My name is Jeff Gellman and I am the father of 6 wonderful daughters, two German Shepherds, and a Chihuahua. I am an avid outdoors person who enjoys backpacking, rock climbing, and kayaking.
I truly love working with dogs. I will work with your dog in any weather and on any terrain; this has been a huge asset to building the confidence of my clients' dogs. I call myself a "Real World" dog trainer, because I go out in the real world and work your dog. Your dog might lie down on command at home, but might become distracted with kids running around, firetrucks speeding down the street or other dogs barking. You want your dog to do a SOLID down and lie down until you give him another command. Dealing with a lot of aggressive dogs, it is important for me to have incredible structure in my training. I have also found that dogs respond to my great sense of humor with excitement and laughter.
Please take a look around, read about my philosophy or browse the photo gallery to learn more about how I work. If you are unsure about training for your dog please feel free to contact me with your questions or concerns. Keep in mind that some people might find my training extreme, but when your dog is chasing down a squirrel and heading into the street, do you want your dog to only respond to you 50% or 75% of the time, or do you want them to listen to you 100% of the time?
Clover (2), Olivia(17), Lucy(11), Jeff, Colleen(15), Linda, Romy(7mo)and Mika(17)
My wonderful wife and kids.
I pride myself in being able to work with all individuals and families no matter
what the sexual orientation or the family dynamic is.
Training is constant
Training is constant: every walk, every situation in and out of your house, every time you go in the car, the dog park, the woods. Chances are your dog already understands what sit, down, stay and come mean, they just might not perform the command every time or for very long. I find that many dogs are not even paying attention to their owners most of the time. Dogs lunging at the end of their leash, barking at other dogs, and not listening to their owners must be trained properly. If you think your dog does not have any behavior issues that is fine, but you are still responsible for training your dog.
I feel very strongly that in order to have an obedient dog, the dog handler must train every family member in the household to act in the role of pack leader. This will eliminate most unwanted behaviors. I also feel strongly that teaching a dog commands is not the same as teaching the dog tricks; it is guiding the dog to behave correctly in our world. I meet so many people who believe that because their dog knows how to sit that it is trained, but this is not the case. Chances are your dog sits because you are giving it treats. This is not the same as training. When clients come to me and tell me that their dog is not trained I usually will tell them that their dog is trained: It is trained not to listen to you and to bark and lunge at people because you have never told or shown your pet that this is not the correct behavior.
I train with a firm but gentle manner. Your dog will be excited to work with me because I am the pack leader and they get to follow my lead. It is a HUGE load off of their shoulders when they do not have to be the pack leader any more, as most dogs don’t want to have that responsibility. When their owners show more leadership, they can better enjoy life. Dog needs to feel that their owner can lead them. They need to have faith that you will be able to protect them and keep them safe, not the other way around. You dogs will actually be more confident if you, as the human, show more leadership with your dog, and you will earn your dog's trust and respect. Your dog needs to feel that you are up to that responsibility though; if they feel that you will not be a good pack leader than they will take over. Keep in mind that my 2 year-old can give my two German Sheperds a command and they will listen to her. This is because they respect her as higher up in the hierarchy of our pack.
Don’t agree with me on everything.
Feel free to not agree with my philosophy on training. I am not for everyone and if I feel that a customer will not follow through with what I teach I will probably not continue on with training their dog. If you are looking for real results I feel that it is important that you take a active part in the training process; everyone needs to be on board with training or your dog will not prosper to their full extent. All trainers have a different philosophy and ways of doing things; there are as many training philosophies as there are dogs.
I am very set in my beliefs when it comes to training. I often meet people who disagree with how I train dogs, but in the next breath they are amazed at how well my dogs listen to me, how happy my dogs are and how well behaved they are. I must hear "Wow, I wish my dogs behaved like yours" many times a day. Dogs are capable of knowing what we think, reading our body language and responding accordingly, so it is important that we always project calm leadership in order to receive the respect warranted to us by our dogs.
