Reviews
*Just a quick follow up to let you know, we think it’s working!!!! Muffins has done exceptionally well considering we only started 5 days ago! THIS is the puppy I brought home & the puppy experience I was expecting! Thank you!!
Kristina F.
Sarasota FL
*Well to put it short.. Will is awesome! We brought home a rescue from the streets, pit mix, named Buddha. He, of course came with lots of issues. The main issue being fear based aggression. (and he did not like my husband, or any man) Will came to our house, spent a good portion of the day with us and Buddha and walked us through every training tool.. hands on (and our other small dogs) After Will left, we followed all the guidelines in the very informational packet given to us by Will, along with special training leashes for all of our pups. It is more like family training. Well, long story short, Buddha is now a very special member of our family! He LOVES my husband!! I can take him anywhere and everyone loves on him! Will gave us the tools and the knowledge to make this happen! Awesome also, is the fact that anytime I have a question about a behavior of Buddha, I can call Will anytime and he will always give great advice on how to handle a situation. We couldn’t be happier with Will. I believe, if it weren’t for him, we might not have had to patience to keep Buddha. Thank you Will.. we will forever be grateful to you for our fur-ever friend Buddha!
Dorinda M.
Bradenton, FL.
*We got a Yellow Lab puppy on Wednesday, and Will was at our house Thursday afternoon teaching us how to train him. Great insights – gave us drills that we can use to get him to fit in to the family. We have three other older dogs and he helped us with them as well. All of the drills he gave us are actionable and immediately applicable. Our puppy is doing great, is almost completely potty trained, is doing very well on the leash, and is on his way to being a perfect little gentleman. The drills we were taught are fantastic, and led to a lot of “Oh wow” moments as we realized that we were handling our older dogs totally wrong, and accidentally reinforcing some bad behaviors. Thank you for the great insights, Will!
William C.
Sarasota FL
*We were having problems with our 2 females not getting along in our pack of 5 Pit Bulls. Being a fan of Cesar Millan and a believer in Dog Psychology, and practicing those methods, I could not figure out what I was doing wrong. I talked to many dog trainers and tried some of their techniques and suggestions. It just didn’t work. I knew I had to find someone who knew and practiced Dog Psychology. I was so happy to find Will Thomas “The Tampa Bay Dog Whisperer”. He came out to the house and talked with us. Then he met the pack and got to work. He worked with the dogs and it was very hot that day and the dogs had a lot of energy, but Will showed patience and remained calm. He shows no frustration and never hurts the dog or yells at it. In less then 2 hours he was walking the girls together and had my wife walking our very strong, 80 lb. of muscle dog with no problem. She had never been able to do this before.
Will gave us some great advice and what to do daily. I realized what I was doing wrong and corrected the problem. Today, my pack of 5 all get a long great and Will is always there to answer questions for me. This is something he offers that you can’t put a price on. I strongly recommend him to anyone.
Allen – Oldsmar, FL
*”Our family purchased a 4 month old dog from a breeder. We had done what we thought, was a lot of research. Our dog, Speed Bump, was bright, loved the children and me, but was a little aggressive towards my husband. This aggression soon increased and became aimed at all men and some women. Then it became blonds, Aftrican Americans, etc. Our family dog had bitten 20 people. We had consulted with the breeder, the vet, a dog consultant, and dog therapist. We knew that if we did not find a solution, our family dog would be put down & we could be sued. After spending over a thousand dollars and having lost hope, we contacted Will Thomas. He was our last resort.
Will not only showed us a calm Speed Bump, but also demonstrated ways for us to maintain that calm. Will really took the time to get to know us, our dog, and our life situation. He gave us follow up exercises that fit into our lifestyle. Now, not only does Speed Bump have a better temperament, but so do we. AND, Will always makes himself available for follow up info by phone and email.
Thank you for helping us to allow our dog to be a dog, and for curbing Speed Bump’s behavior before we were sued.
Thank you , Will!”
D.B. Deerfield, FL
*Will Thomas is not only the Tampa Bay Dog Whisperer; he is a life saver in more ways than one! He has preserved our sanity and helped us bring peace and harmony back into our home. Our 6 yo female German shepherd was not happy with our new 5 month old puppy Rudy. She would have rather had him for lunch than play and have fun with him. After 2 weeks of pure desperation, I thankfully found Will’s website. He was the answer to my prayers and unbeknownst to Maggie, her savior! My husband was ready to ship Maggie off for trying to attack Rudy and on one occasion, she was successful. Maggie grabbed Rudy by his nose through the fence and I had to do everything in my power to stop my husband from killing her. My children were upset, my husband was furious and I felt like they were never going to get along. I thought we destined to a lifetime of keeping the dogs separated. That is where Will comes to the rescue. I searched high and low for dog trainers with his type of dog training philosophy and found Will. He responded to my frantic e-mail and called me back immediately. He made arrangements to come to our home and spent over 2 hours working with us and our dogs. Will taught us how to think like dogs do in packs and he changed our mindset about dog behavior all together.. A week went by utilizing his techniques and sure enough, Maggie and Rudy are now best buddies! The day Rudy and Maggie started playing together was the day a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. We can’t thank Will enough. He is always available if we have any questions and he will call to check up on the dogs and our family. He is truly an amazing dog trainer and a wonderful man.
Karen and Bob
Bradenton, FL
*Our 3 dogs were like a marauding gang! They chewed expensive furniture, peed in the house, stole food off the countertops, they even knocked me down on two occasions and I sprained my ankle. This was seriously messing with the harmony in our family. After working with Will and applying his techniques I am proud to say we have been able to shape these boys into a harmonious pack that really adds to our family life, instead of being the scourge of it.
D.R. Las Vegas.
*I need to thank Will Thomas – aka the Sarasota dog whisperer! OMG…I have a new dog on my hands. After only an hour of him “retraining” me, I realize my dog is more amazing that he was before & is only as good as the direction he gets from me. No more going through windows, jumping fences & taking me for walks!
B.W.
Sarasota FL
*We brought a new puppy in to our home with two other dogs, an Aussie and a Lab. From day one they did not take to our new puppy. The lab was highly aggressive to her and also was becoming aggressive towards us. My husband said that was a big NO NO and I needed to get rid of our lab (3 yrs). I cried for a week before deciding maybe he was right – nothing was working and I was scared he would soon land a fatal bite to the puppy. My vet said he wished we had a dog whisperer like Cesar Millan in our area. In desperation I went online and typed in Dog Whisperer asking God to give me a miracle. He did! I saw Will Thomas’ web site and called him. He answered my call that night, spoke to me for over and hour, and we set up an appointment for that weekend. I am amazed at the results. It wasn’t necessarily my dogs but me, and how I interacted with them. My husband balked when I first told him about the appointment saying he’d believe it when he saw it. He now believes and tells all our friends the story and change in our dogs. The lab and puppy are now best buddies, I am no longer stressed out and our home is much happier. He made a difference in just a few hours! Of course we had to follow through with the exercises he showed us for a couple weeks and now everything is second nature.
Crystal
Riverview FL
*We purchased, Lucy, a standard poodle, from a breeder. After a few weeks Lucy began to think she was the alpha in the house and began biting my wife so much that she had marks all over her arms. Lucy also would not allow us to read the newspapers in the morning and would tear apart the papers and anything else she could get her mouth on. Further, it was a chore to walk Lucy – she would go wherever she wanted and would cross in front of us. To run with her was impossible. In fact, on one walk she ran across my resulting in her falling to the ground. We were very frustrated and were about to give up on Lucy. We watched Caesar and thought we were following his procedures. Obviously, we weren’t because Lucy continued to do things her way. We took Lucy to a local store for training – but the training there was useless.
