Best Pal Tailored Dog Training

I used them last August through last October. She is a lot calmer and behaves a lot better when she is outside. But our trainer recommended that we also work with him with some off-leash training, both in the house and say if we take her to a park or some place where we can take her off the leash and let her run around and burn even more calories up.

I have a particularly difficult dog to train. thought I could do it myself but just wasn't working out. Best Pal was very knowledgeable and helpful. Mr Gudel has a lot of experience and teaches you how to train your dog. Gives you a framework for discipline. He also seems to like dogs a lot as well. Was punctual and professional about appointments. would recommend him to others.

It went fine. He spent a lot more time than he said he would. Sometimes it would be an hour appointment and he would be here for two. He was really nice but super chatty. It was a great value.

It was really good. He was on time, he was prompt, he was very friendly, he was great with the dogs. I still haven't signed up for the full class but the time he was here he did amazing. He went over everything that we would do. We started working on one thing right, he got one puppy do what we wanted him to do. He is very professional, very friendly, very personable, i would highly recommend him. He answered all my questions and he asked me if i had any other questions to ask i should actually call him. When he said he was going to be here, he was.

Charlie was a pleasure to work with. During our initial meeting, he thoroughly assessed our 2 yr. old greyhound/collie rescues's behavior. His stated specialization in and understanding of "shelter dogs" was apparent. It was determined that while "Hayes" has learned a number of basics (sit, stay, crate training, house training, etc) his high-energy and, more importantly, fear of the unknown were proving unruly in some situations - jumping at the door, aggression toward other dogs, etc. While there is still work to be done, over the course of our 10 sessions, we made significant progress. Hayes now responds well to heel command, is much better behaved on leash, and thanks to repeated socialization with Charlie's German Shepherd "Patch" is doing much better with other dogs. Charlie stressed the importance of us continuing his teachings and was equally focused on explaining to my wife and I how to most effectively communicate with Hayes to build upon the work completed during our sessions. While we do not claim to understand or work with Hayes as well as Charlie, we are confident that we now have a solid set of tools and teachings for continued progress. Thanks Charlie!

My experience with them has been good.

I did not realize that getting two dogs from the same litter (especially male) was discouraged. The biggest challenge for me is trying to work with one of my boys without the other being disruptive. Miniature schnauzers, while completely adorable, can be a stubborn breed. Overall, I am very fortunate with mine as they have bonded well with me. However, together they can feed off each other and escalate quickly with aggressive behavior. They knew some basic commands but they needed more work to be the really good dogs I know they are. In addition, I needed the training too! Charlie seems to have an innate understanding of dogs. He reassured me that I don't have aggressive dogs just dogs (mostly just one) with aggressive behavior. Realizing one needed some special focus, he took one of them home for a few days to socialize him with his dogs and to work with him on some of his fear-based bad behavior. Charlie was the fifth trainer my boys have worked with and while the others were just fine, Charlie had the right combination of forcefulness and gentleness that really connected with my boys. One of my boys takes correction very personal, so Charlie was careful not to push him beyond what was productive. He trained specific to what each of my boys needed. I'm very pleased with the progress they made. I know that it's up to me to continue to work with them so I can have the consistent behavior expected from a well-behaved dog. I now have the tools and the confidence to effectively manage my boys. I really appreciate all Charlie did for me and my boys. I feel like we've made a friend!

Charlie Gudel of Best Pal has a great understanding of dogs - identifying their behavioral issues and likely causes. He then tailors training to help modify the negative behaviors and improve the dog's behavior. We'd previously used Pet Smart's basic in-store training, without much improvement. Having concerns that our dog had managed to escape on a walk with our 8 year-old, and having lunged towards us on a couple of occasions, we decided more intensive training was necessary. Charlie evaluated our dog and then came 10 times over about a 5 - 6 week period. As the dog responded to his training, he asked several times during the period what other behaviors we wanted him to focus on. While her behavior now (several months later) isn't perfect - it is vastly improved over her behavior prior to Best Pal's training. We continue to reinforce his training. Note - the training does take place (generally) at your home, and he does charge a fee for travel.