Uma and Fenway (client) swimming at my house on a hot July day. I keep my pool open
from the start of April until the end of October in order to work dogs in the water.
Jeff’s Philosophy on:
SOLID Commands
A command should be given 1 time and then your dog should obey the command. Commands should not be repeated for your dog to listen to you, multiple commands is confusing for your dog. Ie: sit, sit, sit then your dog sits…you praise…so your dog thinks that after you say sit 3 times they are supposed to sit..that is what you have trained them to do…with my training you will say the command 1 time and your dog will be expected to listen…I specialized in working with your dog on making the command solid, for example: you are out at the park and you tell your dog to sit, kids go screaming past you, bicycles and rollerbladers are going by you other dogs and squirrels go past you and your dog will stay in a SOLID SIT until you release them. I am big on real world training. I work your dog in all different ground cover, all different weather (yes I work outside in the rain and snow) and all different real world situations.
The Sit
Your dog should go into a Sit/Stay position whenever you give him/her the command 1 time, as well as whenever you are walking with your dog and come to a stop. Your dog should stay in the Sit/Stay position no matter what distractions are going on around your dog,until you give your dog your release command.
The Down Max SIT with hand signal only
Your dog should go into the down when told 1 time wherever your dog is. The down command means down/stay and I will train your dog to down/stay until it is given the release command or told to do something else. Your dog will do a SOLID down/stay with lots of distractions all around you and your dog.
max DOWN with hand signal onlyHeel
The biggest complaint that I get from dog owners is that their dog does not heel properly and is pulling them down the street. Sometimes people hire me must for this, I believe in addition to dealing with aggressive dogs I teach a very strong heel. Most dogs do not know what the word or behavior is but when a dog feels something pulling on them they pull back…so when you have been trying to prevent your dog from pulling you down the street you are actually encouraging it to pull even harder…I do not believe in head halters, chest harnesses or any similar products on the market…Since this is such an important issue with my clients I offer a 2 week bootcamp in proper healing.
max in the starting HEEL position , this is also how your dog should look while you are walking and you come to a stop, notice my hand by my face, i want max to look up at my face. This position will also be used to call your dog to you. If your dog is away from you, you can give the "come" command and your dog will go into this position ready for you to give him/her another command.
your dog will learn to do a proper heel with your dogs head in line with your left knee at all times going straight…turning…walking backwards. Your dog can also be trained to come to a heel from anywhere your dog happens to be, your dog will come over to you and onto your left side and sit down ready to do what you tell your dog to do next. Your dog will do a SOLID heel both on-leash and off-leash
Place Command click here for a video
The place command is a great command to use when you need your dog go to a certain spot in or out of the house…i.e.: a certain dog blanket, you give your dog the “Place” command when someone comes to the door and you give the command and your dog goes and stays on the blanket until you release your dog, this way they are not jumping up or getting in the way of you or your guests. When you are out on a picnic and your dog is off leash you can give your dog the “place” command and your dog will go and stay on the “place” until you have released them.
max and u ma given the PLACE command while camping in VT with Clover, while i was making dinner for Clover and myself they stayed on the mat until released 1 hour later, in the background there was other hikers and dogs going by the trail while they were in the PLACE and they did not move as they should not.Wait
The Wait command is given when you want the dog to not move, it can be given when going into or out of a car, into or out of the house or anywhere you don't want your dogs to move, it can be used when the dog is sitting down or laying down or standing up..mostly though when your dog is standing up. My philosophy on going in and out of doors is as follows. The dog waits at doors but I do not have to be the first one in or out..as long as my dog waits at doors and then I release them it is okay for them to go before me.
The Recall (come command)
This is the one command that can save your dogs life. You need to have your dog come to you whenever and wherever you give it the command no matter what the distraction is…when your dog is running toward the street chasing a ball and a car is coming…your dog is chasing another animal or a child…your dog should be able to stop what it is doing and turn and run towards you as soon as it hears the command. This is also the easiest command to ruin for you and your dog, I go into this in detail with all of my clients.
