Yes, I am one of the dog trainers and owner of Solid K9 Training.

I’m Jeff Gellman, the guy with the long hair who walks 8-10 dogs at the same time around Providence every day, especially around Blackstone Blvd.

I am the Trainer other dog trainers recommend for dogs that have INTENSE behavioral problems that they cannot fix. But I don’t just work to fix behavioral problems with dogs. I can prevent such problems from happening. Many clients hire me right before they bring their new dog home. A client who hires me when a dog is 8 weeks old will have a dog that is fully trained at 6 months of age.

The great thing that I have found with dogs is no matter the breed, age, or past and current behaviors,  if we focus on the small things daily then most of the big things do not manifest. What you are left with is an obedient dog that also behaves and WHO would not want that? So when I make the statement ” I can train all dogs” it actually works that way and with superior results. I have found that bad behavior is just the manifestation of losing focus on the basics and if we focus on the daily rituals then most bad behaviors will go away. Whatever behaviors have not gone away, we then focus on correcting those behaviors. My training philosophy is a multi prong approach 1) being highly pro active with the daily conversations and behaviors that we want our dogs to be doing not just physically but also addressing the dog’s state of mind 2) correcting leftover bad and most likely dangerous behaviors by addressing them quickly and effectively.

I am the father of 6 wonderful daughters, 1 son, 3 German Shepherds, an Akita, a Malinois, 2 Pit Bull Mixes, and 2 Chihuahuas. I usually have dogs for adoption too – dogs that have been forgotten or scheduled to be euthanized, but that I am rehabilitating.

I truly love working with dogs. As an avid outdoors person – a backpacker, rock climber, and kayaker – I will work with a dog in any weather and on any terrain. This has been a great asset to building the confidence of my clients’ dogs.

I’m a “Real-World” dog trainer, who will work with your dog in real-life situations. Your dog might lie down on command at home but not when distracted by kids running around, fire trucks speeding by, or other dogs barking. Your dog should do a SOLID “down” until you give another command. Because I deal with a lot of aggressive dogs, I have incredible structure in my training. Some people might find my training extreme, but when your dog is chasing a squirrel and heading into the street, do you want your dog to respond to you only 50% or 75% of the time or listen to you 100% of the time? Remember, too, that I do not attempt to take the playfulness out of your dog. Play in important, at appropriate times and places. In fact, I find that dogs respond well to my sense of humor. Please take a look around, read about my philosophy, and browse the photo gallery to learn more about how I work. If you are unsure about training for your dog, feel free to contact me with your questions or concerns.

Training is constant

Training is constant – on every walk, in every situation in and out of your house, every time you go in the car, or whenever you go to the dog park or to the woods. Chances are your dog already knows what sit, down, stay, and come mean, but might not perform the commands every time or for very long. I find that many dogs don’t even pay attention to their owners most of the time. Dogs lunging at the end of their leashes, barking at other dogs, and not listening to their owners must be trained properly. You are responsible for training your dog, and I can teach you how.

You must be the pack leader

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. Teaching a dog commands is not the same as teaching the dog tricks; it is guiding the dog to behave correctly in our world. Many people believe that because their dog knows how to sit that it is trained, but this is not true. Probably your dog sits because you are giving it treats. This is not the same as training. If you tell me your dog is not trained, I will probably tell you that the dog is trained. It is trained to not listen to you and to bark and lunge at people because you have never insisted that this is not correct behavior.

I train with a firm but gentle manner. Your dog will be excited to work with me and follow my lead because I am the pack leader. It is a HUGE load off a dog’s shoulders to not have to be the pack leader any more, as most dogs don’t want that responsibility. When you show more leadership, your dog can enjoy life more and be more confident. Dogs need to know that their owners are able to protect them and keep them safe, not the other way around. Your leadership will earn your dog’s trust and respect, but if you are not a good pack leader, your dog will take over that role. My youngest daughter can give my two German Shepherds a command and they will listen to her because they respect her as higher in the hierarchy of our pack.

I am a trainer that is not for everyone

Feel free to disagree with my philosophy on training. There are as many training philosophies as there are dogs. If I feel that you will not follow through with what I teach, I will probably stop training your dog. To achieve real results, you must take an active part in the training process. Unless everyone is on board with training your dog, the dog will not fully prosper.

I am very set in my beliefs about training. I often meet people who disagree with how I train dogs, but in the next breath they say they are amazed at how well my dogs listen to me, how happy my dogs are, and how well behaved they are. I hear “Wow, I wish my dogs behaved like yours” many times a day. Dogs can sense what we think, read our body language, and respond accordingly, so it is important that we always project calm leadership in order to receive the respect of our dogs.

There is so much information online about what works and what does not work. I am very familiar with all of the different ways to train your family dog. I have put together a training program that works in the real world and gets lasting results. I not only address the dogs physical obedience but also by addressing the dogs state of mind you will some pretty incredible changes in a very short period of times. One of the key issues that I feel is not being addressed in the dog training world is the dog’s state of mind. So many training systems are geared around lots of excitement and high energy. The families that I work with are looking for calming behaviors, their dogs are too excited around the house and they want them to be calmer both physically and mentally. I have found that when we pair obedience with calming energy your dog tends to be less anxious and stressed which eliminates most separation issues.

I believe in SOLID commands.

When you give a command once, your dog should obey the command. Don’t develop the habit of repeating a command if you want your dog to listen to you. Multiple commands confuse your dog. You say,” sit, sit, sit” and eventually your dog sits, so you give praise. But the dog thinks that it is supposed to sit only after you say “sit” multiple times; that is what you have trained the dog to do. With my training, when you will say the command only once, your dog will listen.

I work with your dog to make each command solid. For example, if you are at the park and you tell your dog to sit, your dog will stay in a SOLID SIT until you release it, even while screaming kids, bicycles, roller-bladers, other dogs, and squirrels go past you. I am big on real-world training. I work with your dog in all different terrain, all different weather (yes, even in rain or snow), and all different real-world situations.

Click here for a description of each solid command that I will teach your dog.

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by Jeff Gellman