Then one day I heard someone talk about a dog whisperer in the Tampa Bay area. I did an internet search and found Will. He was at our house in a few days. Will spent four hours with us giving us all of the tools to become Lucy’s leader. I cannot believe the change that has taken place in just a few days. Lucy is now acting like a perfect dog. We can now read the newspaper in peace and there have been no bites since Will’s visit. For the first time I am able to run with Lucy and she follows perfectly. We can walk Lucy with ease. And to top it all off, Lucy seems to be a happier dog. We could not have done this without Will’s showing us how to be a leader and have a perfect dog. Also, it is reassuring to know that Will is only a phone call or e-mail away if needed.
Thanks Will!!!
Betty and Jim
Saint Petersburg, FL
*”My Great Pyrenees developed some medical issues and with his medication and diet change had started to become very food aggressive. I followed Will’s advice and now he is waiting patiently when I feed him and he is doing much, much better. Thanks so much for listening and caring!”
A.D. Florida
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*We were having trouble with our 5 year old Lab being aggressive towards other dogs. He would show his teeth and snarl at every dog that he came in contact with. We talked with some other trainers and one said it may be due to his past and another said maybe he just needed to stay home and not come into contact with other dogs. We were not happy with that. We met Will at a local pet expo and he said that it was just a matter of restoring balance to our dog. Will came to our house and met our dogs and then advised us on how to get our dog balanced. We have made great strides with our dogs. We found that when we followed Will’s advice we have great success. We have been in contact with him many times since his visit to our home and he has alwalys been there to help us when needed. Will helped us to be able to have our whole family with us including our dogs when we go hiking, boating and other outdoor activites.
Mr. & Mrs. O.
Sarasota, FL
*Land line. No text.
*Wow, what a difference! I now have a well behaved puppy that doesn’t pull on his leash, doesn’t jump on neighbors when I stop to talk, and no longer chases the neighbor’s cat. Will’s expertise is exceptional. My only regret is not calling him sooner. Thank you Will for a dog I will enjoy for many years to come.
Donna L
Bradenton, FL
*Hi Will,
I can’t thank you enough for helping to train me!! J Sunday afternoon when I got home we practiced our walk. He did awesome, and then him and I went for a brief walk Sun night (He was exhausted from Sat.) Then I took him this morning and evening with Madison in her stroller and it was amazing!! What a difference! He is a new boy!! It is so nice to be able to take him on my walks with the stroller!! I did not even do practice trial with the stroller! He just got it!! I wish I would have known about you a year ago!! I can’t get over the transformation in him!! Sunday all the family was over and he behaved so well!! Thank you so much!!!!!!! I will keep you posted on our progress!!
J Kimberly
Wesley Chapel
*Hi Will,
Thank you for being so diligent in following up with us regarding our dog.
He is enjoying his walks and not waking my husband any longer at night. He is sleeping happily outside our room.
He is also doing better when we leave him home alone, and does not appear as anxious as before when we return.
R.J.
Osprey, FL
*Will Thomas, the Tampa Bay Dog Whisperer, changed our lives and the lives of our dogs!
We have two shelter dogs that we adopted separately earlier this year and were having trouble balancing them. I am a huge fan of the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Channel and of dog psychology in general. I already used many of the techniques seen on the show but couldn’t get Spencer, our Jack Russell mix, to walk normally on leash without pulling like a sled dog, nor Macy, our fearful, nervous pointer mix to approach my husband and children. Macy is afraid of her own shadow and only trusted me to leash her, walk her, pet her, etc. It was hard taking the dogs together on walks because Spencer would pull me and lunge at other dogs while Macy would try to run away from people, bikes, strollers coming toward her or loud noises. Frustrating!!!
