Canine Classroom

After the loss of our beloved lab, my husband and I found ourselves with two new puppies. It had been awhile since we had puppies, and we quickly discovered our roles in the household had instantly changed and we were ill equipped to handle them. We were now there to serve our dogs, feed them, pick up poop and move out of the way when they rough housed together. Walking both dogs required the agility if a gymnast as leashes became entwined and constant pulling us around. At a breaking point one morning I called Steve at Canine Classroom and tearfully cried «help me». Steve’s approach to training was to teach US how to train and control our dogs in the most dog like manner, understanding how they think. There is no yelling, no punishment, just gentle assertiveness and leaving the dogs with absolutely no other option but to respond to us, and what we want them to do. The weekly lessons gave us plenty of time to work with them on one particular discipline at a time before we moved onto the next one. Seriously, he is like a dog whisperer, and five minutes in his presence both dogs were staring obediently at him waiting for the next command. My mouth literally fell open. Applying the lessons that Steve gave us, within two months the dogs totally changed. As did we. I no longer remember the chaos that ensued in our household before the Canine classroom. I’m proud of my dogs, and all they have learned, and I’m now happy to walk them daily with no effort. They even remain in the front yard when children are out and about. I highly recommend Steve’s approach to training to get you to that perfect dog you’ve always wanted.

I first met Steve in 2001, when I was looking to train my first German Shepherd. I was so happy with the results, that I am currently training my second dog with him. Due to where I live it is an hour and a half drive, and it is completely worth it!
One of the things that has impressed me the most about Steve, is his willingness to help me with my dogs who are not in training with him. I have one dog going to the lessons, but I am also training my two other dogs who remain at home. One of these dogs is a rescue who had been severely neglected and abused. He was not responding to the training in the same way as the others. Steve invited me to bring him to a session so he could meet him. He met him and immediately shared things with me that were 100% accurate, that I had never thought of or picked up on! Steve has given me additional things to work on with him, even though this dog is not in training with him! He did not have to do this, and I could not have been more impressed!
Steve’s techniques are very intuitive for the dogs, and easy to learn. My dog’s look forward to doing the training and getting their dog treats! I love having the private lessons, and have found it is worth the extra money. I appreciate that the focus is on what my dog’s unique needs are.
Steve knows dogs, and he can teach you the things you need to know to have a well trained, well mannered dog. Within a couple weeks of being in training with Steve, I could allow my 10 year old little girl to walk my Great Dane by herself. My Great Dane does not ever pull, she walks at her side, and she sits when my daughter stops walking. My daughter could not walk her before this training due to the risk (and likely hood) of being pulled and knocked down. We are constantly having people comment on how well behaved she is!
With all my dogs that have been trained by Steve, what I have enjoyed the most is to be able to put them in long stay. I can lay them down in one spot and not worry about them getting up. This is great for when I have people over to the house, we are trying to eat dinner, or if the dogs are being wild! The training has allowed me to really enjoy my dogs. The changes I have seen in their behavior is nothing short of amazing. Some of the little things they have learned really are big things day to day. I love that they no longer bolt out my front door, or walk through a baby/​doggie gate that I have without being invited to walk through it. We also don’t have the incessant barking when someone knocks at the door.
In addition to Steve, I have enjoyed being able to work with his son Wes. Wes is always willing to listen to all my questions and give me suggestions on how to deal with the issues. He is extremely knowledgeable and like his dad, he knows dogs! The best part of the private dog lessons is the ability to talk to an expert in dogs regarding obnoxious dog behavior that would not be covered in a group class. For example, my German Shepherd loves to chase cats! I had given up on getting her to stop doing this, but Wes has given me training techniques to work on so that she stops doing this.
It has not mattered what the dog issue is, Steve and Wes are willing to listen and to help. I would imagine that if someone has something negative to say about the training, that it would be that they were not following through on the homework. It is usually a commitment of 15 minutes per night. I have now used these techniques with four different dogs… I can tell you they work!

