Las Vegas Obedience Trainers

[Carol Burke]

Looking for some good obedience trainers, classes, schools in Las Vegas for a friend who lives there. Any help would be appreciated.

[Mattweiser]

I believe Fred Hassen lives in Las Vegas.. he is supposed to be a very good trainer..

although I know nothing of him personally

[rottnvegas]

Fred Hassen will not train your dog unless you agree to him putting a shock collar on your dog from day one. He uses strictly compulsion training and it is pretty harsh. I was at his protection club one night to observe and they had a dog screaming so loud from the shock collar people were wincing. They had some 10 week old puppies already wearing shock collars. Not to mention he charges about $800 for basic obedience. (that includes the shock collar that you have to buy from him) Try Jim Crawford, he is a much more humane trainer. Good luck. If you would like further details on Fred Hassen's Sit means Sit...just p.m. me..

[alexav]

FRED HASSEN....
I just did a search to see if this guy had ever been mentioned on the forums. Thank you rottnvegas, for setting the OP straight about this guy.
Now, I am asking for help in spreading the word about this cruel man.
He attended a protection seminar that I was enrolled in this past weekend and I am STILL in disbelief at what I witnessed.

IMO, this guy is a sadist and a control FREAK! He had a modified shock collar on his dog's penis! Then he proceeds to put this poor dog through this circus act nonsense making him run to a metal carrying case, sit on it, down on it, spin on it, get the decoy, no don't get the decoy, get the decoy, no, get something else now....OMG! This dog was SOOOO in conflict! It made me physically ill!
(Yes, I have this on video because even though I was seeing it with my own eyes, I didn't believe it and I wouldn't expect anyone else to take my word for it either.)

He really has people bamboozled into thinking that his "methods" are humane!

ANYONE who knows even a tiny amount about dog behavior should be able to see right through this guys abusive methods yet he stays in business profiting off of the ignorance that abounds. The same ignorance that keeps BYB's and puppy mills in business, I would guess.

"Sit means Sit"??? I think it should be more like...
JERK means JERK!!! (that is the G-rated version of what I REALLY think!)

[Major]

While I think information like this is important please relate only stories that have been witnessed by you, the poster. No second or third hand or "I heard..." stories please.

[alexav]

Originally posted by Major
While I think information like this is important please relate only stories that have been witnessed by you, the poster. No second or third hand or "I heard..." stories please.

Agreed.
If I HADN'T seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it, Major. I would think that someone was exaggerating if I had heard this story second hand.

His website is advertised for public. May I post a link to it so people can decide for themsleves?

[spoteet]

I was planning on attending a seminar with him and Behesha Grist in Jan. I was already having second thoughts because of other things I have been told this week. Time for more research.

[alexav]

Sharon,
I would say, if this seminar doesn't involve a lot of travel, go and audit. The site says you can get your money back after 2 hours so if you don't like what you see, you can tell them. I DEFINITELY would advise anyone NOT to subject their dog to ANY of the "Training" or should I say "PAINING", that I witnessed last weekend.
Go to Fred's site and view the video showing shelter dogs being "trained". That should help you make a decision.
Anyone that knows me, knows I am not at all against the PROPER use of e-collars. They definitely have a value in the right hands. IMO it is just plain wrong to TEACH by causing discomfort to a confused, green dog until they figure out how to avoid it.
There are MUCH better ways...

[rottnvegas]

Avoid Shock means Shock at all costs.

There are better ways to use the e-collar, believe me, I have first hand knowledge of this guy. He cares not for the dogs but his own checking account, that's it.

im me for more specific accounts

[K9-man]

Originally posted by alexav
He had a modified shock collar on his dog's penis!

How did he justify placing a training collar in this position? Did he advise his clients to do the same?

This is animal abuse, plain and simple. He should be arrested for this!!

[rottnvegas]

Originally posted by K9-man
How did he justify placing a training collar in this position? Did he advise his clients to do the same?

This is animal abuse, plain and simple. He should be arrested for this!!

He used to strap one e-collar around his dog's neck and ANOTHER e-collar strapped around the dog's belly.

I guess he "stepped it up a notch" and uses the collar on a little more sensitive region.

What a shame, yes, this guy should be prosecuted.

If I didn't hate PETA so bad, I would sick those whackos on him.

Hmmm???

[alexav]

Originally posted by K9-man
How did he justify placing a training collar in this position? Did he advise his clients to do the same?

