About Heart & Soul Dog Training

Relationship-based training in Sumterville

Heart & Soul Dog Training is a Sumterville dog training business serving clients throughout Central Florida, with board and train, personal coaching and online education for owners farther away. It offers individualized, relationship-based training for puppies, companion dogs, dogs with challenging behaviors and service dogs. The goal is better communication, clearer expectations and training that works in real life, built around each dog's genetics, temperament, history and environment.

Programs

Pet dog training covers basic obedience, household manners, leash skills, recall and impulse control. Behavior modification starts with an evaluation and a structured plan for anxiety, fear and other difficult behaviors. Service dog training guides people training their own service dogs through obedience, public access, task training and handler skills. Board and train comes in 3-week, 5-week and 3-month programs with follow-up support, and personal coaching teaches owners to train their own dogs.

The trainers

Founder and head trainer Victoria Warfel is credited with more than 20 years as a professional dog trainer and service dog trainer, and is Executive Director of Hope Service Dogs, Inc., a separate nonprofit that breeds and trains Golden Retrievers for service work. She lists NePoPo Certified Gold Premium Trainer status, NePoPo electronic collar certification, IACP-CDT, IACP-CDTA and IACP-PDTI credentials, and AKC evaluator approvals, and hosts the Service Dog Success podcast. Trainers Richard Warfel and Tera Becker round out the team.

What to ask

Ask about board and train pricing and coaching schedules.