Let me say right off that with Steve and Wes you get a great team that know how to train dogs. However, if you are looking for someone to train your dog without your participation this is not where you should go! In the best of all training traditions, Steve and Wes train the handler to train their dog. I mean it isn’t their dog, sure they could train it, but then you might find you still have an untrained dog because you do not know how to maintain the training. If you want to bring that dog under control and make it fit your environment and need some guidance, then go here. Otherwise, I would stay away. Oh, I say this with twenty plus years of owning and training dogs. I got myself a puppy and was overwhelmed, my training was not working. Talk about frustrated! Working with Steve and Wes turned that experience around. They helped me to understand what I needed to do with this puppy to be successful in training it and I am being successful!

Getting a puppy at 8 weeks is quite an undertaking. From learning to potty to learning to sit/​stay, it’s takes quite a bit of dedication and consistency to get your dog to learn the ropes and do’s/don’ts. I knew that I wanted a well-​behaved dog and that it would take a lot of work.
I was recommended to Steve and Wes by a friend, and took my 12 week old puppy in for our evaluation. Though I anticipated that we would do some exercises for the evaluation, we didn’t. Instead, Steve and Wes simply watched my interaction with my dog, my dogs attentiveness to me, and my dog’s overall deposition. Yes, I had already taught her to sit and lay down, but those are really just tricks. What Steve and Wes are after is something much more than tricks…
They seek an overall obedience, full-​control, and owner-​to-​dog communication that is outside of just verbal queues. In fact, they do not use «no,» but instead use encouraging words and silent commands such as hand motions and leash movements. They expect that you’ll participate in the training 100%. In fact, they are really training YOU and not the dog. After all, YOU are the dog owner and you are responsible for the dog’s actions.
I had a great experience with Canine Classroom and would definitely recommend their teachings. The only reason that I did not provide 5 stars is due to their higher-​than-​average price, but in my mind, you get the level of training that you pay for.
Best feature of their service: life-​time support for the teachings that they instill with you and your pet.

We have a 2yr old rescue Great Pyrenees. I would say she has benefitted from the training with Steve, however really my husband and I have benefited even more. We have learned some basic things from him, that have truly changed our dog and our behavior with our dog. You must commit to the work! It is a lot of practice. The sessions with Steve are short but give you specific things to work each week. We do not have a problem dog so the training is going really well.
We are looking forward to even more success as we apply the training techniques.

Do your research and make sure you know exactly what you are getting with Steve and don’t let him pressure you into something that isn’t right for you or your dog.
I wasted a lot of money trying to work a specific behavioral issue out of my rescue puppy and could not get it resolved. Now that I have found a more flexible trainer and tried to get some of my money back from Steve to cover the costs of his failed promises he either ignores me or responds that he will get back to me soon.
The website and trainers lie when they tell you they work in whatever environments your dog needs. He never takes dogs out of his small protected training room where my dog always behaved. When I asked about possible home visits or park visits or even just walks somewhere we could run into a problem so they could teach me how to correct it, Steve’s response was that they are too busy now to train in other locations.
My advice save your money, this training is very over priced and not guaranteed like claims on the internet lead you to believe. There are many other trainers in the area who will be willing to be more flexible to you and your dog’s needs and will actually remember your dog’s name between training sessions.

This guy helped train my dog who was a bit older. I can’t fault his methods as there was significant improvement. As someone else said, you definitely have to do the homework.
However, I found him very expensive and pushy from a sales perspective. There were a few addons (e.g., a better leash) that he sold that were 2x the price at Petco or PetSmart for the same product.
All in all, my dog benefited from what we did together but I’d be hesitant to recommend him due to the cost and his pushy attitude.

My wife and I moved from Chicago to Portland and immediately after doing so, our beagle Junebug started acting horrendously. One day, Sallie (wife) looked out the window of her work and saw Steve walking a beagle on a leash– no pulling, no barking, just walking perfectly. We decided if he could help that beagle, he could probably help ours.
We spent about 12 weeks working with Steve on everything from incessant barking, pulling on the leash, jumping on the counters, and overall anxiety. After the first week, we saw a difference in each of these. By the end of 12 weeks, my wife and I are less stressed and our dog is more content and happy. She no longer pulls on the leash, barks less (if at all), no more furniture/​counter jumps and her anxiety is completely gone.
All of his recommendations and training techniques were practical and influential upon other facets of Junebug’s behavior. Leash training helped crate training. No jumping helped her barking cease when we arrived home. Everything is connected.
But here’s the caveat:
If you do not intend to spend between 30 minutes and an hour training your dog each day, you won’t see results regardless of who the trainer is. Steve showed me and my wife that dog training is about commitment and consistency.
Even though we’ve «graduated» I’m still spending about 30 – 45 minutes daily working with Junebug using Steve’s techniques. The results are only getting better and better!

