"I just had to comment again today. Skyla has been lucky to have worked with many wonderful and a couple of not so wonderful trainers in Santa Barbara. She was a wound up jumpy borderline inappropriately dominant puppy who through a ton of hard work and training and time and of course M-O-N-E-Y! Had become excellent while on pinch collar or e-collar but who otherwise was just as or more crazy then ever when we didn't have a remote in hand. A lot of the issues were my own. I was well educated in how to train a dog and she was well trained but I just didn't know how to make the connection and translate what she and I knew into real life. And so... she lived in a crate when we couldn't watch over her w remote in hand or tethered so she wouldn't "shop" all over the house (Joe's word for exactly what she was doing all the time!). After working with Joe for just a few sessions. REALLY! I only met him a few days ago!! My dog and my relationship with my dog finally feels like it was supposed to be like. Joe took the time to walk me through "real life" at a dogs pace and looking through a dogs eyes so that all the book learning and all the skills my dog has learned could meet and fall into place! I can't say enough good things about this trainer. If you invest in the first meeting and walk with him... you will know quickly if he is the missing link between you and a well adjusted dog in everyday life, or... if you were hoping for something else. Many have found that that first walk and talk was enough to make the adjustments needed to go from good to great! Others have figured out that this guy can help them reach their wayward dog and some have even realized that getting their dog to not be aggressive required someone who wasn't afraid to show the dog that it was not ok to be mean! And when you behave, life can be very good! All day with this boot camp and tonight my naked dog (no collars or tools) is uncrated, untethered, and asleep unsupervised in the den on her unchewed brand new "big girl" bed. Well done puppy! Good girl! Thanks Joe!" --KR, dvm.
"Take your dog to Joe Martinez at Doggy Boot Camp in the morning and have a new dog by the afternoon!!! Seriously!
My husband and I adopted Ike and Tina, an 11 month old bonded brother-sister pair of Belgian Malinois/German Shepherd mix pups, in June 2017 from Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center. As the dogs became more comfortable and confident out of the shelter environment in our home some disturbing behaviours began showing up: fear based aggression, rushing the front door when we had a visitor, fence guarding, table surfing, destroying furniture and blatantly ignoring our commands. Combine all of that with a strong prey drive due to their breed and the fact that there was two of them, we found that we were having very little success with any type of training we tried to implement. Our home environment was one of mass chaos and much frustration with the dogs merrily calling all the shots!
During the first session, Joe spent time with Tina establishing the ground rules and reestablishing who had the power in the relationship. (Much to Tina's surprise, it was not her!) But he also spent time "training" me, as there were things we had unknowingly done, and had allowed the dogs to do, that had helped create and encourage their inappropriate behaviours.
Now, just 4 sessions later and less than 2 weeks after the first training session with Tina, the transformation is AMAZING! She greets people appropriately without fear or aggression, she's learning not chase squirrels and bunnies on our ranch, she's learning to play with other dogs appropriately and is happily obeying commands given to her. Ike's training will begin soon and we know the transformation will be just as amazing as Tina's was. We have been able to implement the tools we have learned from Joe with all three of our dogs and everyone is so much happier! The chaotic, frustrating home environment has been replaced with the calm that comes when everyone knows their place and what their job is.
Tina is becoming the incredible dog that we knew she could be and the dog we think she has always wanted to be but didn't know how until she met Joe Martinez!
If you are tired of the canine-caused chaos in your home, take your pup, young or old, to Joe Martinez at Doggy Boot Camp! If you trust what he tells you to do, utilize the training tools and tips he gives you and implement them consistently, I promise, you won't be disappointed!" ---Linda K Graham
“Pickle, our Aussiedoodle, was a gorgeous, and very bright fellow, but, I had forgotten what it means to live with an untrained puppy. Although he has always been very affectionate and wonderful with other dogs, he developed a number of inappropriate behaviors that made living with him increasingly difficult. Pickles was obsessed with gnawing on my hands and feet, jumping up on me and the furniture, ripping my clothes with his sharp puppy teeth, and continually on the prowl for toilet paper, ball point pens, knitting yarn, my husband's cashmere sweater, and grandchildrens' toys to chew and rip up. When caught with a forbidden item, he would charge around the house, playing keep away and refusing to drop them. He would bark to come inside, and then refuse to walk over the threshold, unless given a treat. At dog parks, he would come about 85% of the time, but would not reliably come if he was playing with other dogs or in an unsafe situation.
