Our Pack Members are howling about their results!!
I have two Boston terriers. One who is ten the other twelve. My twelve year old is blind, deaf,and a tripawd! My dogs were very rabid when it came to other dogs. I never wanted to spend the money on a trainer because I never really thought it would work. I thought my dogs were pretty well behaved with the exception of meeting other dogs. Then one day my son rescued a beautiful puppy. I knew we had to do something as I wanted my son’s doggie around! I called around, Donna responded and we had her over to meet my Jerry and Francis. When she came for the first time, I was still unsure. But before we even agreed to use Donna, she already had my Jerry sitting and behaving! She made me feel comfortable! The price was reasonable and although we technically are done with our "contract". She checks up on my boys often. What she changed for us is our behavior, which still allows me to be a silly mom... And the dogs are now no longer the alphas! Now Me and my husband are! They are not necessarily friends with my grand doggie, but they are definitely tolerant of him! They can be in the same room together! My neighbors are in awe when they see me walking my two! They can't believe that Jerry can now walk without the leash! I never ever thought that would happen! It's still a work in progress, but I know if I need any guidance or accolades, Fido Fidelis is just a phone call away!!!
Claire- Waldwick NJ
Our two year old German Shepherd, Lakota needed some serious training and behavior modification. We had tried a couple trainers before finding Peter with little to no luck, and noticed a difference immediately. He is punctual and very flexible regarding the training sessions, and knew how to handle each specific issue Lakota had with complete control and focus. With patience, determination and an obvious passion for dogs, it was a pleasure to follow his guidance. There was a time when we weren't sure we would ever be able to fully control our Shepherd, with each passing day we grew increasingly frustrated. After completing training the difference is night and day. From his walks, to interactions with other dogs and people he is always compliant and seems to be happier with the disciple and structure. We highly recommend Peter and this training staff to anyone who feels hopeless regarding a misbehaved dog.
Our shepherd is an integral part of our loving family and it wouldn't have been possible without our wonderful trainer!
Christina- North Arlington NJ
I haven't had a dog in over 30 years. I received a text from my wife that a dog was to be euthanized within 3 hours. We didn't hesitate to take the drive into Manhattan from Morris county to make him a survivor. He came to his new home disheveled , no discipline and I am very sure scared. Not 2 months had passed and I was getting a bit tired of being walked as opposed to being the walker. This is about the time we decided to call in the experts. Pete came to my home and explained the process that had to be involved in what I wanted for both of us, I truly understood what he stated when they said it will not only be the dog being trained , it will be you also. Over the course of the next few weeks, my "Boy" and I grasped the reality that this was going to work for both of us and benefit everyone involved. My "Boy" now is the most lovable dog in the world now, disciplined in most things (he does have moments but who doesn't?), comes with me in my car (leather seating not being destroyed), goes to car shows, stays by my side, lets me do the walking, and is patient with me now. We have both learned so much from Pete, and I can wholeheartedly attest that this is the very best in dog training available. Period. Thank you for awesome help in training both of us for a better life together.
Mark- Flanders NJ
We had such an amazing experience with Fido Fidelis Dog Training! We have a six-year-old pitbull who had severe anxiety issues when we brought home our newborn daughter. We were faced with the decision to either work with our beloved dog or potentially have to give him away. Peter came in and worked with us as a family. I am happy to say that we still have our dog and everyone is getting along better than ever! Peter - Thank you so much for keeping our family together!
Jacquelyn- Randolph NJ
I came upon Donna Hartmann in a completely random manner by searching on the Internet. I had already attended a few puppy training classes at a nearby large-chain pet store, and was so dissatisfied with the service they provided. The young woman at the store even told me that my beautiful puppy, who I quickly learned was dog aggressive and people aggressive (selectively) after having spent the first 6 months of her life locked up in a kill shelter, might be hopeless and never grow out of her aggression. That was unacceptable to me, particularly since I have a child, and I went on a search for private training classes, which is how I came upon Donna Hartmann. This was a life changer for Penny and the family.
