David Utter Dog Training & Behavior Modification

I have a very energetic and stubborn German Shepherd who did not like to listen to anyone. I tried food and clicker training and my dog never made any progress.
I babied my dog so much and all I gave him was love and no discipline. He turned very aggressive when he turned 8 months old and almost killed a dog in front of my house.
I called multiple trainers and they all told me to lock him away from other dogs or put him down since his aggression was beyond rehabilitation. He was also starting to show some aggression towards people and I was desperate and wanted to do anything I could to save his life.
Finally I found David and he came to our rescue, my dog is such an amazing dog now. He plays with all dogs from different size and temperament and never a problem. I can have him with kids and never worry about him hurting someone.
To all those ignorant so called dog trainers out there, you should consider taking classes from David to expand your knowledge and not suggest owners to put their dogs down.
I highly recommend David and his training method. He is firm and gentle at the same time. He works with your dogs comfort level and applies corrections accordingly and praises a ton when it is time. My dog loved seeing him every session and would wag his tail which he never used to do for me until training him with David.
David Thank you so much for saving my dog’s life.

Finally results! Started out with two rescues that needed training and did the old «give a command one time and wait for something to happen routine.» That got me nowhere slowly. When two more dogs came my way, I needed help in a bad way. Saw David’s website and gave it a try. It’s the best thing I ever did! Saw improvement the very first day and every day since. The whole science/​psychology that makes up David’s training technique works. The dogs were living a very separated life: One dog behind the gate in the hallway, two dogs together in the backyard and one dog in the living room. I was living a life full of guilt with no control. My dogs only wanted to be with me as man’s best friend and I had no skills to integrate them into one group with me being the boss. I am now the boss and just one dog away from being one big happy family, my idea of nirvana.

I saw David’s reviews on Unilocal and called him to help me with my beagle mix (Six years old) who has become more and more aggressive with other dogs over the last couple of years — barking aggressively at all dogs and lunging on the leash during our neighborhood walks. After a couple of scuffles I decided to get it under control. David responded to my message right away, was very flexible and came out to my house and also met me at the dog beach with his dogs and dogs he was training to break my dog of her aggression. His modification works and he helps you understand the dog pack mentality and what you have to do after he’s gone — I’ve used another trainer and also taken her to obedience class but he is the only one that got to the root to break of her dog aggression — my neighbors even noticed the difference. Would definitely recommend him!

I wanted to add that my dog was aggressive, a biter, and WAS completely unpredictable. David showed me how to correct the dog with movements and rectifications that may seem harsh, but in no way does it physically hurt my 50 pound German Shepard mix. If you can’t be dominant, then good luck fixing your dog. You have to be the leader, and if you don’t have it in you to be the alpha, call David. Best teacher, mentor, and dog behaviorist.

We had David work his magic with our 7 month old Argentine Dogo. In a matter of minutes I was pleased with how Emma responded to commands. And after three visits she was a changed dog. Highly recommend David for those breeds that need to learn who the pack leader is.

We have a rescue dog and still not really sure of his breed but we do know he was very dominant. I called David after reading all the Unilocal reviews for help with Guinness’s aggression with other dogs and lack of obedience. I told David I was mainly to blame because I «babied» Guinness way to much. David agreed. Ha! After a few training sessions and David’s week of boot camp Guinness came home a new dog. :) I feel confident If I keep up with my part of what David taught me that Guinness will continue to be a happy and well trained dog. Thanks David for all your help!

I feel so grateful that I met David and did my research before hiring a trainer. I had read a lot about how to train dogs properly and was so excited when I read all of David’s Unilocal reviews. I called him immediately and he got right back to me and was able to fit us in that weekend. He had one of my dogs sitting on his first visit. I almost cried I was so happy. He trains dogs like they are supposed to be trained, not like peoples pets but like leaders, the owners are the leaders and David teaches you that and much more. He is amazing. I have 3 and I have moved so I am so very thankful to have found David. He is the best, no need to look elsewhere!

We adopted an 85lb 1yo dog from our local shelter and immediately had behavioral problems. He was extremely aggressive towards strangers, would not let even familiar people walk freely in the house. We tried numerous trainers with no results, and the trainers that specialized in aggressive dogs wanted several thousand dollars up front for a week long board and train.
After only 3 sessions over 6 weeks, our dog had completely changed. He no longer lunges at people on walks, we can have friends over to our house without him being aggressive. He is still very playful, but much more careful and respectful around people. The best part is that we have removed a significant amount of the aggression, but he is still very loving and affectionate towards us. Also, previously I was too afraid to have friends or family come over to walk him while I was at work. There are now several people that our dog allows to come and go freely in the house without issue.
We are continuing our training with David as we are still seeing great results, and we are confident he can help us achieve the goals we have set out for our dog.

Yea its like this. I have a rottie. She is 5 mnths and bit me 3 times bc i was being too soft. I met w david twice. The first time he came, the dog jumped on him. He kneed her off of him, and stepped on her leash. He told me «he’s not here to be her playmate, he is the leader «. I tried positive classes. They were worthless. I’m going to run after her begging her to stop for a treat, or do u want her to stop on my command? These working dogs need to be checked. They want a leader, they want to work, and have a balanced life. It is pathetic here in CA how these people look at me when I’m correcting her. Running over w some ugly lap dog, telling me im making her aggressive. In the east coast we mind our own business. I told this lady i paid a lot of money and i know what I’m doing. Thank you for ur concern and advice. As my dog is sitting waiting for my command, and her dog is 5 sec away from chiking him self on the leash.
Listen if you have a working dog and want him trained or become his leader, see David. His price is high but worth every penny. He has his own technique, and style.

