Zero To Hero Dog Training

I’d give Zero to Hero 1,000 stars if I could. Austin was truly a lifesaver! My husband and I have two pitbulls — a 5-year-old female named Alta and a year-and-a-half-year-old male named Ollie — who could not be in the same room together without attacking each other. Alta was a stray who came from a dog breeding/fighting operation and was overly fearful and dominant. She heavily struggled with aggression toward both people and dogs and has had multiple bites. Ollie was a rescue from a shelter who would completely lose it every time he saw another animal — he would literally scream at the top of his lungs. Alta had previously received training using an e-collar, and it was awful. The trainer instructed us to keep her on a 4-foot leash on walks and zap her every time she did something “wrong” — barking, pulling on the leash, getting off her bed, going to her crate, even chewing her toys. If she didn’t comply after a zap, we were told to increase the collar level by 5 and repeat as many times as needed. It felt wrong, and it was — over time, it made her even more fearful of people and caused her behavior to regress further. Ollie came into the picture 3 years after we got Alta, and from the moment he entered the house, they were constantly trying to fight each other. We ended up putting up 5-foot dog gates throughout the house to keep them separated — and we did that for almost a year before finding Austin. After our previous bad experience and thousands of dollars down the drain, we were understandably skeptical. But after the orientation, we knew Austin was the right fit for our dogs. We signed each dog up for his 6-week board and train, and the results were beyond anything we expected. After getting them both back, we were able to not only have them in the house together, but also in the car together, on walks together, and off-leash in our gated yard completely unsupervised. Ollie used to want nothing to do with play, but now he and Alta play tug with a rope for about 30 minutes a day with zero fights. On top of that, they both came back knowing basic and advanced commands. Austin truly puts his heart and soul into not only training but healing dogs. Alta had previously been on heavy doses of Trazodone and Prozac — we were told she’d be on them for life and that her behaviors couldn’t be improved with further training. She is now completely off all medications and lives a happy, fulfilling life. Austin has also been incredibly accessible throughout the whole process. He’s a great communicator, and his YouTube channel was a huge help while our dogs were away — being able to watch him work through real behavioral issues in real time gave us so much peace of mind. Even after the board and train, he’s always available for follow-up sessions and offers ongoing support for the life of each dog. We couldn’t be happier with the results, and with the training, communication, and professionalism Austin brought to every step of this. We never thought we’d be able to have our dogs in the same room, let alone trust that Alta wouldn’t bite a stranger — but here we are. We don’t trust just anyone with our dogs, but we trust Austin 100%. His training was worth every single penny and more. I genuinely could not recommend him enough.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

I’ll be honest — I was pretty skeptical going into this. We’d already wasted a lot of money on a trainer who actually made things worse, so my expectations were low. But after the orientation with Austin, I felt like we were finally in good hands. We have two pitbulls — Alta, a 5-year-old female with a history of fear-based aggression (she’s bitten people before), and Ollie, an 18-month-old male who is dog-aggressive. The two of them couldn’t be in the same room without going at each other. We literally had 5-foot gates all over the house for nearly a year just to keep the peace. It was exhausting. We signed both dogs up for Austin’s 6-week board and train, and the results genuinely blew us away. They now ride in the car together, walk together, and hang out off-leash in the backyard with zero supervision. Ollie and Alta actually play tug together for half an hour a day with no issues — something I never would have believed was possible. They both came back knowing solid basic and advanced commands too. What really got me was how Austin didn’t just train them — he seemed to actually rehabilitate them. Alta is completely off her anxiety medication and seems like a genuinely happy dog for the first time. That alone was worth everything. Austin stays involved even after the board and train is done, which says a lot. He offers follow-up sessions for the life of the dog, and that kind of ongoing commitment is rare. The communication throughout the whole process was top notch. My wife and I are incredibly protective of our dogs and don’t trust just anyone with them. Austin is the exception. Absolutely worth every dollar.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Austin has saved many dog lives by his amazing skills at training. Our own pup almost got carried across the rainbow bridge because of her behavior. Austin has given her and us a second chance. We have watched in amazement at his videos as he trained our Kai to be more confident and happier. His methods avoid punishment and focus on praise and reward. He taught ME to better understand what it takes to be a good dog parent. When I was skeptical about a method, he taught me his logic, practice, and to be open to what works to make my dog better. I cannot say enough good about his skills, his kindness, or his knowledge of canines. Thanks, Austin, for keeping our family intact!!