Stay
I mentioned earlier that when I give the sit or down command it really means sit/stay and down/stay….the stay command has its purposes..when you want your dog to stay without being in a formal command position ie: entering and exiting houses and cars or if you want your dog to be walking toward you and you want it to stop you can say STAY to have your dog stop in its tracks etc…it is also a very useful command for when you are trying to groom your dog or your dog is at the vet.
max with hand signal STAY, max was coming at a medium pace,
at about 15 feet I put my hand up and at about 12 feet he stopped in his tracks
The Send Away
The send is a great way to build up great communication with your dog, getting your dog to listen to you and to listen to your voice commands helping to build the strong relationship and bond it takes to build between you and your dog. You will be able to send your dog away from you and get something (mostly used with balls or other toys that you play with.)
The Call Back
You will be able to call back your dog to you once it is already running towards something, your dog will stop in its tracks and turn and come back to you at any point it is racing towards something it wants. This command builds huge amounts of communication with your dog, it forces your dog to listen to you, to pay attention to you.
Leave It
This is a good command to know, but it can also be overused, sometimes we should be using the NO command and not the leave it command. For instance we are walking our dogs and another dog is coming our way and our dog breaks the heel, we then tell the dog to Leave it since we do not want our dog to go towards the other dog and we want our dog to Leave the other dog alone..i have a problem with this...we should be either saying NO or Heel and not Leave it..so I will train your dog the Leave It command but I will use it more for eating things in the yard, playing with your kids toys instead of the dogs toys, chewing on items that they should not be chewing on etc....
the above pictures are of u ma with a wubba and of max and u ma and myself swimming in the pool, i will work with your dog in the pool, so many dogs love to swim and living in Providence we don't always have the opportunity to have our dogs swim, i wash your dog off with warm tap water after we are done. My pool is open 8 months out of the year. I will work with your dog even when it is cold out either with my pool heater on or myself in a wet suit to stay warm.
Swimming
On my property I have a in ground gunite pool that has a beach entrance..which means that the shallow end of the pool is only 6 inches deep and it slopes down to 7 feet deep so a dog can walk into the pool and feel confident. I have had much success with getting dogs to swim and it is also great exercise for them. I will get in the pool with your dog and make sure they are enjoying themselves, i never throw your dog into the pool, they will always enter the pool because the want to.Our pool is a very low chlorine pool though that is monitored for proper chemical balance with dogs in mind. I keep my pool open form about 8 months out of the year, i have the pool heated in the off months.
uma shaking off after a nice dip in the pool
Infants, toddlers, and children-below is clover at 1 year old
Sometimes the hard part about training is that you need to put your dog in situations that you know your dog does not behave in so you can correct the wrong behavior and teach the correct behavior…with my children being in age from 17 years old down to 6 months old I have the opportunity to work your dog in a way that it will be comfortable with children without putting my children in harms way. Too many times we just feel that our dogs are bad around kids, dogs, strollers, joggers crowds etc…without realizing that correct behavior can be trained and made SOLID. At no time do I put any child in danger and I always have full control of your dog even when your dog is out of control. At no time should your family dog be aggressive towards any child or anyone else in your house. Your dog needs to understand its role in the family pack and act accordingly. I get daily calls on this with many dogs biting the children in the family..I suggest keeping the dog away from the child until you get help from myself or another trainer.
Aggression:
I am open to many kinds of training techniques taught by others but this is one training technique that I feel extremely strong about NOT using food or clickers to reward your dog for behaving in a non aggressive way…I also feel that by using food and/or clickers with aggression is a very dangerous thing to do.
I have never met an aggressive dog I did not like. One of the most misunderstood of all dog behaviors is aggression. There is at least 7 different kinds of aggression in dogs and most trainers do not know how to identify them or work with an aggressive dogs. Aggressive dogs or ones thought to be really get a bad reputation….what some people call aggression is really not aggression but a lack of structured obedience training. If your dog is lunging and barking at other dogs while you are on a walk for example..this is a behavior that can be modified rather quickly if you have the proper techniques.
