Testimonials

Rob and lucca

In today’s society, where there is disfunction and hate at every corner, someone comes along and completely makes you believe that great people do exist.

Several months ago, I was looking for someone to train my 5 month old English Cream Golden Retriever.  I became aware of Manny Guerra and based on his credentials, gave him a call.  Manny came to my home for a 1 hour training session and from that moment on, I was a huge fan.  He not only trained Lucca in a short period of time, but the incredible part of the session was how he was able to explain to me his training technique.  

After the hour, my gut feeling was that Manny was my guy. I knew in my heart that he was going to not only train Lucca but give him the best care possible.  His credentials speak for themselves.  He not only is qualified to handle the job of trainer, but is an incredible human being that truly loves his craft.  Manny is personable, caring and a nurturing individual who treats each client as if it were his own. 

It is hard to let your new baby go away with a stranger, but this was the best decision I could have made.  It was rough on me but each day I knew that Lucca would become a terrific dog. 

Each and every day, Manny would report to me with videos explaining what  was being taught that day.  His instructions along with video provided a clear picture of what I was to expect upon Lucca’s return.  This also enabled me to study and learn the commands so that when Lucca returned home, I would be able to continue the training.  After 8 days, Lucca was a much better dog that has grown into an incredible companion.

In closing, I cannot say enough about Manny and his dedication, compassion and professionalism.  He is now part of our family and I can honestly say that he is the ONLY trainer that I would use.  His attention to detail and the love he gives to each dog is magical. 

Thank you Manny for such an incredible experience.  You are going to be very successful and I wish you only the best.

Christa, Nicole and kobe

With privilege I would like to share my experiences with dog parents looking for the right obedience trainer.  I adopted Kobe at 5 months old and quickly discovered he was potty trained and knew the word ‘No’.  I thought this is a great start, no problem I can handle this…boy was I wrong! As Kobe grew stronger, I became nervous of interactions with other dogs and people.  I lost my confidence that I could handle him and felt that Kobe was taking charge.  My past training knowledge was not working, and I needed help or Kobe would have to go.  

I discovered Manny Guerra.  I supported his training techniques and philosophy and started weekly private training session at home. In between sessions Manny assigned ‘homework’ I knew Kobe was improving but I didn’t have the patience, or the time needed for his extensive puppy training.  I talked to Manny at length about options and his extended training programs. Manny decided that Kobe would benefit from a four-week session (with a week off in the middle due to vacation schedules). 

I didn’t realize how much I would miss him.  Manny sent videos, texted and kept me updated on his progress.  During Kobe’s week back at home Manny left ‘homework’ as well as supplies needed to continue his training and I was determined to keep up. I was thrilled, Kobe was responding so much better.  That week I realized that Manny had trained ‘Me the Parent’ and now understood how he came up with his business name.   

After another two weeks away, I was excited to have Kobe back home.  Manny took time to detail my new ‘homework’ and offered to stop by and check-in on progress.  I had my confidence back to handle Kobe…the parent was back in charge.  Kobe has been home for 6 weeks now and I still work on our homework daily.  It is not a chore anymore; Kobe and I have bonded and enjoy working on homework drills.  I can’t thank Manny enough for giving me the tools to create my new best friend.  

I can’t say enough about Manny, if you read all the testimonials of how caring, loving…etc. Manny is…I am here to say that they are all 100% true.  Manny Guerra is Amazing!!!  

Manny, Kobe and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

Christa Butler

kathy & will, Duck & hobie

Manny was instrumental in helping us with our two 100 pound Labrador Retrievers! They were out of control, pulling us down, pulling at other dogs, running to the front door barking and running at little kids. We worked with Manny at our Palm Springs home teaching them the basics, place, walking properly on a leash and using the correct collars, leashes and tools to assist us.

Manny then came up to our home in Idyllwild with his wife and young son to work on interacting with young children while leashed. Manny’s son was a pro and assisted us with these training sessions. We now feel confident walking our dogs, we don’t get pulled down any longer, they don’t run to the front door (most of the time) and they don’t react when little children are present.

We highly recommend Manny and K9 Parent Training. It’s really all about training the human properly and dogs will learn pretty easily. It does take lots of practice. We are furthering our training at Manny’s new Palm Springs facility opening next month.

Geoff Kors and Dash

Manny is an incredible trainer.  Having worked with a number of dog trainers over the past 40 years, Manny is by far the best.  His gentle approach in teaching us and Dash has been incredibly rewarding. 

Dash loves learning from Manny and when a few less than desirable behaviors developed Manny taught us how to quickly and easily resolve them.  We have referred Manny to several friends who all sing his praises. Dash says, "I love Manny. 

He teaches me using fun games and more importantly teaches my adult companion how to teach and love me so I can always be good and  love them back.”

Iris and Jake

Let me introduce to you my Labradoodle named Jake. When he came to us he was 5 months old.  He was the cutest, sweetest, and most loving dog with big green eyes that would make you melt.  He didn’t have a mean bone in his body. Unfortunately he was also the most hyper, crazy lunatic with every bad habit imaginable.  He had high anxiety and was extremely excitable. The two main issues that we had with him were his screaming like a Banshee and pulling me or my husband down the block.  

My neighbors would actually run the other direction when they saw us coming. It got so intolerable that I stopped walking him.  I was not enjoying my dog and I became so stressed that I didn’t want to take him anywhere.  My husband and I truly wanted Jake to be a part of our family but we were at our wits end. We previously had Manny as our trainer for Jake for two weeks when he was 8 months old.  It helped enormously, but after a year passed Jake needed extensive training. Jake was now almost two and the problems were worsening.  At this time, we made the decision to send Jake back to Manny for 5 weeks.  

