Harley is a 100lb, 3 year old black lab with an endless supply of energy. No matter how many times I played fetch or how many miles I would walk him a day, Harley would always be ready for trouble. He would tear open the trash and play so rough it would actually hurt sometimes. Being such a big dog, he had a lot of dominance issues and would never listen to any command we gave him. My wife and I actually contemplated giving him up simply because he was too much for us to deal with. Just three classes with Paul and everything had changed! We worked with Harely and now he is the perfect dog! We take him to all of our family functions and he is so well behaved. Sit Means Sit is simply amazing! It is by far the best decsion we could have made!

Just thought I’d drop you a line and tell you how pleased I am with the training so far. I have had two other Rotts that have gone through the traditional obedience training and did very well. Toby however did not take to those methods of correction and was starting to rebel and become aggressive that’s when I called you. That was the best decision I could have made for him. Since we started our training with you I have seen a big change in his attitude and not once has he showed any signs of aggression. I know he is going to have to unlearned and then relearn using your techniques but he’s coming along, I only wish I would’ve started him off with you from the start. Watching you work with him and seeing how he responds to your calm demeanor makes me want to work with him all that more because I can see the potential he has. I am really looking forward to the group classes and taking Toby to new stages of his development.

Thank you for all your help,

Paul, I rarely will write to comment on a product or service, but I wanted to express my thanks for your help with training Cady the past 3 weeks. I’m sorry to make this a long story, but I wanted to explain how I came to my careful decision about SitMeansSit.

Cady is 1-1/2 years old and, as you know a Chow adopted from the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter in Independence. The first day as I was bringing her home I stopped to walk her. She wiggled her head and shoulders and slipped the harness. She took off running north and I didn’t see her for 3 weeks. There is much more to this story, but the primary point is that Cady would not “come”. She didn’t know me, but she REALLY wasn’t going to come. After much, much police, animal warden and local business help, she finally ended up going into a Havahart humane trap. Since I got her back, I haven’t let her outdoors without a very secure leash.
I looked and researched dog training, read the Idiots Guide to Dog Training (appropriate, I must say), dog obedience classes and collars, leashes, crates, food and so on. Cady is my very first dog. She is shy and worried and I am very inexperienced in the world of dogs.

I saw you and Roxy in the Fairlawn Fourth of July Parade, and Roxy was sitting on top of the car!! It was very impressive. I started reading about SMS, other E-collars and training. Because of the shelter and who knows what kind of previous life for Cady, I wanted to train her, mostly to “come”, but all the other basic things that well trained dogs can do. I met with you, and was impressed at the amount of time you spent explaining the program and I met Roxy and Jammer. Even then, I wanted to learn more before commiting to any kind of program. I had already put down a deposit on Canine University for Dog Obedience I, and was pretty sure that I was going to stick with my decision. The very, very last thing I wanted was any kind of trauma to Cady. She already ducks her head when petted, and is fearful. I didn’t want to do anything that might make her life worse or traumatic.

I asked you for references, and you supplied me with 5 names. I called 4 of them and what struck me most was when I said “hello” and explained who I was, they sounded suspicious. But when I said that Paul Pollock from SitMeansSit had given me their name as a reference, I could hear them brighten up immediately! It was really quite something! I realize that you could have given me a list of “ringers”, but these were genuinely happy people. An older woman, a couple, an older man, a woman – and the story was the same with everyone! After one lesson, they couldn’t believe the difference, how good their dogs were, how impressed they were with your peaceful personality and your patience. The hardest thing about the phone calls were getting the people to end the conversations!

I did the math – the cost of the SMS program, vs the cost of each 6 week class for Household Obedience I, followed by Household Obedience II, followed by Leash Walking, Good Citizen Training, etc., the 50 mile round trip to the school (gas was over $4 a gallon at this time) and the driving time alone for each 6 week class made it also financially a better idea to stay put in Fairlawn.

