Testimonials
One of the most important and integral aspects of caring for one’s pet is the training that you provide him or her with right from the beginning of your relationship. I was so fortunate and blessed to have the remarkable skills and services of Ian Hassman as my trainer. Not only did he take care of and grant my dog with his exceptional knowledge during the training process, but he also boarded my new puppy throughout COVID-19. Even more amazing is the fact that I live in the far southwest suburbs of Chicago and he resides in Pennsylvania. I cannot express how grateful and privileged I feel to have had and to continue to work with Ian as our trainer. As a tetraplegic, I knew that I wanted to develop and train my new puppy, Tadgh, to serve as a helping/companion pet. However, Ian has far surpassed my expectations with his familiarity and awareness of expertise in animals’ needs and behaviors.
Moreover, Ian went out of his way to initiate and to train Tadgh. He incorporated exercises and trainings with a wheelchair in order to prepare Tadgh with the resources to confidently access my own power wheelchair. Ian also made sure that Tadgh was reaching specific milestones throughout his trainings. Working with a new puppy, Ian recognized the importance of modifying and developing a strong sense of trust to keep Tadgh motivated while being trained.
At only six months and now in our care full-time, Tadgh is much more advanced than I ever expected or thought possible. Of course, this is due to Ian’s incredible strengths and acumen as a gifted, professional trainer. Ian truly listens to what your specific needs are and he then incorporates these into his services. He is also very passionate about his love for animals and for providing you, as the owner, with the skill set to continue to grow and learn with your own beloved friend.
To say that I look forward to our next training sessions is an understatement. I will continue to defer to Ian’s amazing repertoire of intellect regarding training and resources. Ian is also really down to earth and very approachable with addressing your certain ideas and training goals. He is now a really relevant and important part of my future goals and expectations with Tadgh because he not only listens and respects your thoughts throughout the training process, but he is committed to do whatever is required to help you and your pet succeed into the future. As you will also see from this testimonial, I have confidently taken the reins regarding the care of Tadgh from my wheelchair, which in and of itself is the greatest achievement for me as Tadgh’s owner. To say that the future is bright is unequivocally true.
-Margaret & Tadgh
Meggie came into my life in 2009 as a roughly 1½ year old pit bull that had been running the streets, picked up by the police, and turned into the local shelter. Her life before that was totally unknown. For the next 6 months, she spent her time being shuffled between a shelter kennel and a foster home. She was totally undisciplined and extremely pushy with me, but she clearly was very intelligent.
We went through a number of trainers, and I bought every sort of collar and harness that people suggested. She did manage to ‘graduate’ from a basic obedience class, but she remained a real challenge.
After about 8 months, I heard about Ian – a trainer who had been working with dogs – including shelter dogs and dogs needing rehabilitation – since he was a young teen. I’d learned along the way that shelter dogs often have their own set of issues, so knowing that Ian had experience with them was encouraging. After a couple of consults, he came to my home to assess Meggie in person. His way of connecting with and managing her was evident from the very start.
Even though I was life-long dog owner, Ian’s perspective and experience was invaluable. His advice and suggestions were appropriate for both Meggie and me. In the many years since, we’ve stayed in touch and I’ve watched him expand his experience and perfect his almost uncanny ability to relate to literally all sorts of dogs.
As a further testament to Ian’s influence and impact on her, Meggie went on to earn her Canine Good Citizen certification and to visit Scout troops, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and innumerable stores as an unofficial ambassador for pit bull-type dogs.
Ian truly was instrumental in Meggie’s transformation from a diamond in the rough to a priceless diamond.
-Nancy and Meggie
We contacted Ian in hopes he could help us with our Bernese Mountain dog, Oakley. Oakley is 14 months and has a problem of what is called "mouthing". With Oakley's size , this behavior is annoying and at times very painful, especially when he gets to wound up or overly aggressive.
Within an hour of meeting Ian, Oakley responded in such a positive manner, that my wife and I were blown away. Although this behavior will take some time to correct, we are greatly impressed with the way Ian interacted, not only with my wife and I, but especially with Oakley.
We plan to continue to use Ian and his recommendations to help Oakley. Ian and his techniques work and the way Oakley responded to Ian was amazing. If you are looking for a trainer that produces results, In Command Dog Training is your best bet!
-Todd, Tammy, and Oakley
We purchased our six month old Standard Poodle via the internet from a breeder in Kentucky. The breeder assured us he was “a sweet puppy, who only needed to get used to city living”. Nothing could have been further from the truth. He arrived an absolute wild man. He was afraid of everything and terrified of people. He had never worn a collar or been on leash. He would not willingly come to us or take treats from our hand. Needless to say we were overwhelmed. We had owned several dogs in the past, but Gabe was like nothing we had ever experienced before.
Before Gabe’s arrival we had discussed using a trainer because of a neighbor’s recommendation. We did our own research and Ian became the person we felt was most qualified. Well, he certainly did not disappoint. He took Gabe for a 2 week board and train with a list of agreed upon goals. At the end of the two weeks he returned a completely different dog…..the sweet obedient puppy Ian always believed he could be.
We continue to train with Ian and use him to board as well. He has become a family friend and a trusted source of information about dog behavior, especially a dog like Gabe.
-Linda, Frank, and Gabe