Uncle Matty’s Dog Training

Terribly rude! I contacted him to ask about training for my dog, who barks at people and things out of fear and trust me he is NOT aggressive would never harm a fly, and uncle matty told me that unless I payed the RIDICULOUS price for training my dog would need to be put down! I don’t believe for one second my dog would ever need to be put down. Absolutely ridiculous. I would never let him near my dog.

Thinks he’s a dog whisperer. Doesn’t use love, kindness, or discipline to train which is a lie. He uses corporal punishment. Somebody should teach him how to dress too. And he smells like a coffin.

My work with Uncle Matty and my two dogs has been amazing. He is kind and gentle, but doesn’t mess around. My dogs love their hour lessons. I’d recommend him to anyone serious about investing in their four-​legged children.

He was very aggressive once he returned my call. He kept saying my grandkids and others were in danger of being attacked because they are Rottweilers and to lock them up or kill them. He hadn’t met either dog or myself and hadn’t even gotten a full description of the behavior issues. He only started verbally attacking once he realized what breed I have but prior to that he was all positive about the training approach.

This guy is so good with dogs! After he left the first time, my dog actually picked up her favorite toy and went to every gate crying for him (she wanted to run away from home with him). Then she went to her «den» she had dug in the middle of this huge jade plant and layed there just looking all sad. Aside from that, he took control, of her within minutes, she is heeling on leash, sitting, staying and is so eager to please, and even obeys well off leash and got her first bath with the least resistance ever, yay! I just used it daily after work. I’m getting her crate to get her used to the cats and he is worth every single dime I spent. My dog loves him and so do I. Hes a great trainer!

Very rude and arragant I wouldn’t pay him a dime or let him near my dog!!! I just wanted some help with my dog when on the leash he is very friendly but gets protective around my house, Uncle matty said he has aggression problems without ever even meeting him and wanted $ 1800 what a rip off.

Wow, he must seriously PAY people to write a review and rate above the mandatory one star!!! I called him to ask about my runner dog and he wanted $ 7,500 and tried to bully me by asking if my dog was my child and if so why I WOULDN’T pay this crazy price for MY CHILD!!! And becasue I wouldn’t use him, them my dog would just run out in the street and get KILLED!!! REALLY??? Who says that?! His is rude, and arrogant, obnoxious and CRAZY!!! NEVER would I give him my money or let him HANDLE my BABY!!!

Thank you all for posting and sharing your experiences. I will dig within and train me myself.

This guy charged my wife $ 500.00 for a ten minute phone call. Just an expensive con artist. Do not call him or use him, he will con you and rip you off.

Thanks to those of you who thought my review was useful and those who thought it was funny. This really isn’t an updated review on Uncle Matty’s Dog Training but just some added comments. I read a few more negative reviews and laughed when they mentioned the same behaviors in UM (Uncle Matty) that I experienced. Seriously, if I called UM and told him that my 10 week old miniature poodle had just got ran over and killed and that one of its fangs was protruding from under his dead lifeless mouth, UM would have stopped me immediately and told me I had an aggressive dog and that he was going to attack and bite somebody. Also that it would cost $ 2500 to make the devil hound safe to be around humans… That was fun but me point is UM cannot have the few positive ratings that he has. Only was would be if one of his assistants made the call and did the training or if he went online and created some fake accounts and did his own reviews. Good luck out the people…

Uncle Matty is worth EVERY penny I paid. His fees may be higher than most but you get what you pay for.
I adopted a dog from a local shelter & was having a very difficult time. He was 3 year old, not house-​trained, jumped up, was mouthy & would not stop pestering my 13 year old dog. In one visit to my home Uncle Matty’s training drastically improved my dog’s behavior. There was easily a 90% improvement in one session. It was amazing. At the end of this session I was able to pet my new dog without him pulling at my shirt or mouthing my arm. I knew he was a good dog, I just could not figure out how to train him out of his anxious, stressed-​out behavior.
After several sessions at my home we continued our training at McKinley Park & the Fountains at Roseville. It was so helpful to train him in places with distractions. My dog learned how to behave regardless to what was going on around him.
With Uncle Matty’s help my dog is now the great dog I knew he was when I adopted him. He volunteers as a Humane Education dog at one of the local shelters & is working towards becoming a therapy dog. Mostly, he is a wonderful, well-​balanced, well-​behaved member of my family. My friends welcome him to their homes and are so impressed with how much Uncle Matty’s training improved his behavior. All of this was made possible from the time and money I invested in Uncle Matty’s training.
Uncle Matty’s approach with me was honest & direct. It was not easy to hear about all the things I was doing wrong. Yes, me not the new dog. His direct feedback was key to our success.
I highly recommend Uncle Matty’s training.