I thought, “yeah, yeah… 3 weeks… I’ll believe it when I see it…” So I signed up and asked for a refund from the other class.
The first class, I explained that my two biggest concerns were “come” for obvious reasons, and to get Cady to stop pulling me down the stairs (40 of them!) because it was dangerous for both of us. He met me at my home, showed me how to fit the collar, and Cady responded so well! The first week, she understood “come” and “wait” as we went down the stairs. I’m lucky because she doesn’t bark a lot, or eat poop or other really undesirable acts, but she really, really was in need of the basics. You followed along a normal course of training, and the second week I was just amazed that Cady was so willing to follow. You were so willing to sit and answer questions that I had through the week, which I appreciated very much. The training of each week is to much even for my long story, but I am a believer. Three weeks later, you actually dropped her leash on purpose OUTSIDE and she stayed put. I on the other hand, almost had a heart attack!
I guess that the difference in the training besides the collar is the one-one-one, personalized training at my house and office, teaching the basics and learning the program. I equated it to when I learned to type. I learned the basic keystrokes in about a month, and the rest of keyboarding was repetition and practice.

The biggest problem Cady had with the program … was ME. MY inconsistency and MY stumbling for the right word at the right time. MY learning how to have Cady on a leash, have my keys out, give a command, use the remote, carry my tote bag and get down the stairs is taking some coordination on my part too. I think once I have the confidence to say what I mean, Cady will be a huge success!

In closing, I think that I made an informed and thorough decision in choosing the program, checking references and doing the math – all culminating in a successful, positive outcome with YOU, Paul, and the SitMeansSit training program. Thank you so much! I am now looking forward to the Saturday group class experiences to help socializing Cady further and meet other dog owners.

Mike, Ron and I just wanted to thank you for all the time spent with Buddy and Sage.
It is such a pleasure not to have to raise our voices to get them to Listen! Ron and I are very impressed on the Sit Means Sit system. We are looking forward to group class and this summer when we take them with us camping. I love to show them off. WE would recommend Sit Means Sit to everone. Mike, you are a great trainer and awesome with the dogs. You have the confidence in yourself and the system that is needed to prove that it works. It was a pleasure working with you!
Buddy and Sage say hi! and thanks a Bunch.

Hi Paul, this is just so cool. Tod & I got the biggest kick seeing our little girl Asia on video. We wanted to thank you too for our training sessions. I feel that we now can actually let Asia off her leash & not have to worry about her running away & she will actually come back to us when called. We appreciate all of your guidance and also for sharing Roxie & Simba with us, they are great animals. I would recommend Sit Means Sit to anyone who is having disciplinary problems with their pets. This program truly works. Asia is just another example of it.

Thanks again, Paul.

Our thanks to Mike Joseph, who helped us work with our best little buddies,  Jake and Ginger.  They were both very scared of people, but after a few weeks of work with Sit Means Sit, the structure, praise, and techniques to manage their behavior are beginning to really make a difference.  Aside from them listening to us, behaving better on walks and generally behaving better, they are also less afraid of people and more trusting. Thanks Mike!”

Paul, I want to thank you over and over for making Ben the dog we wanted.  Ben is a Lhasa Apso weighting about 18 lbs. In just the 3 lessons, I can’t believe the difference. We can even take him in the front yard without a leash. (My husband was very sceptical about that) Tonight he took Ben out front with no leash and he did what he was suppose to. I wish I would have known about Sit Means Sit  before instead of wasting money on other classes that did no good. This was well worth the money!

P.S. Ben has even turned into a lap dog!

We adopted Baby, a 3.5lb yorkie poo, last December. For the entire first month she did nothing but sit and shake. She never looked at us in the eyes. Even if you lifted her head she would close her eyes. She had a bladder full of stones and was urinating blood for a month until  the vet figured out what the problem was. Her teeth were brown and badly needed cleaned. She had 3 baby teeth that needed pulled. She was over three years old and had never been spayed. She also had never been out of the house or walked on a leash. With $1200 of surgery and a new feeling of health if wasn’t long until she quickly learned that freedom was exciting.

She learned that she could fit underneath the fence and chase the squirrels in numerous neighbors yards. After many exciting romps around the neighborhood chasing her, we decided we needed to do something.  Friends and family all had their opinions which included electric fences and chains in the back yard.  We knew we needed something different.We adopted Mi Piccollini Diamonte Regazzo “Gazo”, a little 5 lb maltese 2 years ago. Because Gazo was such a small maltese, he was used as a breeder. When he didn’t produce like the breeder wanted, he was kept in a small carrier that was barely big enough for him to turn around in. He was not allowed outside most of the time if the grass was wet or dirty. He was labeled as “hyper” and “crazy”.  Gazo trained quickly to sit, stay, roll over, shake, play dead, dance, walk on his hind legs, and lay down. He only got too excited and barked excessively when he was on leash around other dogs. We worked with Gazo for over a year and he still  could not get over the aggresson on leash around other dogs.