I called Joe because I was at my wit's end with what to do with Pickles. Joe turned around Pickles and MY behavior incredibly swiftly. Pickles' only home behavior that I'm still working on is his great love of toilet paper, but all of the other inappropriate behaviors are gone. Besides always coming when he is called at dog parks, he has learned to keep his eye on me, so that he can play and have fun with other dogs, while regularly trotting back to me to check in, without even being called. He no longer jumps up, or tears clothing. If he takes anything in his mouth, he will drop it instantly with one, “Drop it”!
Besides being relieved that we are able to live happily with Pickles, I am particularly pleased at how much happier and calmer Pickles is now. Before working with Joe, Pickles seemed somewhat frantic, hyped up, and “looking for trouble” all day. With those behaviors gone, he is more connected to my husband and I, and he seems to be enjoying his daily life much more than he was. Just about every time I'm at a dog park with Pickles, folks come up to tell me what a great dog he is. Moreover, the process of training was a very positive experience for myself and Pickles and incredibly quick. I can't recommend Joe highly enough.”
"We adopted Pablo, a 1 year old Boxer/Queensland Heeler cross from a family, and it became apparent that he had not been socialized with other dogs. On leash, he pulled, lunged and growled at other dogs, and was very unpredictable. At home, he was sweet with our 7 year old son, but nervous with guests at the house and growling. While we didn't think that he was aggressive with people, we were very nervous about his behavior with other dogs and scared at what might happen.
Joe helped us to take a look at his behavior and train him off the leash. Pablo was very nervous with other dogs, but with Joe's help and time, Pablo is now interacting with dogs daily and running a lot. Joe has helped us with training collars to correct too much rough play with other dogs and coming back to us while off leash.
Because Pablo is a young dog new to training, he made a few mistakes. Joe gave us the tools to correct him. It has been so great to see him happier and more comfortable, and for us to lose the anxiety!
For anyone with a rescue/adopted dog with challenges, we would highly recommend Doggy Bootcamp and Joe to help adjust."
"As a new puppy owner my nervousness was about how to get Rolex to come back to me and not to eat things when he was off leash. These were the only 2 things I wanted to have some control over. After looking into dog training in town and the group dynamics of the classes, I was not satisfied. I needed better attention to me of my fears and worry. Joe did just that. He was a personal trainer for me first and then it was the knowledge of what my dog does and doesn't do second. The progression of the training for my 4 month old Weimaraner went from my anxiousness to total comfort and ease anyplace I go in a very short week.
The knowledge I have learned from Joe is really priceless. To be able to recall Rolex and for him to pass anything temping to eat on the ground is as simple as can be
Every. Single. Time.
But Joe's training goes beyond that. It is about how Rolex and I think together. I feel the structure you build in the relationship with your dog the better equipped he is when facing new and not so comfortable situations. Like facing a dog that is aggressive with him, I am able to call him out of the circle and move on, he in turn has this ability to move through it without being submissive nor bolder in turn, there is a fluidness of decisions at that moment from him also. We both have confidence together at the same time.
I am a proud human of a well-behaved puppy that gets to be off leash, can play, can run and have as much fun as possible and know my commands Every.Single.Time.
Don't waste any more time, let Joe show you how. Start Doggy Boot Camp now!"
Juli and Rolex
"Thank you Joe for giving me peace of mind. It has been 5 weeks since I adopted my little guy Diego who is an amazing dog that needed some assistance with his social skills Joe, who now has become uncle Joe. After a day or two of having Diego, I realized he had really bad anxiety around certain dogs which made him have inappropriate behavior that made me uneasy and concerned for him and other dogs around him. I had recalled a friend of mine posting a review for a local dog trainer describing the issues her dog had and it was very similar to what I was seeing in Diego-- So, I found that review and contacted Joe right away. He responded that same night with solid good pointers to get me into a good emotional state. As you may be feeling or can understand the feeling of having a dog that can't communicate well with other dogs or even more concerning many may consider aggressive. It took me about 4 days to meet up with Joe but he gave me a few tips over the phone to help me start a good relationship with my new dog.
I have a new dog... Okay, it's still Diego but he is now a responsive dog who is able to go run with other dogs and PLAY! Yes, play... without Joe's guidance I don't think I would've been able to get to this healthy place. Diego is still a pup and is still learning as any pup does but we are now able to walk and run and enjoy our day at Douglas. The one aspect of Joe's training that I loved was that he taught me that my dog needs to learn to walk away from inappropriate behavior of other dogs without responding. Helping us avoid issues in the long run... Thank you UNCLE JOE- from Ruthie, Darwin and Diego. –Ruth Iniguez
"Ted is now a 6 year old Staffordshire bull terrier blend. We adopted him in 2016 from the shelter where he had been for 2 years. His history tells us that he was " on the street " at the age of 1. He was picked up by animal control and taken to the county shelter. We were told by the shelter that he was " dog aggressive " and we must not let him socialize with other dogs. The shelter staff tried to introduce him to horses, but it was a miserable failure. A local professional dog trainer tried to work with Ted, but said that he is likely 'un-rehabilitable'.
We met with Joe and the first thing Joe did was to allow him to go "off leash" and also to allow Ted into believing that he could make his own decisions and simply be a dog.
After many outings in "off leash parks" with a control collar on, Ted was taught to " walk away " even if another dog decided to bite him and show aggression.
Because he has been allowed to be a dog--but has also been given boundaries--Ted now has a recall and is a happy dog. Ted is happy and so are his owners."
Penny's heartbreaking story of being rejected by shelters was published in the Santa Barbara News Press and caught the attention of community animal activist, Gretchen Lief who shared with Suzanne Von Drehle. Suzanne asked Doggy Boot Camp if they could help. With the help and support of Nuetzie with Penny's rescue organization, DAWG, Doggy Boot Camp saved an amazing girl. She took well to in-house training, and it only took six months to find the best forever home for her with a great family. Check out this great video that showcased Penny to help find her forever family. Happy Tails to Penny!
Joey was set to be euthanized for not passing the cat test and also aggression issues he had two bites on his record one of which was a kennel attended the volunteers at the shelter we're not going to let that happen they fought to save this dog with bake sales and the help of DA WG we were able to take care of his aggression issues prey drive we're he actually passed the cat tests successfully I believe within about six weeks we found Joey's forever home he lives down in Ventura where is two owners Boni and his daughter Isabella absolutely love this guy. We were able to save this guys life and turned it around
"We adopted Zeke, a lovely young pit mix, from the shelter, a year and a half ago. He has been the sweetest, greatest dog (thanks to his shelter foster, Mark B.& Elsa-who cared for him during his year at the shelter).
So, he was 98% perfect, except for a !00% no recall, and a play style I call "lion attacks gazelle"(which is definitely not well received by most dogs)
We went to Joe specifically for those challenges, and after a couple sessions
we're well on our way to helping Zeke be the perfect dog that he deserves to be.Joe used a citronella collar on Zeke, which makes a sound, and then a spritz of citronella, to "surprise" him and redirect him. So, we are all having a blast! Seeing your dog make the right choice is fun and so worthwhile. Watching Joe observe every subtle behavioral nuance, and react to help your dog, is really very enjoyable.He is very funny,clearly loves dogs, and wants them to be happy. We were fortunate to get to know a new ex- shelter dog,Joey, who Joe rescued on the day he was to be euthanized due to "aggressive behavior"(caveat:I don't know the whole story)-So, on day 6 of Joe's care, Joey was only wearing a simple collar with an I.D. tag, no "corrective devices"-no raised voice, no punishment, and he and Zeke were playing gleefully, frolicking for hours,off-leash, interacting nicely with all humans and dogs, big and small. So, Zeke's and my life are truly enhanced with our new skills, but the difference Joe has made for Joey is huge! Thank you, Joe! Happy Trails." ---Bob Ghandi
I was oscillating between regret and resentment. I got Hazelnut from a shelter. A gentle girl with beautiful markings and a silly side... up until we went on a walk. If she even thought she saw a dog across the street she transformed into a monster, an uncontrollable, bark-yelling monster. When we saw one out on a walk she would bark, jump up and down, and twist herself around me. There was no way to get her attention in this moment, nothing I could do but apologize and drag this writhing beast further down the block until the other dog was out of sight. She weighs 55 pounds by the way.
Then there was the off-leash problem... I learned quickly that this dog was going to get herself killed if she was let off-leash. She would sprint in the opposite direction and it was just a matter of time until she would sprint right into traffic.
I am an active person, I love hiking, backpacking and going to the beach and I wanted a trail-dog adventure buddy. But I would leave her at home when I knew my hiking partner was bringing her dog, or when we would go to the beach because Hazelnut would have to be on a leash, and this meant that she would be pulling to get to the water, to get to that seagull, or going into monster mode if she saw another dog. I had tried other trainers, one that suggested a prong collar which was only a momentary superficial fix, and one that was against all forms of prong and e-collars and suggested that I give her treats to get her to come to me and to redirect her when she was reactive. I'll tell you, no amount of hot dogs, turkey meat, or even a fresh rotisserie chicken would get that dog back to me if she was let off leash... trust me I tried.