I am open to all different types of training…dealing with a lot of aggressive dogs it is important for me to have incredible structure in my training. 90% of the trainers out there do not know how to properly deal with aggressive dogs. They try to bribe the dog out of being aggressive, I feel that this is very dangerous to do. Most people in animal shelters are identifying aggressive dogs who are not actually aggressive. 9 million dogs are year a put to sleep and they don’t need to be. One of the issues is that people do not want to do any correction based training with aggressive dogs. Remember, correcting a dog is not punishing a dog, it is not abusing a dog--it is actually helping the dog in a HUGE way. I have been very successful with dogs that other trainers and schools have given up on. These dogs are not able to leave the house, they are not able to be around other people or dogs; this is not a good life for dogs. I love working with aggressive dogs and dogs with aggression problems love working with me, they have a huge sense of relief that they finally have someone that understands them, someone who can help them work through their issues and help them down the road to happiness.
I can help!You will be able to enjoy a pleasant walk down the street with your dog with other people, strollers, joggers, cars and other dogs.
Toddlers and Babies:
A lot of dogs end up in animal shelters or euthanized because the owner feels that the family dog will harm their newborn baby or small child……just to reassure you that you are right..your dog is capable of killing your newborn and toddler and hurting as well as killing your small child. This can be prevented though and you will not have to be concerned moving forward..keep in mind that you cannot trust your dog 100% of the time..they are canines and are wild animals that can and will kill if they need to.
Personal Story:
When we brought home our 5th child from the hospital she was nice and quiet for the first 48 hours and Max and Uma pretty much ignored her…then on the third day when Linda was holding her she started to cry…the dogs both jumped up and in a very loud aggressive barking both lunged at her just like going after a hurt animal in the wilderness ready to kill. At that moment I realized that whatever I was told prior to this about bringing home a child into a house with dogs just was not the right thing for us..so I was able to implement my training techniques with this situation to much success. Within 48 hours Max and Uma realized how they were supposed to behave around infants and to this day it has been wonderful. When we brought home our 6th child both Max and Uma already new how to behave around infants..they did not need to be trained again…both dogs can just hang out with screaming and crying babies..all of the noise does not faze them or act in an aggressive way. It is incredible the bond that both Max and Uma have with my 2 youngest children….both on the canine part and the childs part. Interestingly enough whenever he meets a special needs child he is drawn quite close to them and shows extra love and caring and lies down in front of them to watch over the child.
Bringing Home Baby (how to get your dog ready for your newborn)
I recommend having me come to your house as soon as you know that you are expecting a baby, this way you can start getting your dog(s) ready for your the new addition to your family. This is a very important workshop to do with your dog that can save your dog and babies life. This is one workshop that I also do in a group setting every few months, you contact me to find out when my next group class is..this class is only for family members and not for bringing your dog, I recommend that you have me come out to your house to work with your dog.
Other items of interest
Insured and Bonded
What does this mean? I am fully insured and bonded with a 1 million dollar liability policy. I am covered for all dogs in my care and control in your house and mine as well as my vehicle and anywhere I would take your dog. This covers me for any harm or loss that would happen with your dog or your property if I am in your house. This is a very important thing for a trainer to have and you should make sure that you ask any trainer or facility for proof of insurance before you hire them. I can provide proof of insurance immediately upon request. I expect all of my clients to also have there own home insurance policy which also covers their dog.
German Shepherd Dogs
Being the owner of 2 GSD and spending 24/7 with them as well as working with other GSD owners, I am very knowledgeable about the breed and all aspects of training and grooming them and helping solve most if not all behavioral issues. I understand the thinking of the breed and excel at training of them.
max and uma at the field across the street from our house a great place to work my dogs as well as clients dogs
more info under the SERVICES heading