We made an appointment immediately to meet with Donna for an in-home consultation, and she spent several hours with myself, my son, and Penny, going over everything that she could assist us with and making us feel very comfortable, assuring us that Penny was not a lost cause. In fact, she showed us a few things that very first day, including how to set Penny up in a crate correctly, and how to start the house breaking process in the most effective manner. By that afternoon, I had Penny relieving herself in a spot in the backyard that she still uses today since she is now completely house broken. In fact, in only a few months, Penny was able to come out of her crate at night, and sleeps all night with me in the bed, which had been one of my goals when I first met Donna.
One of the great things about working with Donna Hartmann has been the fact I never felt pressured to “get” everything she was teaching me immediately. Even though we came up with a general schedule of when we thought the training would be finished, I was assured that if all of my training objectives were not met by that time, we would continue the training until I was satisfied. Donna has gone above and beyond to help us out, accompanying us to our first veterinary visit and even introducing Penny to her own dogs so that Penny can become friendly with other dogs. As of right now, Penny is no longer dog aggressive and in fact we are planning to adopt another dog soon, and will resume our training work with Donna with that new edition to the family. Donna has made herself available to me for any and all questions that I may have, even on days that we do not have a training session scheduled. I have called her with questions and she has helped me navigate so many of the nuances of being a dog owner. She is incredibly knowledgeable when it comes to dogs, and my family trusts her implicitly. Penny has become very attached to Donna and is so excited whenever she sees her get out of the car and walk up to the house. As a result of our work, Penny is now also no longer jumping on random strangers we encounter on our walks, and she is no longer afraid of people (particularly men) as she was when we first brought her home.
Finding Donna Hartmann was the best thing that has happened to our family when it comes to us being dog owners. We hope to maintain a long relationship with Donna as Penny (and hopefully a new addition) grows up and learns new things. I do not hesitate to recommend her for anything that has to do with dog training.
Melissa- Rutherford NJ
We engaged Fido Fidelis to help with our 6 month old female standard poodle, Lillie. Lillie was struggling to adjust to life in Manhattan - lunging at runners, bikers, boarders, and any dogs that barked at her. Taking Lillie for a simple walk in Central Park was a challenge because she was overstimulated. She also was anxious when we had guests in our apartment. All the behavior was unexpected since we had had another standard for 12 years who was much mellower. We heard about Donna through friends of ours who had a puppy the same age as ours and were happy. So we enrolled Lillie in boot camp at Donna’s house. She did a great job with Lillie. Two key behaviors we were looking for help with were resolved with boot camp: she has a designated “place” in our house where she goes on command when we have guests in our apartment and she no longer lunges at sudden sounds or movements like runners or skateboarders. Now we comfortably take her to off-leash time at Central Park, my husband takes her running and she is comfortable and relaxed with all of the stimulation. When we first learned that Donna’s method included an e-collar, we were hesitant. While we had used an electric fence for our older dog, we had never contemplated using an e-collar for basic training. Donna got us comfortable with the e-collar by having us hold it while she sent a signal. We don’t need to use the collar very much because she knows the commands and follows them. One other concern we had was that Lillie would become so well trained and lose her personality from being afraid to misbehave. She totally did not lose her personality. She just knows now when she can be crazy and when she needs to settle down. Highly recommend Fido Fidelis!
Sara- Manhattan NY
When we got our Weimaraner puppy we realized that we had to deal with her separation anxiety. I called Fido Fidelis who has been referred by a friend. We made an appointment immediately to meet for an in-home consultation. Although we felt a bit overwhelmed with all the information given in the beginning, having Donna as our trainer was the best thing that happened when it comes to us being “Weimaraner parents”. Only after a short period of time our dog got over her separation anxiety and was able staying home alone. Besides that, our high energy puppy learned a lot and quickly. A lot of people were asking where she got trained and we recommended Fido Fidelis a couple of times. Although our official training time is over we’re still in touch with Donna and she keeps checking in on our puppy. Also, we bring her in for boarding. We couldn’t imagine any better place for our dog to stay at while we are away. We hope to maintain a long relationship with Fido Fidelis and we do not hesitate to recommend them for anything that has to do with dog training.