Pro-Train Innovative Dog Training

I became a student at Pro Train a couple years ago and it was one of the best decisions I made. I learned everything I know currently about dog training from here as well as a lot of the business side of things. I got exposed to a lot of different aspects and varieties of training which has really made me stand out and prepared in the job market. You don't just learn the basics here. You learn exactly what you need to learn to be the successful dog trainer you always wanted to be.

I previously posted a positive review of Mark Castillero & Pro-Train after having had him train my wonderful & sweet service GSD female Brikka. I lost my girl in December and, to the day she died, I still got compliments wherever the two of us went. I'm happy to post a NEW positive review after having Mark & his crew train my also wonderful & sweet service ACD female Tildy. Although ACDs tend toward aggressiveness, Tildy is friendly to all -- dogs & people alike. I get compliments when my new girlie & I are out, and all people we come in contact with are astounded at how very well behaved Tildy is, especially since she's still a puppy. Thanks, Mark, for another great job training a service dog for me. I so appreciate all that you've done for me.

Our family learned about Protrain in San Diego after a violent home invasion involving my little sister. Protrain via owner Mark Castillero provided us with a “Personal Protection Dog” named Renner who not only brought safety and security to my sister, but helped bring her out of the house again to attend family and social events. Part of the service Mark delivered, was repeated visits to the home in which he and different staff members, like Pancho, would hide in different places. Renner would “sweep” the house, and secure it with the capture of the “assailant”. This was just a small part of the duties Renner provided. Through Renner, Mari and I got to know Mark very well on a personal basis. We learned not only did Mark breed and train dogs, but ran a school for dog trainers. We met wonderful staffers and students like Jan Cozens, Pancho, Gina Cox, and Sonny Henegar among others. Through them we learned Protrain was more than a dog training program, but a whole life training program with Mark’s spiritual and life lessons provided not only in running a business, but on being a successful person and having successful relationships. So impressed were we with the entire Protrain experience, we purchased two Protrain bred German Shepherd puppies to be dual trained as service animals and security alert animals. We worked closely with Jan and Gina during the puppies early obedience and socialization training, then came the hard part. Leaving the puppies with Protrain while they began their formal training. After living without our new friends for what seemed an eternity, but was little more than a month, all the while receiving updates from Mark we got the call, Brenner and Brikka were ready. Excited, we drove the 900 plus miles from our home to Vista to see our newly trained animals. What we found were two highly trained yet still sweet, attentive young dogs. Jan ran Brenner through his various tasks trained to assist me. It was nothing short of amazing to see this playful, goofy dog, I’d left there behaving in a focused manner while “on the job”. It took very little time for Brenner to transfer from Jan to me the same attention to detail that has made him an invaluable aspect of my life. Gina did the same with Brikka and Mari. With the same result. One of the many services provided by Mark and Protrain is lifetime training and support. Whenever we’ve had a question or a problem, Mark was right there to assist, whether he was on the road delivering a service dog to a person on the other side of the country, or in another country speaking at training symposiums. Protrain’s service even if it meant bringing one of the dogs back to Protrain for some remedial training or adding a new service task, has been provided at no additional cost. And this has been ongoing for ten years as of this summer. Besides Renner, Brenner and Brikka, all Protrain bred and trained, Mark and company have trained two additional dogs for our family. These are regular pets, one a young head strong puppy, the other, an older dog with some very ingrained discipline problems. It was hard to believe the dogs we left, were the same dogs we picked up, They had retained their friendliness and personalities, but “bad” or as Mark says, “negative behavior” was gone. Indeed, as Mark told us back in the beginning with Renner, “you get the dog you deserve” which is a nice way of saying, training the dog isn’t the difficult part, it’s training the owner and family. Consistency, positive reinforcement, continuously working and just as importantly playing with your trained animal is what keeps your animal obedient, happy and your family harmonious. Our lives have been greatly enriched with our Protrained dogs. As importantly, our lives have been enriched knowing Mark not only as a dog trainer, but as someone we are proud to call our friend. For Mark is one of those rare individuals who doesn’t just “talk the talk” but “walks the walk” in his business and personal life.