This is the background of how Kona’s Dog Training got their start.
Six years ago Gabrielle adopted Kona, a Siberian Husky. Gabrielle was unaware that Kona had severe human aggression (barked at people a lot) and anxiety problems.
Gabrielle says she has gone through three separate dog trainers and she saw no improvement in Kona’s behavior. Feeling completely hopeless and frustrated she finally found the perfect trainer, who later became her mentor.
After some hard work and great training, Kona is now a great companion dog and Gabrielle says she couldn’t be happier. Without proper training I would likely not have a great dog today and that is why I went into training.
Gabrielle goal and hopes are to help everyone keep their dogs in their homes and have great family pets.
Gabby is phenomenal! She is amazing with dogs and so easy to work with. After my dog Minnie went to her board and train program, she continued to help support our family on how to continue training at home to ensure success.
We have called her multiple times and she has answered all of our questions and encouraged us to call anytime we need without hesitation. She has continued to be wonderful to work with and I would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking to get their dog trained.
If you want your dog to be well-trained and well-disciplined, then Gabrielle Sabol, who owns and runs Kona’s Dog Training, is the trainer you want and need. In addition, if you want the confidence in your own dog handling skills, it will be Gabrielle’s training that will help you gain that confidence. My dog and I have had the privilege of being trained by Gabrielle, and I cannot recommend her highly enough. Gabrielle is highly skilled in gaining a dog’s respect, not to mention the owner’s. She is very patient and highly resourceful when it comes to your dog’s special needs as well as your own as the dog’s owner and handler. Her knowledge of dog behavior is amazing, even to the point that she knows what the dog is feeling and wanting at any given moment. She explains every training exercise fully, as well as the reasons behind the exercise, and then she demonstrates the exercise, making it seem so simple. She explains the results that you should be aiming for. She makes sure you don’t leave the lesson until you have performed the exercise perfectly. If you come to her with some anxiety or even fear regarding your handling of the dog, that anxiety disappears in no time. Your confidence level grows immensely. If you have special needs to get around to handle the dog, such as trouble bending or stooping, Gabrielle offers alternative ways to accomplish the same results. Gabrielle also goes out of her way to accommodate your dog’s special needs as well as your own. For example, my situation required speedy training on a tight schedule. Gabrielle went to the trouble of scheduling us to meet these requirements.
My situation was unique, in that I was planning to move in just a few weeks from Mesa, Arizona to Tallahassee, Florida. My chief concern was that Honey, my 3-year-old Miniature Pinscher, was only used to my house in Mesa, where there were very few dogs in the neighborhood. She was accustomed to barking at every person walking by as well as those evil golf carts. She would go crazy with barking, jumping, and trying to squirm out of her leash. Gabrielle treated my dog as if it were her own, and Honey was always very relaxed during the training. In fact, Honey developed a deep respect and affection for Gabby (as her friends and clients address her). Gabrielle developed a special schedule that would get me ready for my move, even with room for extra lessons if I needed them. My preparations included getting a pet friendly apartment, which would create a dog-rich environment, let alone numerous tenants all around. I was already imagining Honey going nuts at the door and windows, destroying the apartment, my tenant reputation, and my lease. However, Gabrielle was able to train me to keep Honey calm and under control, simulating the circumstances that would appear in and outside of the apartment. One of the exercises was “Come On Demand.” I must admit I had much trouble, previously, in gaining Honey’s attention in order to get her to come to me every time she was called. Gabrielle made sure I understood the importance of this command, and I practiced it very diligently. The first week I was in my new apartment in Tallahassee, the cable TV guys left my door open while I was in another room, and when I came out, Honey was gone. Naturally, my heart was in my throat. Since the apartment is in a heavily wooded area, I could only imagine where Honey had gone, and what creature she might be chasing, or worse, might be chasing her. Without knowing in what direction she fled, I called out for her as we practiced, and almost immediately I heard the familiar sound of her shaking her collar with all the tags jingling. With tail wagging, and barks of joy, she galloped out of the woods to papa. That experience was worth all the lessons put together! As I stressed at the beginning, Gabrielle Sabol and Kona’s Dog Training are the key that will unlock the door to your well behaved and loving dog, and to your confidence in your dog-handling skills.
We have worked with several different dog trainers in the past and Gabrielle with Kona Dog Training is hands down the best!! She is extremely knowledgeable and beyond patient with not just our pup Tegan but us as pup parents as we learned and curved bad habitats. Communication with Gabrielle was seamless, she created a personalized training schedule after a meet and greet and was always available for any questions, concerns or freak-out moments we had along the way! I would recommend Kona Dog Training for ANY issues big or small you are having with your pup!! We will definitely use Gabrielle for any future training needs!!
– ASHELY STALEY
Gabrielle is the best! She understood our (my pet Toby and me) issues and immediately went to work on them. In one month, our enjoyment of each other has returned and increased. Toby had been highly stressed for a long time and he is now a calm and happy dog! I couldn’t be happier! Thank you Gabrielle!!!
Maureen B.
Gabrielle is amazing! Our 1 year old Blue Nose Pit was a completely new dog after spending two weeks with her. She’s no-nonsense and professional, but also very sweet with the pup. Our dog LOVES her! The foundation Gabrielle laid and the skills she taught us were great! We’ve eliminated destructive chewing and reduced pulling so much that we’re actually able to walk our dog outside. We can have guests over now without being embarrassed. Thank you so much!
Maisha
We adopted a one year old Border collie/ Australian Heeler mix that had been abandoned in the desert. She had considerable fear aggression issues along with other challenges. Gabrielle assessed the situation and explained that the dog wasn’t giving us a hard time she was having a hard time and was reacting accordingly. It’s that kind of perspective that Gabrielle uses in her approach to training a dog owner. We’ve had some rough moments but Gabrielle has always been there for us and “Millie”. Gabrielle told us that Millie had encountered so many scary things in her short time on this earth that it may take some time for her to accept that her owners have everything under control. We’re grateful that we found Gabrielle to help us with Millie. We still have a lot of work to do but with Gabrielle’s help we know Millie is on her way to being a great family dog!
Kona’s Dog Training
Tempe, Arizona 85282
(480) 254-7701
gabby@konasdogtraining.com