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2 years ago Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Reliability, Responsiveness, Value This is my second review of SB Doggy Bootcamp because I’ve now had the pleasure of working with Joe twice now, he’s helped me with a total of 3 dogs. First he helped me with my two French bulldogs, one of which was reactive/aggressive towards the other, with his guidance and methods of training I was able to get my home back to a peaceful place. I was constantly stressed and watching over my shoulder worrying that my little dogs were about to fight. I even considered rehoming one of them. If you follow Joe’s protocols, you will literally have a transformed home and dog! Even after one session with him you will notice a change in your pup. It’s pretty magical. Anyway now he has been helping me with my 7 month old Rottweiler, Cash. Cash has always been a very sweet dog and I didn’t need Joes help with any serious behavior issues however Joe has helped Cash and I, with so many things! Since Cash loves meeting people and saying hello to everyone, whenever I would take him off leash he would go up to every person and sometimes even sit in their laps. It’s a cute thing when a puppy does something like that however Cash is going to be a big dog one day. Also it was and is important for Cash to learn not to approach dogs on leash. If a dog is on leash and he’s off, I do not want Cash to approach them. Joe’s methods will teach you and your dog how to do that. Also when Cash is engaged in play it was very hard for me to get him to come when called. He had zero recall whatsoever. He and I were lacking a major connection! He didn’t even notice if I was there or not, gone to the wind he was.
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Chinook was very people and dog reactive. Fixed within a week and half and is no longer reactive to dogs and people.
Check out this great video
See how Doggy Boot Camp's behavior modification
allowed TED/CHENEY to live with horses.
DOG TRAINER FIXES REACTIVE DOGS IN SANTA BARBARA CA.
A BETTER WAY OF FIXING DOGS,
FOR LASTING RESULTS FOR A LIFE TIME.
This Rottweiler came to DAWG from Santa Maria where he was found lost and wandering the streets. Apparently his name was “Vato.” Engraved on his big, leather collar was the phrase: “Vato get your buzz on,” and dangling from the collar was an actual bottle opener.
We changed his name to Outto and brought him to our shelter. Sadly, he did not do well. He was extremely aggressive, could not get along with other dogs, and most of the shelter staff did not want to handle him. Finally, our lead trainer decided to reach out to Joe from Santa Barbara Doggy Boot Camp and ask for assistance.
Joe took this dog on a Friday night and worked with him all day Saturday. Saturday night Joe called and asked to meet him at our local dog park on Sunday morning. When I arrived at the park I was amazed to see Outto off-leash and playfully running around just like any other dog.
Joe continued to foster Outto until we found the perfect “forever home” for him. Now he's happily living with a couple and their daughter who told me, of all the Rottweilers they’ve previously owned, Outto is the best dog they’ve ever had!
We are so grateful to Joe for giving this dog a second chance for a happy life!
I’ve volunteered at Dog Adoption & Welfare Group, (DAWG), for many years. During that time Joe from Santa Barbara Doggy Boot Camp has helped us with several hard-to-handle dogs like Tama. Tama had extreme possessive aggression when he first came to us from another local animal rescue. Because I have handled difficult dogs, I decided to temporarily foster this dog in my home. However, I was caught off guard when Tama jumped up onto the kitchen counter, growled at me and barred his teeth while I was preparing food, ripping the sweatshirt off my arm in the process. Later, when I tried to move his bed, he lashed out at me again.
At that point the staff at DAWG realized Tama needed some professional training so we turned him over to a local trainer for several weeks. In the meantime the owner of the original rescue discovered Joe at Santa Barbara Doggy Boot Camp and asked him if he would help us out with Tama. Within a week Joe called us and invited us to come to his house to meet the “new Tama.” Right away we noticed a huge difference. We took Tama to the dog park and were amazed at how well he listened to commands. After about a month with Joe, we found a good home for Tama.
Recently I went to a benefit where I ran into Tama and his new owner. Although there was a ton of food at this event, I was thrilled that the “new Tama” behaved like a perfect gentlemen - no more food aggression! Both Tama and his owner seemed very happy.
If it wasn’t for Joe, I honestly do not know what we would’ve done with this dog!