I didn't ask him. The guy made me so sick, I couldn't even stand to approach him. :(

My guess is that the dog was probably "indicating" too much from high level neck shocks by twitching etc, and it was interfering with his bottom line...$$$
Another person suggested that the dog was extremely hard and didn't respond to the regular placement of the collar....Yeah, right....

I had the unfortunate opportinity to witness another of Fred's disciples last Saturday....a police K-9 who was being shocked to the point of vocalization to force him to engage the decoy and then another higher correction to disengage.... :(

Hopefully, there will be a little opening for input when they work with our club a few times....
Why, oh why do they feel the need to force when all it takes a solid relationship between dog and handler and the time and to teach a dog his boundries so that he may enjoy his work without fear?

[Fred Hassen]

Hi Carol......a few things. First of all, I would recommend that you see as many of the trainers that you can, or that your friend can. Our classes are all done in the public, and right next to the dog park. We have classes every day of the week. We also come by to do a demonstration in the middle of the people's streets with their dog, and with ours, before they decide. As far as the comments from Rottnvegas (editted out name), I regret to say that in my many years in this business, he is only one of two people that I have refused to do business with. If you would like to know what our clients have to say......have her come by the classes and talk to one, or all of the clients there, and observe what is going on. You don't even have to let anyone know you are watching. Obviously, if we had anything to hide we wouldn't be doing everything in public. I do understand how people like Rottnvegas have their feelings hurt when you refuse business with someone, but I know I have made the right decision in that area. In any case, there is lots of information on our website, and as "Major" had stated, there is a video of our training that you can see. That was part of a T.V. show that I did with the head of Clark County Animal Control. I've also done a radio show with him for years as well. We help train alot of the dogs at the Henderson Animal Shelter as well. In any case, comparing trainers, and looking around and researching, will certainly give your friend the most educated opinion, and will also give you a more educated opinion on others opinions as well. I'm sure that you trust your friend. More information on our company can be found at link removed Good luck in your journeys, and please be sure to look around and compare........we come by initially for free, and I'm sure others do as well. Take advantage of that. Good luck.

[Burnsway]

Welcome to the forums Fred Hassen.......:D

[Fred Hassen]

While we are on the topic of searching for a dog trainer, here is an article that I wrote on the topic......there are quite a few more articles on my site if anyone is interested. For what it's worth, here are my thoughts on looking for a dog trainer.

Sit Means Sit Dog Training for the Real World
By Fred Hassen

Looking for a dog trainer? I get lots of calls from people who are "just looking around" or "price shopping." The first thing I do with those people is commend them for shopping around and comparing.

Remember a few things, though. First, anybody can tell you just about anything over the phone. Talk is cheap. You need to know that they are going to be able to get the job done with your particular dog, and more importantly -- are YOU going to be able to maintain the training? After all, it's your dog.

One of the things that I recommend is that whenever possible, it's always nice to see the dog trainer's dog perform, and preferably around your environment, not theirs. It's really nice to see if the dog trainer's own dog can perform reliably in strange environments. If their own dog can't do that, and they call themselves a trainer .... I'd be a little skeptical when they tell you that your dog will be able to perform reliably, also. Read all about my girl, "Maddy" -- the poster girl for sound, effective training by a qualified professional.

Bad mouthing other trainers is definitely a sign to look out for. They are there to show you what THEY can do, and any hesitancy to have you also check someone else out should not be tolerated. It's your dog, and your final decision.

Some trainers charge a fee for an evaluation, and some do not. I've personally never believed in charging for one, but that is a decision that you will have to make.

A lot of different trainers do things a lot of different ways. It's wise to at least hear them out, and see the results of what they might perform for you in the demonstration. After all, whatever you are presently doing may not be working. You also need to know that the method they are using will work with your dog. You may want to ask if they will give you a demonstration. We have no problems giving one, but other trainers may. No harm in asking, though.

It's also good to ask the trainers if they have any sort of "follow-up" program. If they do, will there be some sort of charge for it? "Price" is usually a relative thing. It may end up costing you three times as much, if the first couple of people that you hire aren't able to get you the results that you're looking for. Results are what you are after, and the length of time the trainer has been training is irrelevant if he or she hasn't been getting results all that time. Some people have been driving a car for 25 years, and still can't parallel park.

Another good thing to do is to talk to people that you see with a trained dog. Perhaps they can recommend someone. Some people offer classes, and some people only do one-on-one. Some do both. It's just really good to see what is offered out there, and to meet the people, and to then make an educated opinion once you have done that. Smart shopping always wins in any arena.