The absolute worst. Paid $ 950 for «10−12» sessions. By the end of the sixth session, the trainer said, «well, that’s about all I have for you.»
I was dumbfounded.
On top of that, he proceeded to raise his voice and blame me for my dog acting up. I paid him nearly $ 1,000 and it’s my fault?!
We are now getting rid of our dog because Steve was unable to train her.
SAVE YOUR MONEY, STAY CLEAR OF THIS WEIRDO!

buyer Beware
Thank god we are not the kind of people to be intimidated. From the minute we walk through the door he was trying every tactic possible to intimidate us.
I have done my homework and talked to other trainers.
The right approach is to listen and evaluate the situation. It is clear his sole concern is scaring you into giving him money. He was evasive and would not give us specific answers on how he deals with certain behavior.
Stay away from this guy!

Buyer beware! Before you sign am $ 850 contract for for Steve Fuller’s 2 – 3 month training program, make sure that his methods are right for you and your dog. In the week between our initial consultation (which consisted of Steve selling himself rather than evaluating my dog and our particular needs) and our first session, I realized that his methods and style of training weren’t a good fit for my dog and me. I called Steve and told him that I didn’t think his program was right for us and needed to cancel our sessions. He refused to refund my deposit of $ 450 even though we had not even begun working with him. He also became defensive and lectured me on the meaning of a contract, which I found to be condescending. When I explained to him that without a refund I couldn’t hire another trainer, he still refused.
He did offer to work with us for 4 weeks or so since we had already paid $ 450, and I figured that my dog and I would get at least some value from the sessions, so we went ahead and started the classes. After just two I knew that it wasn’t right for us and chose not to continue.
Since then I have adopted another training method (reward and praise based operant training) and my dog is relaxed and happy, and so am I.

Steve Fuller and son Wes are the best trainers in the business, period! We acquired a rescue puppy who at 8 weeks after we got him home, was a living terror. He bit us repeatedly, and wreaked havoc in our home where we also had an 8 y/​o Aussie. He even bit Steve on the initial visit. We also had some issues with the Aussie that were exacerbated by the new pup. After a week, we were already discussing bringing him back to the Humane Society.
We signed up for 3 months of weekly training sessions with Steve and Wes and the results are nothing short of miraculous. The issues with our Aussie are resolved, and our new puppy is a model citizen. Warm, loving, cuddly and no more biting. We love him more than ever. There was a lot of work involved, and Steve’s private classes employ some techniques others know nothing about. And… they WORK! These are not your classrooms with 25 other dogs learning how to sit and stay. It is you, your dog (s) and Steve/​Wes.
At one point, Wes even came out to our home to see/​experience a very specific problem area in our home. He showed us how to address the issue and after some training, problem resolved. House calls? Yes!
I highly recommend Canine Classroom and Steve/​Wes to anyone who wants the «best of the best» in dog training. They are the most knowledgeable experts and their techniques work!

Steve Fuller knows dogs! Watch him direct his dogs through their paces and it’s a no-​brainer that his business has continued strong for over 30 years. Veterinarians, groomers and even the county courts refer desperate dog owners to seek out Steve’s expertise.
I met Steve years ago when I owned a female Rottweiler; very much an alpha, she was sweet and biddable but stubborn with a desire to establish her territory and dominance over other females. I went to him for an evaluation and was greatly impressed with the behavior of his German Shepherds. I liked that he offers 1-​on-​1 sessions only and not group sessions. This is all about training the owner and helping us understand the psychology and behavior of our dogs and how, we as owners commonly, yet unknowingly, create negative behavior in our dogs.
We had success in working with Steve. I came to better understand my dog, how to shift her focus and help her find her balance. Steve is worth the fee he requests, which to many, may seem pricey but you get what you pay for.
I do like that Steve is always willing to give refresher sessions in the future for any problems that may arise and he does this at no charge. Hr stands behind training and is always ready to help.