Steadfast Dogs

When I decided I wanted to get a service dog, all of the providers were closed for applications due to high demand. We decided to try owner training, instead. Boy, was it a whole different ballgame than training the pets I’ve had previously. Caroline met the puppy prospects with us, performed the behavioral assessment, and has been a key player in raising my pup to be the confident, smart, helpful and loyal dog she is now. I really could not have done this without her, though. My dog was great – she’s smart, she’s keen and she loves to learn. However, I didn’t know how to teach her what I wanted her to learn. Caroline did, however. I had met several trainers, and we did not see eye to eye – they were not able to help me train within my abilities, which are different than most people, but Caroline found a work around every time I hit a limitation. She was encouraging where the others weren’t, and she always gave me the boost I needed when I wasn’t sure I could do this. She’s got so many valuable tools in her toolbelt, and she shared all of them to help us achieve our goals. Thank you so much.

She has always been very hardworking, conscientious towards the dogs and clients, honest and dependable… a valuable asset for Pro-Train Innovative Dog Training…taught in a professional and enthusiastic manner. She is well liked by all that know her and will be a valuable addition to any program that she associates with. -Mark Castillero

As a wheelchair and crutch user, I never felt safe taking my Husky for walks, for the well-founded fear that she would pull me down or chase a critter to somewhere that I couldn’t follow. In an amazingly short period of time, Caroline taught me how to mold my ever-pulling, bunny-chasing husky into an attentive, polite and trustworthy crutching and wheeling companion. She provided, to both my dog and I, the skills and confidence that we needed to enjoy the outdoors together.

Caroline Hillard is a fabulous dog trainer! She trained our families’ service animal, a Labrador retriever. Our dog started out as a hyper chocolate lab puppy who, thanks to Caroline, wound up being a very well behaved, well adjusted and happy retriever extraordinaire. One of our dog’s specialties is picking things up for someone who cannot bend down to get them, which she does brilliantly. She taught our family all about dog behavior and needs, more than I ever expected. Caroline really understands dogs. She is very experienced, highly skilled, kind, warm… a tremendous trainer who can address ANY dog training need. We HIGHLY recommend her!t

I met Caroline Hilliard at Pro-Train in San Diego, Ca, I was in need of a new medical alert service dog. Caroline really cares about her clients and the dogs. She does everything she can to find a perfect match, she knew exactly what I needed, and I trusted her fully with picking the right new service dog for me. She made the training lessons very easy to follow, and showed me a lot of skills I did not know with my previous service dog. She made me comfortable and encouraged me. I have had several dog trainers that I have worked with. I found that Caroline truly is an instructor with the highest knowledge of dogs. Caroline is an excellent trainer and I would recommend her to anyone in need of training. I can still call her at anytime to discuss issues or new problems.