I also couldn’t leave the house for very long because my husband couldn’t leash Macy up and walk her. We even discussed taking Macy back to the SPCA to be adopted out to another family or single adult since this seemed to be the only solution. My youngest son became distraught if we discussed this possibility as he had grown very attached to her. Through his tears he said, “Mom, it’s time to call Cesar, the dog whisperer!” I knew the possibility of that happening was slim, so I looked online for a dog psychologist to help us. I saw Will’s web site and saw that he practices dog psychology just like the show. This was the answer I was praying for!
Will came to our home and turned Macy around in just one session doing simple, easy to understand techniques. My husband and children can now leash Macy and walk her by themselves, approach her without her panicking, and love on her without her being afraid. She seems so much at peace and happier now. Spencer is walking on leash without pulling and not reacting to other dogs. Will had Spencer doing this within 5-10 minutes! Amazing! Will gave us homework to do everyday after he left and the dogs are still improving.
I recommend Will Thomas to anyone that has any sort of problem with their dog. He helped us immensely with Spencer and saved Macy from a life probably stuck in animal shelters.
I can’t thank him enough…
Cheryl, Alan, Jack and Jeff
Wesley Chapel
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*HI WILL,
JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT AFTER YOUR CLINIC ON SATURDAY, THERE IS QUITE AN INPROVEMENT IN PEBBLES. SHE DOES GREAT ON THE CONTROLED WALK. IS NOT AS NERVOUS,DOES NOT BARK AS MUCH AND IS LESS AGRESSIVE WITH THE OTHER DOGS. I AM USING THE TRAINING ON MY OTHER 2 YORKIES AS WELL. IT SURE IS A LOT MORE PEACEFUL AROUND OUR HOUSE.
THANK YOU!!
J. W.
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*I asked Will to visit us the day after I brought Rusty home. Rusty is a 6 year old Golden Retriever who had been picked up as a stray and then bounced around for several months from Animal Control to a pet store, a short adoption and back to foster care. An added complication was the 13 year old blind Boston terrier we already owned. Will came to our house and worked with both dogs for several hours. He also showed me how to train Rusty to the leash and to obey commands. This dog had evidently never been properly trained.
Will was concerned that Rusty seemed to have low self esteem, due, I am sure, to his years of neglect and possible abuse. He recommended a program of walks, training, discipline, and giving Rusty some responsibility such as carrying a back-pack.
I have followed Will’s advice, and I am very pleased with Rusty’s response. He can now walk on a leash without pulling, comes when called, and has learned to ignore squirrels and cats in the neighborhood. I have had a couple of set-backs and Will has been very responsive in helping us as needed. I have been telling everyone about him.
P. A.
Sarasota, FL
*I recently rescued a year and a half old German Pincher who had been mistreated by her owners, then fostered for a couple months as she recovered from her abuse. When I got Gypsy she would not take food from my hand, was terribly afraid of sudden movements, barked at everything, pulled terribly on the leash, barked at everything and had a lot of fear aggression both with people and other dogs. I knew she had the capabilities of being a great pet and I wanted the best for her. Even though I have had many dogs, this was my first rescue and I had no idea where to start. I spoke with Will, he came to my house and spent about 4 hours with us. In that short period of time, the change was unbelievable and by using the techniques he showed me, it has continued to get better. She has become a well behaved, happy dog that I can feel comfortable taking anywhere. I could never have imagined her sitting quietly under a table as I had lunch on St. Armands…but it has happened! Our daily routine walks are pleasant and she ‘plays well with others’ both at the dog park and when she is being walked on a leash. What a difference in just 6 weeks! Will has always been available with prompt and detailed answers to questions and guidelines for any problem that arose. His calm, yet assertive demeanor is amazing and working to emulate that attitude has helped me in my personal life as well as with the dog. I highly recommend Will to anyone who wants their dog to be the best that they can be…he is truly remarkable!
Gypsy and I both say “Thanks Will”,
Anne Atwill
Sarasota, FL
*When Will walked through the front door I wasn’t sure what to think. A man who calls himself the Tampa Bay Dog Whisperer?