After being taken to the shelter twice and then to foster care in his first 6 months of life, my dog had some OCD behaviors and Charlie helped break those along with teaching basic commands...and training ME to instill the basic commands. He did a great job! We have the best dog in the world and cannot imagine anyone taking him to a shelter ever. An added benefit is that when we need to board our dog, we pay Charlie to care for him vs. a kennel situation which we find undesirable. Our dog loves Charlie!

Charles allowed me to purchase training sessions "al a carte" rather than the usual 15 lessons package which was greatly appreciated. He was accommodating and allowed to me work on specific issues. Charles does not use treats or any type of rewards to train. The owner needs to be prepared to be firm with the dog to be successful. I have two large dogs that came to me as full grown adults. They have good natures and for the most part are well behaved. Walking on leash, greeting people on our walk, and greeting visitors at the door were my challenges. They tend to be a little over enthusiastic. Charles taught me some techniques to use to establish who is in charge which is the biggest part of the battle. Once that is established it is mostly a matter of repetition and practice - as much for the owner as the dog! We had three lessons. The dogs are much better on their walk. I am no longer racing around the block. We are still working on the greeting. I will definitely have Charles come back for some more pointers and practice if needed.

Charlie was able to come over for an initial meeting and assessment within a couple of days of initial phone contact. I feel Charlie is very experienced with being able to observe a dog's behavior, explain the motivation behind the behavior, and provide recommendations for corrective action. Charlie observed my dog's reaction to him (he barked at him for at least 30 minutes) and then recommended the 30-day training program at a cost of $475. There was a charge for mileage per trip since I live on the opposite end of town, and I purchased a couple of special training collars and a leather leash from him at reasonable costs. I was impressed with the frequency of training sessions. We met 15 times within the 30 days, for at least an hour each time, which averaged a little over $30 per visit - well worth the investment for personal, individualized training. He worked to train both me and my dog to successfully execute basic training commands of sit, heel, down, stay, no street (we're working on that one...). Additionally, he was able to explain and address my dog's behavior with strangers. I feel I now have the tools to successfully manage my dog in virtually all situations. Charlie is very flexible and accommodating and ensured he was addressing all of my initial expectations for the training engagement. He is very punctual and reliable. I would definitely use him again if my dog's behavior warrants reinforcement training, and I highly recommend him to anyone seeking to improve their dog's behavior and responsiveness to commands.

As soon as I spoke with Charley on the telephone a few years back, I was impressed but relieved since my only other experience was with a trainer one day who did nothing except talk about himself and his website while I sat there for approximately 8 hrs. I left with a bad feeling when leaving this guy's house so used Angie's list to find respectable trainers and was so happy that I called Charley first. Charley came out to our house to do an initial visit and consultation and we ended up doing about ten to fifteen training sessions at our house over the next few months. My wife's and I schedule is challenging so we could not see Charley on a daily basis but we followed through with the visits and incorporated the teachings when Charley was not here. Bella was about 6 months old when the training initiated and will be 4 years old in Sept and is such a great dog! Bella is great around children, adults and other dogs and has never bit anyone! We have used Charley to board Bella when we are gone so have maintained a working relationship with him since the original training with Bella was initiated. Bella has returned from his home in great shape although a bit tired since Charley keeps Bella active while there. The other nice thing about Charley watching Bella is that he knows her and may have other dogs there other than his two that he owns so the dogs learn socialization skills and become familiar with other breeds and sizes. So, we decided to use Charley once again for Zoose, our new addition, a few months ago from an animal rescue. Zoose has his own issues and is almost two years old and a pretty good dog but he needs training in some areas that Bella did not need work on so we shall see how it goes. Charley already has assessed what may work for Zoose and what will not and states that it may take a little more time working with Zoose due to his skittish behavior and lack of self-confidence. Dogs can be funny at times so sometimes it is a trial and error basis on what is going to work with one dog as opposed to another so I am sure all trainers will make honest mistakes working with different dogs and this should not be taken personally. Charley will own up if he thinks what he may have did one time was not the best intervention but it is nothing that will set the dog backwards. Charley has a way with dogs and is honest in telling you if he can help or not help your animal. He has kind of become a friend and sure does like to talk so ya' may have to redirect him at times but hey, no one is perfect. :~) Frank and Tami Meyers