It was perfect timing. We were going on vacation so we were able to kill two birds with one stone.  It was the best decision we made. I can’t say enough about Manny.  When he returned Jake, we couldn’t believe this was the same dog.  He now walks behind me, the Banshee scream is gone and in the house he is incredible.  He goes to place and stays there until I release him.  He doesn’t surf the counters anymore, doesn’t jump on us anymore, and is so relaxed and calm.

 Jake was returned home and I knew our work was now truly going to start. Manny came over several times to show me how to follow through with what he had taught Jake.  He wrote a plan down as a guideline to follow and continues to make sure that I am succeeding. We take Jake all over now.   Our first experience was when we went to Homegoods.  To our surprise, three people came over to us because they couldn’t believe how well behaved our dog was.  My husband and I were hysterical, never before did we dream that Jake could be like this.

Manny we love you and of course what you did for our Jake.  He is a much happier dog and is enjoying his new and improved parents.

Robert Cabral, Founder, Bound angels

I have known Manny Guerra in a professional capacity for over 5 years. I am happy to write a recommendation for Manny relating to his amazing skills with people and dogs.

Manny is incredibly personable and can relate to most any person. I’ve seen him in different capacities from student to teacher and he always shines. He is a skilled dog handler and trainer, but what I feel is Manny’s greatest asset is his connection with people. He is also a skilled martial artist and brings a very Zen-like demeanor to dog-human interaction. I feel this is most valuable and mostly unseen in dog training.

Over the more than 5 years I’ve known Manny I have always been impressed by his character, his dedication and his compassion to both people and dogs. He will be an asset and a friend to anyone who has the pleasure of working with him.

Tamara Hedges, President, Palm Springs animal shelter

It is with sincere enthusiasm that I recommend Manuel Guerra for any position involving animal welfare and advocacy, particularly dog training, enrichment and socialization. In 2012, Friends of the Palm Springs Animal Shelter was awarded the contract to operate the city shelter. Manny was one of the very first employees we hired. He started as an animal care attendant and quickly mastered that role, serving in a leadership role for the team.

Manny is self-motivated, self-disciplined and driven. He recognized that he has a passion for dog training and pursued the required training and skills necessary to become a certified dog trainer. He reached out to experts in the field to learn best practices in shelter dog training and enrichment and then trained our staff and volunteers. Manny was instrumental in bringing dog playgroups to our shelter, helping to relieve the stress of shelter life as our dogs await their forever homes.

Many animal welfare professionals prefer animals to people, and that preference is apparent. Manny has a passion for training humans as well as dogs and has demonstrated his patience with both species. Manny is a kind, thoughtful and hardworking individual, able to navigate any situation with grace and diplomacy.

Carl Johnson, VICE PRESIDENt, Palm Springs Animal Shelter

I'm honored to provide this statement of support/reference letter for Manny Guerra, who I recommend without reservation.

I am a member of the board of the Friends of the Palm Springs Animal Shelter. We were awarded the contract to manage the Palm Springs Animal Shelter in November of 2012. Manny joined almost immediately and was a member of the team who began to create policies and procedures in our new No-Kill environment. He began as an Animal Care Attendant and worked with the dogs and cats establishing a clean, safe, healthy, and positive environment.

Manny is a smart, talented and energetic professional. He has an array of skillsets not typically found in a beginning animal attendant and soon began to show talents specifically with dog enrichment and behavior modification. His breadth of knowledge of the industry and ability to manage and train a team for success continued to expand and soon he was the first member of our Dog Enhancement team.

From there he learned from many experts in the industry through our sponsorship, and on his own personally, and built a solid team of staff and volunteers who worked with our dogs daily employing various techniques and programs allowing our dogs to grow and become more adoptable. As our Dog Enrichment and Behavior Specialist he also represented the shelter with the community in meetings, presentations, classes, and general interaction on dog evaluations and training. 

I have no doubt that he will bring the same infectious energy, and deep understanding of animal enrichment and behavior training to any organization or individual who is fortunate enough to employ him.

Joey and James

Manny was referred to me by a good friend, Steph Cooper, and I have to  say that I was impressed with him at the very first meeting.  His knowledge and willingness to share his expertise in behavior training is impressive.  We enrolled in Manny's FIVE session program and I am looking forward to another FIVE sessions in the fall.  

The hour each time Manny arrived (very punctual) was very well thought out and the time actually just flew by.  Before Manny left each time he would do a recap of the day's lesson… a refresher more for me then James.  I would recommend Manny’s services to any dog owner, you will enjoy it as much as the dog!  

Ernest & Milo

When Milo was delivered by the breeder, he was anything but a bundle of joy. He was impossible in every way. Both vet and trainer agreed that in his short life (6 months) he had already been abused. It was heartbreaking. I tried everything I knew and read to train Milo myself and none of it worked.

Milo and I were turned down by every training class in the PS area as well as several private trainers. He was afraid of everything and everyone. He was “too difficult “ and “too much work”. When I finally found Manny, he asked me if Milo was motivated by food or affection. Neither!  Milo wouldn’t let me pet him and he didn’t care if he ever ate.

Manny trained Milo and I with his unconventional techniques and Milo is now an amazing, well behaved, obedient dog and the love of my life. As far as I’m concerned, Manny is a miracle worker. In addition, he’s all the things you hope for in a professional. He’s reasonable, organized, efficient, on time/every time, his techniques work, and he loves dogs. 

I am forever grateful to Manny for saving and enriching my relationship with Milo.