It didn’t take long before he was living up to the title. Our dog Charlie was shy at first but soon warmed up to Will. You see, we have an extremely timid dog; fearful of men in particular. Will assessed Charlie’s issues, worked on them while he was here, and gave us homework to do when he left. He put us on track to overcome Charlie’s fears and help him become a balanced dog. It’s only been a week and we are making progress. It shouldn’t be too long before all of Charlie’s issues are resolved.
Thanks Will!
Jane & Steve
Bradenton, FL
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*Will got me started with his method I have fantastic success with dogs now and total confindence.
Thanks Will!!!
Mike C.
Tuscon, AZ
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*Dear Will,
I was desperate until I went on line in an attempt to find help for our two nine year old Maltese and I am glad I found you. They were very aggressive toward other dogs as well as some people. Walking them was always extremely unpleasant and many of my neighbors refused to get anywhere near them. After working with three previous trainers there was no change for the better and I had given up all hopes of ever being able to have my dogs even get close to another dog without barking, fighting or biting.
Thank you very much for working with Sammy and Sugar. I really appreciate your following up to allow them to meet Pappy and visit with Freedom again. It was really helpful to have them interact with Pappy so that they could see another dog willing to play with them without a confrontation.
I know that I still need to continue to work with my dogs, and they are not perfect, but I really have seen more improvement than ever before I will keep you informed of their progress.
Thank you again for your help.
Sincerely,
Mary S.
St. Petersburg, FL
*HI Will,
I wanted to give you an update on Henry. He is doing MUCH, MUCH better. The nipping has been pretty much eradicated and he is 90% potty trained. Walks are FABULOUS now! Walking him with my son has become so much easier. We have not seen any aggression with other animals as we were starting to see. Overall we are seeing HUGE Improvements.
We are sending referrals your way.
Thank you.
Laura Nwagbaraocha
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*We adopted a shelter dog from Michigan, and brought her home to Florida to our pack of two Dobermans . We were very worried about introducing our male dobe to our new addition. He had grown up with two other Dobermans but was aggressive to other dogs. He asked Will to help us get Trooper balanced, and introduced to our new dog. I knew that if the introduction didn’t go well, we may have a really tough situation to handle, and might have to keep the dogs separated indefinitely. Will was able to calm my fears, and gave us some exercises to work on with Trooper in preparation for our meeting. Will met us at our house as Reagan was arriving from Michigan to help us introduce the dogs. We were astounded at the results. We are working on all the exercises that Will gave us, and all three dogs are getting along very nicely. Trooper and Reagan are great friends, and play very well together. It truly is amazing.
We are so happy that we had our own Dog Whisperer! Thank you Will Thomas!
Denise
Port Charlotte, FL
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I adopted a female malamute from the FL Malamute rescue. She was about 1 1/2 and was out of control, even standing on my kitchen table, chewing everything in site that moved. And to top that be afraid of any noise, movement, and men. I read about Will and decided I had no choice but to get help. Will came out within a few days and showed me what to do to help my beautiful little girl, grow up. Well I can now say after about 6 months or less in working with her, I can now put my cushions back on the sofa, and kitchen chairs, no more chewing, and everyday she shows me something new she has learned and it is all because of the way Will Thomas showed us how to change things around.
Kathy Crowley
*“Yowee -zowey, Will…. Took Bo for a 40 minute walk early eve yesterday. She did not get in front of me once! Amazing. Also, I’d like to report that my potty mouth is getting a lot better, another lesson you taught me.” A.H.
*“We finally got the nerve to take Holley to a public place yesterday (tiki bar) and she did wonderful. Whereas she would typically bark and lunge at people, we actually had her taking treats out of people hands, which is great progress. Thanks!” DA FL
*“Hi Will, Hands free training is awesome!!! Muna and I just took a walk and she’s connected to me as we speak. I love it. I can drink coffee. So far so good!!! This is my new favorite thing!!!”
