Dog Training

Meet our Trainer
German Shepherd Watchdogs is family owned and operated boutique operation. We are exceptionally pleased to have John Riboni’s daughter, Lauren Riboni, as our main pet dog trainer. In addition to her lifetime of experience with working dogs, Lauren has completed an apprenticeship through Dogworx Academy in Austin, Texas, under the expert instruction of world-class competitors and trainers Rob Dunn and Jessy Gabriel. Both Rob and Jessy are highly accomplished trainers who themselves have trained, handled, and competed with their dogs at national and international events. While at Dogworx Academy, Lauren performed not only pet dog training and evaluations, but also Noseworks, narcotics detection, basic Schutzhund, and service dog training.

Lauren has been an active part of our family operation since the time she could follow in her father’s footsteps, assisting with daily training, in-house training, IPO training, deliveries and follow-ups with new owners, working dog breedings, whelping, and puppy raising. Lauren has that natural, innate sense for dogs that has been developed over a lifetime of working with animals, and further fine-tuned through her experiences, training, and apprenticeship at Dogworx Academy. She also connects very well with both the dog and the handler, with a natural sense for how to best approach the training for each particular team. It quickly becomes evident that dogs and people alike adore Lauren and respond positively to her one-on-one instruction.

GSW is pleased to offer pet training for all breeds of dogs. We customize the training program to your dog and to your goals for your companion, and focus on bringing out the spirit and personality of your dog while helping them become well-mannered and obedient. Rather than insisting on one particular training philosophy, we adapt our training methods to each particular dog, working with their personality, temperament, training issues, and motivations.


Training Services
Private Lessons—We offer both in-home and on-site private lessons for pet owners, along with an initial evaluation of your dog. Training covered in private lessons ranges from basic obedience (sit, down, stay, heel, recall, and place) to behavioral training to help extinguish and retrain various undesirable behaviors such as jumping up, inappropriate barking, leash aggression, possessiveness, and more. Private lessons can be scheduled on an ‘as needed’ basis, or as a package of six or more lessons.

Board and Train—Our board-and-train option is a three- or four-week intensive training and socialization program. During a board-and-train, your dog stays at the GSW kennel and spends time in our home, allowing us to devote as much time as possible working with your dog. Training focuses on foundational obedience and socialization, as well as generalizing the trained behaviors in various situations. This is one aspect that sets our program apart: we proactively generalize and proof the trained behavior by taking your dog to dog-friendly public places, carefully and safely exposing them to different locations and distractions that they may encounter in everyday life.

Puppy Training and Socialization—Early training and socialization are crucial to raising a happy, well-adjusted puppy. Thus, we offer socialization and basic manners training for puppies. Here at GSW, we love working with puppies, and with helping their owners learn how to best communicate with them and be the pack leader from the start. If you are adding a new puppy to your home soon, this is an excellent chance to ensure that you both have a terrific start to your relationship.

Advanced Obedience—This training is geared toward helping a client achieve a BH or CGC with their dog. This is an excellent option for new handlers interested in possibly competing in Schutzhund/IPO or competitive obedience, but not really knowing where to start. We build a foundation of basic competitive obedience, and then train both dog and handler in the exercises required to complete the BH or CGC evaluation. Our advanced obedience training is as much about coaching the handler as it is instructing the dog!

Service Dog Work—One of our training specialties is developing the foundation work necessary for a good service dog. We work with the handler to develop not only the obedience training required of a service dog, but also the specific tasks that they will need their dogs to perform, such as opening doors, picking up objects, and more.