Sit Means Sit not only changed our dog’s lives but changed our lives. Baby has become so confident and relaxed with the training. She loves going for walks now and is not fearful of everything. She will come now if she is afraid and she has not run under the fence since the first day we started with the collar. We now don’t have to worry about her running away or getting hit by a car.  Gazo has also turned into a different dog. His excessive barking has stopped. He doesn’t pull on his leash anymore or run towards another dog unless we give him the ok.  He still gets a little too excited but is getting calmer all the time.  Gazo has been doing great with the group training and gets very happy when we pull  into the parking lot for “group therapy”.  He loves it.

Not only has this training changed our lives but it just recently saved our dogs lives. Recently we were at a park where we were working on placing and sitting on the bleachers.  A locally known aggressive dog slowly approached us off leash with the owner far behind. We called the dogs to us and had them sit at our feet. Within seconds the dog attacked both Baby and Gazo. Baby ran off but we were able to recall her and she came right back so we could pick her up. Both Baby and Gazo were both bitten a few times but had no serious physical injuries, only emotional.  Had it not been for the SMS training, Baby and/or Gazo probably would have been killed.

Thank you SMS for saving our dogs and sanity. Keep up the great work!!!

I just wanted to shoot you a quick note to tell you how Rosie’s collar and training may have saved her life.  Of course, the inevitable happened.  As I feared, someone (my husband) left the back door open while he was carrying boxes in and out.  No one knew Rosie went out the door, so we don’t know how long or how far she went, but I happened to look out the front window and caught a glance of her tail go past the bush.  Now, the old Rosie would have “high tailed” it out of here as soon as she got out the door.  Not knowing if or when she would have come back, especially with the speed limit out here at 55 mph.  I quick grabbed the remote and opened the front door.  I only had to call her once and she came right in like nothing ever happened.  Little did she know, we were all freakin’ out on the inside!

Wow Just finished my three hours with three dogs and I can’t believe the transformation. I now can have company without barking or any annoying jumping. I have a 2 year old doberman, a 5 year old border collie mix and a 9 month old airedale. I would recommend this program for all dog owners. Program gives you the tools for a perfect companion.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank Mike for all his help and to say what a fantastic job he did with Jäger. He’s an outstanding trainer who obviously loves what he does. I had tried group classes with Jäger before, as well as trying to train him on my own, but with very limited results. Sure, he would listen, but only when there wasn’t something more interesting going on. But Jäger took to Mike immediately and the transformation, even after the first lesson, was incredible. He actually pays attention to me now, even around distractions. We’re looking forward to attending group lessons and I know Jäger’s going to keep improving. I’ve always said he was a good, and smart, dog at heart, but now I can actually prove it. I would recommend Mike and Sit Means Sit to anyone looking for dog training that actually gets results.

My family just completed training for our Miniature Schnauzer, Cookie, with Mike Joseph.
Mike is OUTSTANDING!!!  Our puppy began her transformation almost immediately.  He is an EXCELLENT trainer.  Cookie is a “new” dog because of him.  She is more calm and listens.   We always looked forward to our training session with Mike.  He is pleasant, respectful, open and just all around a wonderful person!  We will truly miss him coming over.
Mike, thank you for all your knowledge and you are always welcome in our home.  Feel free to utilize us as a reference.  Anyone who welcomes Mike into their home to train their dog(s) is very lucky!!

We will miss you.

After multiple failed dog training attempts, Sit Means Sit really came through! I feel like I have a new dog!! Chris is Great!

We appreciated Chris’ calm manner and humor as we trained last summer in our backyard!