Charlie was fantastic with our dog. At first, I think we were all a little skeptical on whether or not our new dog would ever truly learn to be a good dog, but I have to say, he is now probably the best behaved of our dogs! When we first brought our dog home, he was nippy, jumped on everyone he saw, dragged us around on the leash and harassed our other dogs-I have had dogs my whole life but felt like we were in over our heads with this guy. Charlie took the time to evaluate his personality and needs, and was very honest with us about what we could and could not expect of the training in the time period we had contracted him for. Charlie was very flexible with our extremely busy schedule, and was always on time and prepared to work (even in the snow and freezing temperatures). He worked not only with our dog, but also with us, to make sure that we knew the proper ways to work with our dog and how to continue with his training after our contracted period was over. Our dog now walks beautifully on a leash, and is no longer nippy. He still jumps occasionally, but we now have the tools and knowledge to continue to work with him. He now respects us and our home, as well as our other dogs. We were fearful at the beginning that we had made a mistake bringing this dog home, but he is now a wonderful addition to our family-we have Charlie to thank for that.

Overall, this was a super fun, educational experience. Our dog has learned so much from him and we have learned about our dog, other dogs, dog history, and feel much more confident when dealing with Bessie. We have other pets but did not really understand dog behavior. We now feel confident taking her for long walks, letting her have more freedom in our home and with our children and our children's friends. We are thrilled with the experience but a little sad to see the 15 sessions end. It started with us calling a dog trainer from angie's list and left us with a friend named Charlie (who happens to know a lot about dogs)

Charlie made at least 15 visits. We would walk for about an hour. Charlie would walk with Casey and show me what I needed to do. We would walk in our neighbor hood and meet other dogs without a problem. I can now walk Casey and enjoy the walk and not worry about what may happen, Charlie showed me what signs to look for before we have a problem. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND his training. He has even made a follow up call just to see how Casey is doing, He really cares about helping you and your dog. It was well worth the money to be able to walk my dog and enjoy it

I rescued a mini schnauzer mix from a rescue organization. She had some real issues due to having lived in shelters and foster homes all her life. Charles and I spoke extensively on the phone prior to the first meeting, and he laid out exactly what he would do. He specializes in rescued dogs, and I saw improvement after the very first session. I liked the fact that the training was done one-on-one in my home. Considering the time and travel expense, plus the fact that the sessions are totally focused on my dog, I felt the fee charged was very fair. I am quite confident recommending Charles to anyone with a dog that needs some basic training (which was all I contracted for).

Charlie was great! He went out of his way with our yorkie who has fear issues. We have continued to stay in contact. Our labradoodle did really well and the nice thing is I know if I had a problem he would be easy to reach and be willing to work with me.

The training went very well. The dogs responded and learned quickly. The behavior while not perfect is much improved and continues to get better with continued enforcement and the advice Charlie gave us.

She had problems meeting other dogs and barking constantly while on a walk thru the neighborhood. She also had issues with the "come" command. Charlie would bring 2 dogs over for each session. We would introduce my JRT to each dog. After 10 sessions, she met 3 female and 3 males that were all bigger than she was. Each meeting got better. I feel confident in introducing her to other dogs now. The barking and following the "come" command is going to be something that has to be reinforced daily. Charlie also worked a little bit with my male JRT at no additional charge since Charlie felt Tucker was a contributing factor to Taymar's behavior. Charlie has indicated I can call at anytime with questions. I've already received a follow-up call from Charlie to check on Taymar's progress.

