Devotion to Dogs

We turned to Ben when my once social dog who went to dog beach every day and played with every dog he met started becoming aggressive towards other dogs. His behavior was getting worse by the week. We’ve always trained him with positive only methods, his obedience was excellent, he knew 20+ tricks. We were VERY hesitant to turn to a trainer who used correction as part of the training process. I knew nothing about e-collars and it just did not makes sense to me how “shocking” my dog will fix his aggression. According to Google, e-collar was going to ruin my dog and make it more aggressive. I was going back and forth on my decision for months, but finally decided to take the leap of faith. We couldn’t afford the board and train, so we scheduled our initial appointments and had budgeted to do 3 follow ups. I am going to be honest, first appointment was rough on me. My dog is my fur “child”, and seeing him getting corrected was difficult. I needed a major reality check though, and Ben made sure to talk me through the seriousness of my situation. I needed more training than my dog did. Rehabbing an aggressive dog is not pretty, and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is lying. There is also not a quick magic fix to change your dog’s state of mind. It takes time and dedication on YOUR side. I worked with my dog every day, for months. We had good days and bad days, but we just kept working and believing in the process. Ben stayed in constant touch; I would send him video updates, and he would come back with feedback and more “homework”. He spent more time doing that for free then the sessions themselves. We also had access to a wonderful community, who would help us socialize my dog by doing weekly walks with different dogs. It’s been 4 months, and we are back at the dog beach every week, my dog goes to daycare and has play dates on regular basis with doggie friends. He is happy and relaxed again and I am not anxious and afraid. We will always be in a maintenance mode, I will always be careful about which dogs I let him interact with, and I will always avoid situations that could set him up for failure, but I have my dog back, and I know that wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t turn to Ben. So if you are sitting on the kitchen floor crying because you feel helpless, like I was, pick up the phone and call Ben.

Ben and his team are awesome at what they do. Before we found and adopted our girl, Ben took her in and trained her to give her a shot to find a forever home. Since then Ben has worked closely with us to continue her development process in training and behavior. He never hesitates to help or answer any questions that might pop up. He holds Q&As and walks and so many extra resources to aid you in your continued training after you work with him. When you work with Ben, you are getting all the tools you need (and more) to have an incredible pup. You just have to put in the work! We're lucky to have found Ben and are looking forward to continue working with him.

Ben Davidson is definitely the best dog trainer in San Diego. He has worked with two of my dogs, and it has completely changed our household. He cares about each owner and their dog /dogs, and he carries through with updates on any behavior problems that might come up. He has a bimonthly telecast when you can ask him questions and listen to others who may have similar problems. Once a month there is a pack walk usually in Balboa Park when many of us get together for fun, training, and a healthy walk with our dogs. I look forward to this each month. My favorite saying is “Ben talks dog”. I highly recommend Devotion to Dogs for anyone with a dog.

Ben and the crew at Devotion to Dogs did a training at a dog meet up that we had (about 40 dogs were in attendance). He gave so much value by providing all of us with PRACTICAL things we could do with our dogs that made an IMMEDIATE impact. What was best was that Ben provided tips on what issues we were having with our dogs...not just things that he wanted to talk about. He actually CARED about us! Refreshing!