I called Uncle Matty based on my Vet’s recommendation. I had just adopted a 1.5 year old husky/​sheperd mix from the animal shelter and was worried about his intergrating with my other dogs and cat. Because the Downey animail shelter (I am in Southern California) shelter is terrible they gave me the dog unaltered with an agreement that stated I must have him neutered in 60 days. When I called Uncle Matty, the dog was unaltered.
So, I call Uncle Matty and tell him that I adopted a 1.5 year old dog from the shelter that had never had obedience training but is a very people person sweet dog only he shows signs of both toy and food aggression with my other dogs. Uncle Matty’s asks if I have children, I say yes, and he says «take the dog back to the shelter today». That is it, end of discussion (no discussion). He has no interest in actually evaulating the dog, seeing the dog in person, hearing anything further I have to say. I ask about neutering he says «won’t make a difference» — «take the dog back and get a puppy» — I said but he is only 1.5 years old, he is practically a puppy but after a little more chastisement from Uncle Matty he says won’t even train the dog but I have to take him back to the shelter and tell the shelter (1) he is aggressive and (2) cannot be around children. Essentially, Uncle Matty wanted my dog to be euthanized (because lets not kid ourselves about what would happen if I returned a dog to a shelter saying he was aggressive and could not be around kids).
Now I am not irresponsible. I did keep the dog on a harness and kept him leashed in the house and the backyard. He was never free roaming at any time. If he was not with myself or my husband he was in the spare bedroom. When we slept, we was crated in the bedroom with us so he could sleep around us and be around our other dogs. When we were home he we kept his leash secured to the dinning room table so he was in the proximity of everyone and the dogs could walk past him (but he could not chase) and everyone could just get used to being around one another. Then, after 5 days we had him neutered and, after that, it was like he was a new dog. Honestly, all it took was 10 days for him to get used to the new environment, neutering, some basic obedience (which we are working on with him everyday), love and — for those moments when he needed correction a can of compressed air (which we use very sparingly) — but it sure beats the heck out of euthanasia. Now he is 100% fine with our other dogs. He just needed basic obedience, neutering and a little work. Now he eats with the other dogs (he is fine with our cat), plays with the other dogs, listens and it just took being careful, diligent and patient. He even just graduated up a level in his obedience class (and it only took 3 sessions).
I am here reviewing Unlce Matty to beg people PLEASE — NEVER, EVER TAKE THE WORD OF SOMEONE WHO WON’T EVEN COME EVALUATE YOUR PET IN PERSON. IF YOU THINK, FOR A MINUTE, MAYBE I SHOULD GET A SECOND OPINION, PLEASE DO. IF I HAD LISTENED TO UNCLE MATTY MY WONDERFUL DOG WOULD BE DEAD. HE DOES NOT KNOW IT ALL… NOT BY A LONG SHOT. It breaks my heart to think that his callous attitude and sheer arrogance has likely caused the death of other dogs who, like my dog, do not deserve to be labeled «aggressive» and shipped off to the shelter to die.

I contacted Uncle Matty seven years ago after rescuing a Weimaraner. I was looking for a reputable dog trainer to train my pup. During the initial phone interview if became very clear to me, very quickly, that Matty was professional, thoughtful, caring, knowledgeable and experienced in all aspects of his craft, dog training. This was just reinforced when Matty showed up at my home for our first lesson. His techniques of training using love, care and affection work and can be used with any dog. He trains your dog and then trains you to handle your dog. It’s a great system and it just flat out works. To date I’ve had four dogs all trained by Matty and have been thrilled with results. Don’t waste your time with other trainers who try to bribe your pet to obedience with treats, you’ll just have a fat dog that begs for food all the time. Go to the master. You’ll be glad you did… and so will your dog.

