“How lucky we were to be referred to Fern! From the time our dog Eva was a puppy, Fern has helped to advise us on many behavioral situations and has been a great resource to us, both in class and out. Even when Eva was too young to enroll in a training class, Fern impressed upon us the importance of socialization and it has paid off in so many ways. We have participated in his Basic Obedience class, attended several of his seminars as well as gone on pack walks and we plan to enroll Eva in Advanced Obedience and the Canine Good Citizen program with him going forward.
Especially as a first-time dog owner, there is nothing like knowing that you are providing the best environment, experience and training for your dog’s and your happiness in the future. It has truly been a learning experience and a worthwhile investment. It shows in the many compliments we get on our dog’s disposition and good manners. Fern is a good listener, generous with his knowledge and uses a multi-faceted approach to training. He allows each owner to use their own judgment and comfort level in working with their dog, which we appreciated. We can’t say enough good things about our experience working with Fern.”
- Heidi and Michael Macalle
“I can’t say I wasn’t nervous when my wife texted me the photo of the dog she had fallen for, but I knew that I was with her. This feeling of nervousness was compounded by the fact that he was a 2 year old shelter guy, where I had only known dogs from a puppy. How was I going to deal with the baggage? After four days, I knew my dog knew SIT. And he would do it some of the time, but that was iffy. Then Fern was at my house for 10 minutes, and the dog suddenly knew SIT, and DOWN. Fern’s body language and presence just made my buddy want to listen. Whether it be pack walks, or sessions at our place, or walking at the dog park, Fern has lots of intuitive advice as to reading our dog’s body language. He’s easy to talk to for us as well
Fern has helped us to build a foundation for the future that is unbelievably strong in a very short period of time. He’s an interpreter, and a coach, and a lover of animals.”
- Rich and Natalie LaBarr
“We can’t emphasize enough how much we love Fern and are so happy to have him as a resource. We got Eddie, our whippet puppy in January 2010. A friend of a friend mentioned to us that Fern was giving a behavior seminar. As soon-to-be, first time dog owners we enjoyed the seminar and felt very comfortable asking a million questions! Once Eddie came to us we did a private puppy orientation session with Fern, and learned the basics.
Fern has a gift with dogs and people and makes both feel very comfortable sharing in very different worlds. Fern remains a valued “go to guy” for all our family’s pups concerns. He instilled in us the importance of early socialization and now at 11-months-old we can safely say we can take Eddie anywhere and put him in any situation with confidence. We enjoy and learn so much from Fern’s dog club, monthly newsletter and occasional scheduled packs walks – which always are a great experience! We are looking forward to soon taking the “dogs on location class”. Thanks again Fern for everything!!”
- Beth Suckow
“What’s great about Fernando is that he’s just a regular guy with tremendous knowledge of dogs! If you ever have the chance to read his book, you’ll know him, because that’s him, pure and simple. Tell him your problem and he always has a logical answer. My two Ridgebacks knew their commands, however, THEY were the boss. Not anymore! In just a few sessions and some really good advise, I am now in control. Thank You Fernando, not only for helping us, but for all the good you do for all the needy Pups around!!!”
- Patty Wigder
“Fern has a deep understanding of dogs and was an enormous help in working to socialize our 1 year-old bulldog. His home visit was convenient and the follow up phone calls and e-mails helped to ensure we stayed on track. This Spring he offered free pack walks which put all our work into practice with other dogs. Fern met with each dog and owner individually during the walks to facilitate correct interactions. I was most impressed with his professionalism and patience. I’ve recommended his services to others.”
- Christina Cucci
“What a wonderful experience I have had with Fern. He shows up to every engagement with a smile on his face. His teaching and understanding of dogs has amazed me. He has helped me have a happy, healthy relationship with my pack. I recommend Fern to everyone I meet.”
- Joe Keller
“Fern not only helped us to train our dogs, he helped to train us as dog owners. All of us, two-legged and four-legged, are better for his thoughtful instruction. Fern understands dogs. We didn’t, but we now have the perfect dog for us, which Fern helped us select. She is a happy, well-behaved dog who is a pleasure to have around. This isn’t an accident; Fern has always given us sensible and amazingly effective advice.”
- Timothy, Kate and Anne Lemmer
“When we adopted our dog, Rudy, 6 years ago we realized early on that he had “issues” including separation anxiety and what we called “leash aggression”. Rudy would bark and lunge at people and dogs walking down the street, garage doors opening and closing, sanitation men emptying trashcans, etc. We consulted with a number of dog trainers and behaviorists to determine the root cause of these behaviors but to no avail. We did, however, get very good at throwing treats to distract Rudy (which was a trainer-endorsed technique), but realized it did not address the problem.
We continued the search for someone who could help us and finally discovered the Fern Dog Training website. We called Fern for an appointment and recognized the difference in his approach from the moment he arrived at our apartment. Fern is insightful, patient and understanding – towards dogs and their humans. With his guidance, we have moved from not wanting to take Rudy out, to wanting to take him everywhere. We take long walks with Rudy, let him free to play in the dog park and bring him to doggie day care while we do Saturday errands. Rudy has joined in several of Fern’s pack walks – where he is on-leash, but walking in the midst of another 20 or so dogs. It is not an exaggeration to say that Fern changed our lives!”
- Ellen Scheurer
“We can not thank Fern enough for helping us to train our new puppy! I personally never ever had a dog and obtaining a puppy was quite overwhelming. Admitidly, we were ready to return “Petey” to the shelter because we were overwhelmed by his energetic behavior. Thanks to Fern’s training we kept Petey and he has become a much better puppy. He has learned how to interact with other dogs, other people, and most importantly WE have learned to exercise him first, so that he will be easier to manage.
We would recommend that every new dog owner obtains training more for themselves than for their dog…we are the ones who need to know what to do!!
PS We love the pack walks Fern holds on Saturday mornings at the park…great way to see other dogs interact in a peaceful setting!”
- Judy and Gene Franklin
