trainer and after a month of preparatory school he was official.
The company motto is Serious Training, Serious Results. These have been the words that David has lived and breathed by since becoming a trainer.
He first started working and training our own dogs. Remember how I said Lila was highly anxious during thunderstorms and a little dog aggressive? I am happy to say that since David has worked with her and has continuously worked with her, Lila no longer destroys things when she is anxious and is able to sit through a thunderstorm without hurting herself. She still is anxious, but she has been trained to handle it better. Her dog aggression is a thing of the past and doesn’t care when another dog is near.
Our other dog, Chloe, used to be a nightmare when taking her for a walk. She used to lunge and bark crazily at any other dog that would walk by.
Now taking her for a walk is a breeze, and she completely ignores dogs that go by her, even if the other dog is acting out of line.
Now some of you may be thinking that because I’m David’s girlfriend that my testimony is biased. Luckily, there are many other people who can say the same as me.
David works with several vets and groomers in Toledo, surrounding areas, and Michigan. He has conducted group training sessions with all of them. Many of them have said they have seen improvements with their dogs and because they’re so impressed, they refer David to their clientele.
To date, David has worked with over 100 clients and has worked with all sorts of dogs with a wide range of behavioral issues. His favorites, however, are the ones that people try to tell him are the untrainable.
David specializes in the dogs that no else can or are willing to train. The ones with extreme fear and aggression. The ones that are in the shelter, sitting on death row.
There are three levels of dog training that are offered...
Basic Training
Basic Obedience develops an important line of communication and level of respect between the dog and its owner.
This program has two levels: On Leash and Off Leash. While training, you’ll learn to set rules and boundaries for your dog, and they’ll learn to follow basic commands such as:
- heel
- sit
- stay
- come
- down
- sit-stay
- down-stay
David believes that a dog is not completely trained until he or she has learned to work off leash. These trainings should hold even when other dogs or distractions are around.
Behavior Modification
Behavioral Modification is designed for dogs that already have a basic understanding of obedience but are still struggling with behavioral challenges, such as but not limited to:
- jumping on people
- destructive chewing
- excessive barking
- urinating in the house
- pulling on the leash
- generally aggressive towards people/or other dogs
Specialty Dog Training
Object Retrieval will teach your dog how to pick up, hold, and release objects of different shapes, weight, and materials on your command.
Utility Training includes obstacle training such as jumping over 20ft barrels, balancing on a dog walk, etc.
Service Training teaches a dog to be a human assistant by performing specific tasks.
Scent Work utilizes the dog’s natural ability to find lost objects and even track people.
I’ll do my best to convince David to let me take another video focused on basic commands with his demo dog, aka my baby boy, Hershey.
I was thrilled that he at least let me ask him a couple of personal questions in these two videos (the one below and the one above). I know, he sounds boring, but he is sincere, and he takes his job very seriously.
To him, there’s no better joy than knowing he’s changed the life of both dog and human.
To the owner who feels heartbroken at the idea they have to get rid of their dog because of one reason or another, contact David first.
There is no dog he can’t train.
If you’re ready to help yourself, your household and your dog, send David a quick email and schedule A FREE consultation: Davidhebler@lorenzosdogtrainingteam.com