When we met Mike at the RV show and saw his dog Zeus, my wife told me that that was how she wanted our Bella trained. I was skeptical at best, as we had already tried a few other obedience programs with dismal results. But, we signed up for the demo anyway. What really got me thinking this could work was when you asked me if I ever yelled at my dog… Of course my answer was yes, just like any other owner that hasn’t had the Sit Means Sit training… Then you placed Zeus on a bench about 25 feet away and whispered “Come”. Even with the crowd moving down the aisle that separated you from Zeus, he came running!! That amazed me!! The day of the home demo, you proved with Zeus that it was not just some sort of set up at the IX center and with the confidence you instilled in us with the guarantee of results, we were sold. It was the best decision we could have made!! After the first session, I have yet to yell again at Bella! When friends and family come over now to visit, we can’t help but show off what you have given us, a well-mannered dog that is not distracted and listens to our commands the first time, every time – without yelling!! All of this in three lessons…. Truly amazing!!! I can’t thank you enough! You are an excellent trainer (both for dogs and humans alike) and we tell everyone what an outstanding job you did for us and what a great program Sit Means Sit has!

I can’t believe the change in my dog, Sophie.  And it’s all thanks to Sit Means Sit!

Anyone thinking about giving Sit Means Sit Cleveland-Akron a try, I would say “What are you waiting for?!”  Working with Chris was and still is a pleasurable experience.  The payoffs were immediate and we were able to personalize what we needed help with.  Chris, thank you for always showing up with a smile and a “let’s reach our goals” attitude and ultimately giving us a nice, quiet walk in the park with happy, obedient dogs!!

I have to post how thankful and grateful I am to Paul and everyone at Sit Means Sit! We thought we were going to have to get rid of our dog because of her aggressive behavior especially around men. She is like a brand new dog that’s confidence every day with less and less fear. She looks to me now for instruction on how to act in any given situation. Everyone now gets to know the lovable precious cuddling girl that we have always known! Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Paul helped train my dog, Pepper. She is a deaf dog and I don’t know what I would have done without his help. She is now well behaved and can follow her hand signals!

Thank you Sit Means Sit

Sit Means Sit was recommended by some great friends and former clients. We were at a loss of what to do with our unruly three month old Siberian Husky. We also had a two month old Sheltie. We thought two would be great growing up together- Not so! Skye was unruly and too rough with Kacee. Paul came and said he could help us. It’s been an amazing learning process with our now five month old Skye. She has made great progress and can now play and have fun with Kacee. We would like to thank Sit Means Sit!

I don’t know if there are enough words to tell you how big a difference Sit Means Sit has made in our dog’s behavior. Reecey is a 2 year old husky mix who was a great dog 90% of the time. It was the other 10% when he would suddenly become aggresive that was the problem, and it was getting worse. He had been through 3 obedience classes and we had another trainer come to the house. (He left bleeding. But he did recommend SMS.) It was Reecey’s last chance. Our vet was holding off giving him his shots because he didn’t want us to spend the money on vaccinations if we were going to have to have him put down because of his unpredictable aggression.

The demo gave us hope that he could be saved. The individual lessons with Chris worked wonders with him, and with our family in relearning how to deal with him. We still have work to do and are looking forward to group classes, but we are going to have a great dog 100% of the time thanks to Sit Means Sit.

We are thrilled with the results and I have recommended SMS to several friends/neighbors. Our dog is 1.5 years old and is a “perfect gentleman” when we take him to other people’s homes. His training allows us all to go to my sister’s pool on summer weekends. He is not a nuisance by begging for food, jumping in the pool or running around. He is well behaved and always invited. I’m not sure I could say that if it weren’t for SMS. He responds to other people’s commands as well as ours. SMS works.

Recommended SMS training techniques to our daughter for her 2 cockers and she too loves SMS and her well behaved pups.

I love Sit Means Sit, they have saved several of our dogs from a miserable life! Paul Pollock Rocks!!!!

My fiancé Will and I had an amazing experience with Sit Means Sit.  We have two dobermans. Layla is our female and is two years old. Hendrix is our male and is almost two years old.  Hendrix was more on the aggressive side with not only strangers but friends that entered the house. Since the training, he has completely changed. He’s a lot more friendly and less aggressive. Layla is doing just as great!  We are very satisfied with our trainer Mike and the work he put in with our dogs.  We would absolutely recommend Sit Means Sit to any of our  fellow dog lover friends!  Thank you Mike!!