I wish the review would let me give him zero stars. We just have got our second dog Molly, and she has severe separation anxiety, I was calling for help and by the end of the conversation he said maybe I should find her a better home. How dare he make a statement like that, he doesn’t even know what kind of dog owner I am. My dogs are my children and I would never give them up, very rude and unprofessional. I am not sure how he gets business if that was his sales pitch. Thanks for nothing Uncle Matty.

This guy is an arrogant man who is looking to take your money. Do not fall for it!!! He told me that my dog needed to be put down (this was over the phone). He jumped to conclusions and was trying to make me feel like crap. By the way, he asked for $ 7,500 up front!!! (what world does this guy live in)
Dont use his services, he’s full of CRAP!!!

We contacted Uncle Matty per our breeder’s recommendation due to some behavioral issues we had with our puppy. When we called Uncle Matty and he was direct and honest. This was refreshing as we had already had 2 trainers out before Matty that weren’t as honest and direct with us, and therefore did not help us or our dog.
We have seen Matty 3 times and our dog’s behavior has improved tremendously! Matty has turned us from dog trainer skeptics to raving fans! He has given us some great guidelines that have really helped our puppy and our sanity. Matty took the time to listen to our concerns and said we can call anytime if we need his help; which was very comforting.
While Uncle Matty may not be the cheapest dog trainer like most things in life, you get what you pay for. If we had to do it all over again, we would have called Uncle Matty from the start! Matty has not only done what he said he would do, but he has gone above and beyond. We highly recommend Uncle Matty!

After reading these reviews, I was compelled to weigh in with a different opinion. I hired Uncle Matty in March 2011 after I rescued a Siberian Husky who had been given to the SPCA because he was «too hyperactive & unmanageable». He was beautiful but had a host of problems including dominance & some aggressive tendencies. He regularly tried to knock me down & sometimes succeeded.
I had watched Uncle Matty train another Husky belonging to a good friend so I wanted the best. In the first 5 minutes, Matty turned that dog from a screaming, thrashing, twisting, jumping mess into a calm submissive well behaved dog. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. He uses «love, praise & affection» just like his commercials say. There was no need for food treats or other gimmicks. The mere sound of his VOICE is enough. My dog simply adores him. A year & half later, he has become a great dog. True, Matty is expensive, and perhaps his level of expertise isn’t necessary for some dogs, but in my case, I would have given the dog back to the shelter without Uncle Matty.
Besides the lessons, he is available to help by phone, email, or text whenever there is problem. He has called me several times just to see how my dog is doing. He knows every trick in the book when it comes to relating to, and understanding dog’s behavior & motives. He provides you with all the tools and equipment you need as well. His website & videos are also very helpful.
I have to say I have not experienced the unpleasantness or attitude that some reviewers have mentioned. I agree that he is very direct, and will tell you the truth — which sometimes isn’t fun to hear. Sometimes the owner/​handler is a big part of the problem, & if that’s the case, he will tell you so & work with you to overcome the problem. Whenever he gave me constructive criticism it was in a positive manner & was not only necessary but ultimately helpful. The guy knows his stuff.
If you are looking for a touchy, feely, yes man who will tell you what you want to hear, maybe Uncle Matty isn’t for you. But If you want the best dog trainer around, call HIM. My dog agrees. WOOF!

Curiously, I had wondered how Uncle Matty affords those infomercial ads on the radio, but he must be gouging his clients to make that much money.
I must concur with Clive and the others on this site who have had terrible phone conversations with Matty. He is an unpleasant person; a downright arrogant, know-​it-​all who jumps to conclusions. I encountered him many years ago, in the late 90’s, when i was trying to train a nutcase Schipperke. He spoke condescendingly to me on the phone and that was that. Then, I actually felt guilty, thinking «He was the expert» so maybe I am wrong. But I wasn’t. In my case, my dog WAS UNTRAINABLE. He was put down a couple years later for biting all of us in the family, after it was discovered that he had a thyroid tumor all along. This hyper doggie was beside himself; he was not to blame. He had a medical condition.. .. and Matty’s attempts at training would have drained my bank account —for nought. My dog was insane. And so is Uncle Matty, demonstrated by his lack of people skills.
Now, we have 4 cats. No more dogs. Too much trouble anyway.