Don’t hesitate to work with David. Look, there are two schools of dog training — treat/​reward method (reward only), and the range of consequences, including rewards.
The WORST thing you can do, is under-​correct a dog’s mis-​behavior. They don’t speak English, they speak «dog.» You need to learn how to speak «dog.»
Talk to David. He’s as good as it gets when you want your dog to live a long, healthy and happy life in your «pack.»

David is a superb trainer! I would recommend him to anyone who is seeking to integrate their dog effectively into their family.
We called David shortly after the birth of our second child as our lovable pitbull Duke was having problems with guarding and understanding the new family pack dynamics. Within one session he had shown us how to behave like pack leaders and how to make Duke feel happy and safe. The change in Duke was dramatic!
After subsequent sessions where we covered more details of Duke’s behavior we are now fully confident in our role and have a happy and secure dog. Thank you David!

David saved our relationship with our St Bernard, he had heeling issues and a chewing habit. David taught us how to train and control Bernie, eliminating his anxiety about his place in our family pack. We have recommended David to everyone!
By the way, those of you that think his methods are harsh need to use your critical thinking skills, my animal weigh 170 lbs, he needs to trust that we are in charge, no training exercise EVER hurts your animal. We love our Bernie and are thankful to David for his expertise!

We called David 3 years ago. We have a male boxer (7 years old at the time, from a backyard breeder) and female boxer (5 years old at the time, a rescued street dog). When we brought our newborn daughter home from the hospital they began fighting. It was a really stressful situation, and we wanted to do everything we could to be great dog owners and keep a safe household for our family.
They had about 6 fights in the 2 months before David came and had zero fights after. David taught us MANY useful techniques, and also made us aware of signs that their behavior was escalating and how to stop certain behavior before it turned into a fight. We worked on leash techniques and how to manage our male boxer’s anxiety and the female boxer’s possessiveness and dominance. I am so thankful we found him and we are SO grateful for his help.
We have already discussed that when our dogs pass and we get a new dog, we will be calling David right away to help us properly train and transition the new dog into our family correctly.

David Utter has helped me transform my dogs from two wild and crazy guys, into much calmer, more attentive dogs. And transformed me from a dog-​enabler, to a dog-​owner. Its a work in progress, but the progress already made has made our household a much less stressful place. David knows how to communicate the (easy) techniques really well, and we practice them every day.

I have used other trainers, but none that work as simplistic as working with David. And none of them gave me the confidence of leading my dog like David did. His method makes sense and Daisy, my pit bull responded immediately. After just 2 sessions with David, I became a responsible leader for my dog. There’s trust and respect between us and I no longer fear how she will react. David was knowledgeable, kind, and he teaches in a way that is easy to grasp and is enjoyable for you and your dog. I couldn’t be happier with the results. Thank you, David!

He was great! Very kind and took great care with our dog. He is very polite and makes sure the dog and owners are happy. I suggest him for any dog who is crazy and needs some help to behave. He also helped train is to be better dog owners.

I have two bully breed dogs. After spending a few thousand dollars at the vet as a result of dog fights, I called David. He taught me how to handle the dogs and in a few sessions, I could tell the dogs were under my control. The important point is that David provides the structure and framework, but it takes consistent reinforcement
By working with the dogs in between sessions. As a result, the issues were solved. To this day, there has not been even one altercation between the dogs.

We rescued a one year old American Staffordshire Terrier (pit bull) and after 3 months noticed that he was starting to become a little aggressive towards humans. He never attacked but would bark loudly and lunge at random people. We wanted to correct this behavior before it was out of control so we called David. David came over to our house and immediately recognized what our dog was doing and explained to us that it was very common with his breed to show his dominance. We worked with David over the course of a few months on his aggression as well as other behavioral issues. It was amazing to see how quickly our dog responded to David’s method of training. I was amazed as to how quickly our dog was able to learn and adjust to what we wanted him to do. David’s techniques were easy to conform to and worked almost immediately.
Upon first meeting, I was immediately impressed by David’s knowledge of dogs and how he was able to quickly identify certain characteristics in our dog, explain to us why he was doing what he was doing and showed us how to train and manage him. It’s very clear that David has been doing this for a very long time and his experience is evident in his work. I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Over two years ago we rescued a Rottweiler mix (Scar) from a local shelter who was about to be put down. He had very noticeable scars on his body from prior abuse and was severely damaged psychologically. Scar began growling and showing signs of aggression towards us and one of our small dogs. At one point he chased and attacked our small dog after the small dog continually barked and aggravated Scar. After working with a few dog trainers with zero results — we seriously considered returning Scar. One trainer told us there was no hope but to keep Scar confined and away from other people and our small dogs.
Now over two years later with the training from David, I’m glad to tell you all that Scar is disciplined, happy, healthy, and enjoying being a part of our family. David Utter’s techniques and philosophy made an immediate difference to Scars behavior only after a few sessions. We highly recommend David and know he will make a huge impact in your lives with your beloved dogs.

Our family has been using David for over a year now. We have a french bulldog with severe social issues (anxiety), aggression, and a very possessive personality. This was very difficult for our family. He would always be growling at us and protecting what he believed was ‘his’ We didn’t even feel safe with our own dog inside our home, let alone strangers or neighbors on the street
David has been working with Napoleon every few months over the past year or so and we cannot tell you the difference it has made! Napoleon is now so much friendlier and best of all, he is obedient! We continuze to take Napoleon for ‘touch ups’ every few months and every time he comes back a better dog. David is our go to guy for training and boarding! He has been so accommodating to our family and we are so grateful that our dog continues to improve