Excellent experience, this guy really knows dogs. When you break the price down to per visit it is very reasonable.

Charles Gudel does an incredible job at Best Pal Training. We worked with Charlie to develop a basic obedience program for our 4 month old Golden Retriever. Charlie came over and evaluated our dog and discussed how we would work through a program for her. He outlined his fees and set all expectations right up front. Then, for three weeks, we met almost every night - often for longer than Charlie outlined originally. And, he was very flexible for the 2 or 3 days that we had schedule conflicts due to prior engagements or bad weather issues. Meeting this often allowed us to catch mistakes we were making in training AS they happened. In classes that meet once a week, etc. you can often do something wrong all week only to find out afterward that you should have been doing things differently. Also, as training involves not only training the dog, but also training the owner HOW to train the dog, we found this schedule to be much more effective. Charlie brought several different dogs to help with our puppy?s socialization and was really in tune to what we needed. He even met with us at a local park so we could work on walking in a public place around many dogs and people. He also helped us teach our 3 and 5 year-old boys the correct way to greet and behave around dogs. Our dog now walks better on leash than any dog we have had previously. We are amazed that she can regularly keep a 30-minute down/stay across the room while we eat dinner! By the time you finish 3 weeks in Charlie?s program, you and your dog will be sad that he?s not coming by every day! We can?t recommend Charlie and his program enough.

Charlie was very helpful in the training of our seven month old English Springer Spaniel, as he had a lot experience with that type of dog as well. I greatly appreciated his insight as this dog was literally an entire different animal than the two previous labs we had in the past. I felt somewhat clueless on how to manage the personality and type of dog we now have. Charlie is very observant on dog behavior and brought a new perspective to me on my rascally dogs perception of people and other animals. Charlie also introduced other types of dogs to Brody including two of his own. The training has helped out tremendously, I will definitely use Charlie for some additional refresher sessions for my dog and me.

Charlie showed me techniques to persuade my dog (Border Collie mix) to walk more nicely. I can walk her without having to hold the leash so tightly. Charlie also was able to determine my dog's behavior problems and show me some ways that I can address them. While she still is tense around unfamiliar dogs, I can work with her over time to get her to be more sociable with unfamiliar dogs. Charlie was always on time. He was flexiable to accomodate variances in my work schedule. My dog and I had 15 sessions spread over 3.5 weeks. The sessions tended to be 1.5 hrs each. I think my dog and I benefited from the training and recommendations for behavior control.

Charlie was great! I called him before I'd even picked-up my puppy to ask some general questions about his services. He talked to me for about 40 minutes, giving tips on crate training, potty training and general techniques for positioning yourself as the pack leader. I called him back a week later and asked him to spend some time with us and our puppy and make sure we were doing everything right - the puppy is a German Shepherd and we want to be sure she's well behaved because she will be such a big dog. Charlie spent several hours with us, teaching us how to communicate with the dog through the leash, pointing out which behaviors need to be praised and which needed to be corrected immediately (like jumping). Most importantly, he helped us set age-appropriate expectations for her behavior. We were getting frustrated with her and second guessing our own ability to raise her simply because our expectations were wayyyy too high for an 11 week old puppy. I'm sure we'll be calling on Charlie for more help, once the puppy is ready to start learning more.

Charlie helped us tremendously with our rescue dog. When we got her, she was scared of her own shadow and would run away from our yard. Charlie worked with her over several weeks, coming to our home to work with her and my family together. She is now able to go out into the backyard and no longer tries to run away and walks on a leash without pulling. Charlie also boards her when we go on vacation. I like knowing that she will not be locked in a cage 23 hours a day, but has the freedom to run around Charlie's big backyard.