Diamond Canine Dog Services

I have seen Victor work with dogs for years, almost since he first started. From big dogs deemed untrainable to the easiest cases. This man has worked incredible magic for all of these animals. I’ve never seen someone so patient with animals, he’s extremely gentle and they seem to love him endlessly. I watched a public session once and saw how kind he was with the dogs and his clients. Truly a one of a kind trainer.

I am sharing my experience based solely on personal observations while attending Diamond Canine’s public group classes and observing several client classes as a guest. Diamond Canine’s training style appears to rely primarily on compulsion-based techniques rather than a fully balanced or individualized approach. I witnessed multiple instances where dogs were corrected with significant physical pressure, including corrections that lifted dogs onto their hind legs. During handling, many dogs displayed stress signals such as tucked tails, avoidance behaviors, and subdued engagement. In my opinion, these behaviors suggested compliance through pressure rather than active learning. The dogs do not seem to enjoy the tasks at hand, rather remain fearful of the potential for a correction to come. They advertise being psychology based which I suppose has some truth as “Induced Helplessness” falls into that catergory During classes there was frequent criticism of trainers who use food in conjunction with training tools, despite this being a commonly accepted practice among balanced trainers who apply all four quadrants of learning theory. Rather than simply explaining or standing by their own methods, there appeared to be consistent negative commentary about alternative approaches. Rather than focusing on the dogs at class comments were made about other people and dogs as they walked by in these public settings. Across multiple classes the training approach appeared largely uniform regardless of the dog’s age, experience, or temperament. I observed puppies with minimal foundational obedience being placed on improperly fitted collars and corrected into behaviors they had not yet been taught. In my opinion, this did not reflect an individualized training program and seemed more likely to create confusion than clarity for the dog. In October, we attended a group class with our 9 month old working-line puppy. Upon arrival, she showed dog reactivity, which we felt was developmentally appropriate given her age and first heat cycle. We chose to leave early because the environment appeared emotionally overwhelming for her. During that same class, I observed a trainer named Victor physically restraining another small dog, that looked older, on the ground while correcting on a choke chain. The dog was yelping loudly during the correction, which to me appeared consistent with signs of pain or distress. As we exited, that same trainer, Victor, told us that a two week boarding with him or Joe would resolve our puppy’s reactivity. Based on my understanding of canine behavior, reactivity typically requires long-term, individualized work, and outcomes cannot be ethically guaranteed within a fixed timeframe. Additionally during the same October group class Joe took our dog’s leash for a few minutes after we arrived and immediately began correcting her harshly for the reactivity. When she did not understand what was being asked, she repeatedly defaulted to a familiar “straddle” position between the handler’s legs, a behavior she had previously been taught and positively rewarded for learning. Joe repeatedly slammed his legs together at her head to get her out from his legs and stated that this behavior indicated she was “targeting.” Based on our experience with working dogs, we interpreted her response as an attempt to comply and please by offering a known behavior under pressure, rather than any form of targeting. In our opinion, this interaction reflected a misunderstanding of typical working-dog behavior and drive to please when faced with confusion or stress. Overall my impression was that the program prioritizes efficiency and volume rather than individualized progression. From my perspective, there was limited evidence of structured behavioral assessment or modern behavior-based methodology being applied I would encourage prospective clients and puppy buyers to conduct thorough research, ask detailed questions, and ensure any trainer or breeder aligns with their expectations for ethics, transparency, and animal welfare.

We have 2 pups. Hank is a 6.5 y.o. Male pit mix and Reign is a 2.5 y.o. Female Belgian Mal/German Shepard mix. Joe was recommended to us shortly after we got Hank about 5 years ago. Joe was involved in Hanks training prior to opening his own school. Hank was a handful and we had trouble even walking him from our driveway to the next. Every vehicle passing by was a challenge he could not pass up. It didn’t matter what type of collar/lead/harness we had on him. In his mind, he could fly and the prey just kept coming. Fast forward 3 months and Hank is walking down the same sidewalk without a lead and stays on the sidewalk or tree lawn- never the neighbors’ yards. He learned quite a bit more as well during his training and has become a wonderful companion. 3 years go by and we rescue Reign. Knowing more about what needs to be done to have a happy and healthy pack, I know that I will need to have Reign trained and hope I can get her to Joe. The bad news is that Joe is no longer with the training center that we took Hank to. The great news is that he has opened his own training school and works out of his home (& center now!) only 15 minutes away. What a stroke of luck. Joe and his wife Erin have been fantastic to work with. Training. Boarding. Open classes with an opportunity to meet other owners with similar goals for their pack. Socialization opportunities as well for the pups at the classes as well as at coordinated events (Pie Cafe). My goal when I reached out to Joe about training Reign was to be able to walk down the street with my two dogs, no lead visible and giving them as much freedom as they could have yet still be protected and safe. Have a loving, welcoming home and knowing they belong in this pack. Everything Joe & Erin do at Diamond Canine reflects the same thoughts. Part of the pack when boarding. Rules, expectations and love as well. Opportunity for my pack (and me) to learn, grow and socialize during classes and events. Not only did Joe train Reign, he took Hank on as well and refreshed his training at the same time. This provided both pups with a familiar face and comfort during their stay. Boarding in the same space, with the same pack extends the concepts they learned during training to the times they spend with Erin and Joe. If they cannot be with us, then there is no better place I can think of for them to be. Joe & Erin have developed a fantastic training concept that has so many opportunities for us and our pack (yours as well). They are constantly working to expand the scope of what a pack is and encourage us to get as involved as we want. Thank you Erin and Joe. Job well done!!

Joe is an amazing trainer. He connects with your animal and really binds with them. He teaches you how to handle your dog while explaining the why. If your dog doesn’t excel with Joe then it means you aren’t following the instructions. Joes training works and I’m so thankful for him and Erin. I have a giant breed dog and needed help and within a couple days Joe came over and even after the first visits I saw a transformation. Then one day Bosco got out and Joe was on his way over to help me look for him. Wonderful people! I literally can’t say enough good things about him. Thank you!

Diamond canine is unlike any other dog training service. This is their passion this is their livelihood. They train from their heart. They trained my goldendoodle as a puppy and have done a handful of refresh training sessions and what they teach sticks. They teach the dogs but they’re really teaching and training the owners to stay consistent and maintain the training and the work put in. I have attended classes and witnessed so many incredible training sessions. Watching dogs turn completely around in behaviors and habits. They will do whatever they can for anyone! Highly recommend 10/10