Count me in as another disappointed Uncle Matty would-​be customer!
I contacted Uncle Matty when I first got my two month old pup. This wee thing is the apple of my eye and since he was too young to go to obedience classes in my area, I thought in home training would be just the trick to get him on the right path. I checked out the website, did all the puppy tests available there and what do you know, I have an awesome pup– yey! Lets get em trained so the whole world can bask in his delightfulness. I send my contact information and Uncle Matty calls me back almost immediately.
I explain that I am looking for training for my lil guy just to make sure we get the best start possible, that so far there were no behavioral issues and I wanted to keep it that way. Matty asks me what my family situation is (he wanted to know if I worked). I explained that both my husband and I worked full time but we were able to stagger our hours so the dog was not isolated for too long. I was then treated to what seemed like an endless diatribe against people who get dogs and then work, specifically small dogs.
He informed me that I would never housebreak the dog because had him use a puppy pad when I went to work. Excuse me? He then went off on this diatribe against «You people» Yea, he said «you people». «You people who go and get these small dogs and then rely on pads». He said to me «You wouldn’t have done this if you had a German Shepard». Uh… I didn’t get a German Shepard, I got a mini doxie and housebreaking isn’t my issue, I just wanted him to learn to sit and stay.
Uncle Matty informed me that he «couldn’t help» me and then allowed for this terrifically long pause… presumably where I was supposed to cry and tell him I had seen the light and would immediately quit my job and be a full time stay at home dog mom. Instead, I told him thanks and got off the phone.
The take home message here is: if you work don’t bother calling Uncle Matty. If you don’t work, you probably cannot afford Uncle Matty. If you have a small dog, for the love of pete make sure that sucker is house broken before calling Uncle Matty. Or better yet… just don’t call Uncle Matty.
Oh and btw Uncle Matty, if you read this the pup that you said would never be housebroken because I work, IS housebroken. It took longer than folks who don’t work outside the home, but it can be done. I wish you had as much faith in people as you do in dogs.

We paid $ 2,100 for seven one-​hour sessions for our hyper lab puppy. That equals $ 300 per hour. Uncle Matty did all the training. He came to our house twice and the rest of the sessions were at McKinley Park.
Uncle Matty is amazing with dogs, but he is also a fabulous sales guy. When we called him to ask about his services he came out to our house that same day to «assess» our puppy. Oh and he also asked for a credit card number on that very same visit. A credit card that showed his charges THE NEXT DAY!
After our first session he tried to sell us on an additional 7 sessions… after just one hour session! At that point I did not know what he could do with our dog because our pup had one hour of training and Uncle Matty wanted another $ 2,000 stating that he would train our dog differently in the beginning if we wanted off leash training later. Then he made me feel that if I didnt do off leash training my dog would run into the street and die. Well I figured he would be happy to take our money later if he wanted it and if he was as good as he says he is (he gloats he is the #1 dog trainer in the world) he could continue off leash training at another time. I really wanted to see our pup;s behavior improve before committing an insane amount of money to this man. Also he provides no guarantees and says if the dog fails it is the owners fault, not his.
Alas our pup was just too young for the training. Note to pet parents — don’t pay to train your puppy too early. It is like trying to teach a one year old multiplication… they are just too young to get it. But Uncle Matty does not care he gladly takes your money anyway and knows how to get the most out of you when you are frustrated with your pup and at your wits end.
The only reason you would need this kind of professional dog trainer is for an aggressive dog. Otherwise you can get regular obedience training for a lot less at other places. I can honestly say this was the biggest waste of money I have ever spent.
Lastly, Note to women — He is horrible with women and made me feel awful at every training. Among other things he called me a «drama queen». Now I am a lot of things, but a drama queen is not one of them. I just think for $ 300 an hour I should not pay to be insulted while I watch him yank a chain so hard around my dogs neck she Unilocal out in pain. I also saw the way he talked to other women at the training that would have a session before or after me and always felt it was very demeaning. I would never use his services again.
If you really still like him, by his book and CD. It is the same stuff for a fraction of the price.