The Hill Country Dog Trainer

Matt and the Hill Country Dog Trainer team are best-in-class! We were seeking a trainer who would help us get on the same page as our rescue pittie/staffie pupper, Rose, and Matt checked all the boxes. Working through "the big 5" commands and ensuring we were on the same page with Rose was Matt's speciality. He was attentive to our goals, Rose's needs, and our desire to ensure Rose kept her charming personality. I cannot recommend The Hill Country Trainer enough. The time and financial investment in our Rose was well spent, and we would do it again without hesitation. 12 out of 10, Matt!

I can’t say enough good things about Matt Elledge, Head Trainer and Owner of The Hill Country Dog Trainer! Matt worked with my two Bernedoodles, Loki, who was 9 months old, and Oreo, who was 8 months old, in his 3+ week training program. They both came home knowing so much more than when they left! They learned the “Big 5” — Sit, Down, Place/Spot, Heel, and Here/Come — along with Stay, Wait, and Load Up. Loki was a big one for me when it came to leash walking. He was already 96 pounds at 9 months old and will probably be around 115 pounds when he’s fully grown. I’m only 110 pounds, so having him pull me around was definitely NOT going to work! 😂 Matt taught him to heel and walk without pulling, and that has made such a huge difference. I can actually enjoy walking him now instead of wondering who is walking whom! Oreo was a different challenge. We live on a ranch, and she LOVES chasing wildlife. Before training, if she saw an elk, deer, wild pig, turkey, armadillo — basically anything that moved — she was off! I was always worried that one day she would chase something and get hurt, lost, or worse. She seemed to completely forget that I even existed once she spotted an animal. One of my biggest goals for her was to teach her that “no” means no and that “Here” means come back — even when she is excited and distracted. She has done SO well since coming home! I feel much more relaxed walking with her around the ranch, and it’s such a good feeling knowing she is listening to me instead of taking off after the next deer she sees. Both dogs also learned to wait at the door and let me go through first, know their Spot, Stay, and “Load Up” when it’s time to hop in the car or the Kawasaki Mule. They truly seem to WANT to please, which makes everything so much more enjoyable. At the end of the day, that’s really what I wanted — not perfect robots, but two happy, well-mannered dogs that I can enjoy and that can enjoy life with me here on the ranch. Matt gave us a great foundation and helped me feel much more confident handling both dogs. I’m so happy with how Loki and Oreo have done since coming home, and I’m very grateful for the time and work Matt put into them. Thank you, Matt! We’re looking forward to many, many years of adventures around the ranch with these two! ❤️🐾

We had the best experience with Matt at the Hill Country Dog Trainer! Our mini Goldendoodle who we thought might just be untrainable came home two days ago after completing training, and he’s like a completely different dog. We can hardly believe it! He obeys commands, but we also feel like his demeanor is so different too… in the best way! We were hesitant and considered training for the past year and kept putting it off, and now I’m so glad we finally did it. We are enjoying our dog so much more now! Grateful to have found an amazing trainer we can trust. He means business, but you can tell he has a huge heart for dogs too. We couldn’t be happier with the results!!