The Hyper Pup Dog Training

My Frenchie, Teegan, joined Armando's 3-week board and train. She was getting to the point where she was becoming possessive, and aggressive with our other Frenchie and would nip at my husband and others coming in the house. After coming home from board and train, you can tell the difference in her. She is not perfect, but she has come so far, all thanks to Armando. We had tried to get her to do basic commands, but we couldn't even get her to sit on a whim for a treat. She is now sitting, laying in the down position, walking on a leash with control and very pleasant to take on walks, she knows sit/stay, down/stay, place, and is just all around more attentive and receptive of our voice when we give her commands. I cannot thank Armando enough for the work that he put in with her. I could never get her to where she is on my own and I am so grateful!

We enrolled our 9-month-old Doberman, Raven, in the 3-week stay-and-train program with The Hyper Pup after struggling with her hyper behavior, lack of manners, and boundary issues. From the start, Armando was incredibly helpful, even offering free advice over the phone before we committed to the program. During training, he was patient, knowledgeable, and clearly earned Raven’s trust and respect. Since completing the program, Raven has made tremendous progress — she walks calmly without pulling, listens better, stays in place for extended periods, and has gained confidence with things like getting in and out of the car. While she’s still learning, we now feel much more equipped to continue her training thanks to Armando’s guidance and ongoing support. We highly recommend this program to anyone struggling with their dog’s behavior; the results are truly worth it.

We got our dog back five days ago after a 3-week board & train at The Hyper Pup. For background: We have a White Swiss Shepherd who is 20 months old, and we have had him since he was eight weeks. We’ve worked with many trainers including well-known organizations in the area. After a while it became clear that weekly private sessions were not enough and that we didn’t have the foundation we needed to raise a well-behaved dog. He was still play-biting, getting extremely excited around people, wanting to jump on guests and anyone we ran into, and barking his head off when he saw dogs on walks. He also pulled a bit on the leash. He’d go insane if we crated him, even though we’d followed protocol and tried to break him in gradually. He knew many commands, but didn’t obey 100% of the time. We did a lot of research before picking Armando. We compared four boarding programs within a 5-hour drive. We picked Armando because we wanted our dog to sleep in someone’s home, not in stalls inside a warehouse. Armando was also closer geographically and offered follow-up care. Now, I can honestly say that Armando is the best choice even if he is out of your area. It is worth the trip, because this is a life-changing decision. I’ll address two common concerns and then give details about our dog’s transformation: If you’re afraid your dog’s personality will change: It won’t. Our dog is the same quirky, funny, affectionate, and energetic animal as before. He’s just a calmer version of that dog. If you’re concerned about the effects of e-collar training: Don’t be. Armando actually discouraged us from using the e-collar when we returned home. He emphasizes building on the foundation he created during the board & train, and wants us to focus on cementing a new relationship with our dog, where the dog truly respects us and understands what we expect. Once the relationship is secure, you don’t need to rely on tools nearly as much (depending on the individual dog). We are seeing big improvements by using just our voices, consistency, assertiveness, repetition, follow-through, a standard leash and, in some scenarios, a bark collar set to ’tone’ and ’vibrate.' Armando also doesn’t believe in using the e-collar in a punitive manner. Dog transformation: Our dog has been able to generalize the behaviors he learned with Armando. We feared he would go back to his usual patterns when we got him home, but he didn’t — in large part because we started reinforcing his new habits the moment we got home. This is key. Do your part: -We crated him right away. For the first time ever, he didn’t freak out. He stayed in there, whining a bit but stopping when we told him to. He now sleeps in his crate overnight with no drama. This is a huge change. -We manage his environment, following Armando's advice in order to avoid triggering old behaviors, and will do so for a few months as the new behaviors become ingrained. -In this controlled environment, we rehearse every command and behavior multiple times each day. The improvement in obedience and self-control is immeasurable. After-care: Lots of trainers say they will remain available, but Armando means it. He wants you to succeed and it's clear he loves dogs. We needed a few clarifications within a few days, and he replied promptly and spent a half hour on the phone with us. He also includes a free in-person follow-up session, and a library of videos featuring his own training sessions and his own courses, as well as a video about your dog. As long as you do your part, and understand that your dog is not a robot but is hardwired to respond to leadership, structure and discipline, Armando will have provided a foundation that will last for the lifetime of your dog and make your existence much more pleasant. Our dog is now becoming integrated in the way we live, and adapting to us rather than trying to make us adapt to him. If you’re in a similar situation, do your dog and yourself a favor and send him to Armando for a boarding program.