EF Bradenton FL
*“I wanted to update you on Trapper and Maya, yesterday the neighbor dog was out and Maya did just great, I walked her repeatedly by the dog and she just didn’t care he was there. Trapper is so easy to walk now it is zero strain. I have recommended you to anyone who will listen and will continue to do so. Thank you again a million times over!” “Everything is going so well, we have had several encounters with neighborhood dogs and it turns out to be a non-issue.Trapper and Maya have purpose now and it shows, there is calm and peace in our home now. Thank you again for all you do!”
Rik, Jodi, Trapper and Maya Florida
*“Hi Will hope all is well with you and your pack. Things have been going really well over here with Monty, Ringo and Layla. Ringo has so much more confidence and has been doing great at nursing homes and meeting new dogs and people both at nursing homes and in general when we are out and about! No teeth showing to any other dogs… Thanks very much!”
Marcia G. Clearwater, FL
*“Hi Will. Things are getting much better with Dawson. He is really becoming the perfect, well-behaved dog thanks to your training.”
Mark,
Sanibel, FL
*“Thank you so very much for coming to my house today, my Mom and I so enjoyed meeting you, as did Meghan. After you left my house, Meghan and I took a nap ( hers was longer than mine). Meghan and I started our walk, and all of a sudden,I didn’t feel like I had a dog behind me, hallelujah!!!!!!I was doing it right, and she was too!!!!! The entrance into the house went perfectly, she was happy and so am I. The evening went very well, I am looking forward to tomorrow and my next homework assignment. Thank you again so much.Your friend, Colleen”, Parish FL
*“I am so pleased with your help that I will recommend you to anyone that has a problem. Thank you so much for all of your help!Thanks again,” Sheryl,
Florida
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*Hi Will,
Feel free to post my testimony on your web site (you’re welcome to condense it if it’s too long):
Before your visit with me in July 2013, I was at my wit’s end. My husband told me that if I sustained one more injury from our dogs, I would have to choose which one to keep. My husband travels a lot, so I’m left alone with our two pit mixes adopted from Humane Societies in Hillsborough and Hernando counties. The two dogs have had violent fights that leave one of them seriously injured and in the doggie hospital after being stitched back together. Walks were often dreadful because they dragged me across asphalt roads and yards when they spotted and chased cats, rabbits, or other small animals. One of our dogs has been super hyper ever since we brought her home at six months. I could never pet her because she got crazy and wanted to lick or bite me (her love bites were not always so gentle). They would jump on just about anyone who came into our home. At 70 and 80 pounds, they’ve knocked more than one person on the ground.
I did your prescribed exercises, and I now have two totally transformed dogs. They are both calm, very rarely jump on visitors, they never jump on me (not even when I returned from a two week vacation!), and very rarely jump on my bed. The minute I catch them and say, “Off,” they’re gone. I can now pet either of them indefinitely, and they stay calm and relaxed, and I can see how much they enjoy being petted.
I have a 15-year old autistic grandson whom I taught the exercises to. He walks and does the exercises with the dogs when I am out of town. They totally submit to him. It’s amazing to see. And they absolutely adore him. Since both dogs are close to six years old, I wasn’t sure if it would be possible to train them.
My husband told me I could never learn to be calm and assertive with the dogs because I’m too “nice” a person. I can’t wait for him to see how well behaved they are with me now! One of them would always pee when he got excited. It may be my husband’s turn to pee (no, not really) when he sees the remarkable transformation in them. I want to thank you for helping me become a successful pack leader.
Happy Camper Deb
Hernando County, FL.
Thanks, Will!
*Thank you, Will, for helping me understand a dog’s language in communicating and living in my house as a pack – with my lead! You are awesome!!
Jenni T.
Lakeland FL
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Email:
Will Thomas
Dog Whisperer
*Landline no text
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*Results may vary from dog to dog
