As a veteran, an immigrant, an entrepreneur, a former law enforcement officer and correctional officer, a professional dog trainer, and now a motivational safety speaker, the answer is the American Dream embodied. Through books, classes, public speaking, support of other businesses, and, of course, training, Mr. Hernandez continues to influence public policy and improve this world by empowering people, disrupting organizational structures, and providing expertise on interpersonal relations issues. As a dog trainer, Mr. Hernandez seeks to work with both the dog and its owner, providing constructive insight, experience, and expertise, and never turning a case away, regardless of the situation’s difficulty.

Hector regularly conducts obedience classes and offers in-home training for dog owners and their dogs, as well as private lessons. He notes, with customary humor, “The dogs are easy; the owners are harder.” Memorable and effective, his classes and individual training sessions leave both owner and dog with a long-lasting relationship of respectful obedience and mutual affection. He solves problems with dogs and their owners in a way that leaves you in awe of his ability to know how much to do, attempting to correct bad behavior and when to back off and “let the dog teach itself.” He understands that there are bad dogs/good owners, as well as good dogs/bad owners, although most cases fall somewhere in between. Both owners and dogs “just need to learn the concept,” he will say at the beginning of a series of lessons.

He will not refuse any dog or owner, regardless of how poor the relationship has become. Nor does he shy away from telling an owner the truth about the dog’s (and owner’s) problems. Sometimes these problems can’t be solved; more often, with patience, they can.

His training demonstrations for various groups of professionals and business people teach them how to prepare for dog encounters. In these sessions, he teaches a diverse range of individuals, from parents to firefighters to animal shelter personnel, how to protect themselves in situations involving dogs. He demonstrates how “reading the dog’s body language” can help you distinguish between a harmless encounter and a potentially dangerous one, and what to do in each situation. His speaking technique will make you laugh, while also making you to think seriously about dog behavior and how to stay safe in various dog encounters.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS