BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION - GUIDED ADVENTURES - FITNESS DOG TRAINING

Client & Professional Reviews

We're proud of our great reviews. In addition to those below, check out our reviews on Yelp, Google and Facebook.

Whether your dog is jumping on people, pulling ahead on leash, or needs to enhance their basic foundational behaviors, this program is for you!

In this program, you’ll learn a proven process and receive a customized plan to reduce overwhelm, improve your dog's behavior, and regain tranquility in your own home.

Professional Reviews

"Steven is actually a colleague of mine, and I am a fellow trainer. I met him in 2016 at the Houston dog show. He is hands down one of my favorite local dog trainers and I would absolutely recommend him to someone in a heartbeat. When I am needing another trainers perspective or shoulder to cry on, he is there with ideas, wisdom, and humor ❤️ He is constantly continuing to learn more about training, dog health, diet, and more to help his client's dog be the best it can be! If you're wondering if you should choose him or someone else, you've made it to the right place!"

-Katie Midkiff, KPA CTP


I have been a professional dog trainer for 15 years with experience managing teams of dog trainers and working with dog training mentees. I worked with Steven, directly, for 3 years and can assure you that he has the knowledge, skills, and professionalism to set you and your dog up for success. He is passionate about training and he will make the process fun for you and your dog. You are in good hands when you chose Steven as your trainer!

- Tori Hankey, CPDT-KA

Client Reviews

"I met Steven on a group class, and I loved his professionalism and knowledge and most of all his personality. My bulldog is stubborn as stubborn can be, but he learned a lot from Steven, and so did I. Later on, Bubba needed some more training, so Steven came to our home and I was so impressed with him, our baby just loved him, and couldn’t wait to please him, to this day I implement Steven’s teachings and he is doing so much better. Thank you Steven for all that you did for Bubba, but especially for myself and my husband. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

- Luisa A


"We have just completed the 5 Week Private Training Program with Steven and we are so happy with the experience. Our dog Mansel, a 3-year-old Airedale Terrier had behavior issues with pulling on the leash, barking and lunging at other dogs and jumping on people. We have learned so much about how to train Mansel, and he has grown so much in his understanding of sit, come, stay, leave it, wait and leash walking.

Steven is an engaging and experienced teacher. His love of all dogs really shows and he has a creative solution to all behavior problems and took the time to coach us. Over the course of five weeks he would check in with us and suggest addition training techniques and YouTube video to watch. Steven has given us tools, positive reinforcement, and techniques to use as continue to work with Mansel.

Mansel has improved in so many ways and gained confidence because of the training with Venture Dog Training and we now have the tools and techniques to continue our journey. I would highly recommend Venture Dog Training for your training needs!"

- Julia S


"Steven is an expert dog trainer. I'm so happy that he was able to help shortly after I adopted Scooby. Before, Scooby couldn't even sit -- now, he's the most perfect dog in the world (although he already was in my heart). As a first time dog-owner, I was nervous I wouldn't do a good job. Thanks to Steven, I learned about positive dog training psychology, and when to reward good behaviours -- as well as to stop unintentionally rewarding bad ones. I think he's the best dog trainer in Houston, and I would recommend him to anyone!"


- Natasha K


"Steven worked with us and our crazy 6 month goldendoodle, Koda, over a period of about 12 weeks.We were amazed at Koda’s progress by the end of each session. When we started, Koda was jumping on us, barking constantly, nipping, and not responding to our direction. After the first session we saw immediate results and after a few sessions we had a much happier and healthier relationship with our pup. It was amazing to see Koda’s transformation. Choosing to work with Steven was an incredible value and investment into the quality of our relationship with our spunky goldendoodle! Steven is professional, upbeat, encouraging and always positive. I cannot imagine working with a better trainer."

- Kristen K


"Mr. Steven (that’s what I assume my dog calls him) is an amazing dog trainer!! On top of all the basic commands, he taught my dog to have the best manners and how to properly socialize. Wonderful person who truly cares about the dogs. Great communication throughout the process and the personal training sessions taught me so much! My dog loved training with Steven and I loved seeing him so happy and transform into the perfect little gentleman."

- Angie M


"It has been a journey since I adopted Rucker from the Harris County Animal Shelter and Steven at Venture Dog Training has been a huge help with helping me address his separation anxiety and general obedience training. I don't know what I would have done without him. He held my hand and provided support every step of the way. If anyone is in need of dog training, hit up Steven. Highly recommend!"


- Valerie G

"I am so thankful Penny had the opportunity to train with Steven! He was able to positively reinforce the basic commands she had a base knowledge on, but she also learned new commands which have been helpful in our everyday life. Over the training course, we saw great improvement in her temperament and socialization with other dogs.

Steven is very patient and works hard to tailor the course to your needs and obedience goals. The private sessions were invaluable to help me learn how to improve the way I work with Penny. He gave the tools needed to make training fun for both Penny and me which has been easy to incorporate into our daily routine."

- Mary T


Steven is the best trainer ever! And just expanded to the Austin area! His training is only POSITIVE; we never use the command, "no", and our dog, Walter, responds very well after we give him a different command! Steven trained not only Walter but also his puppy parents. We adopted Walter in the summer of 2020, and being a terrier, he posed some challenges. As a high energy breed, it was difficult to train Walter even to "sit". Because of Steven's patience, Walter knows and obeys his commands, both verbal and visual, and passed his AKA Good Citizen test with flying colors. We highly recommend VENTURE DOG TRAINING, both the new AUSTIN chapter, as well as the established HOUSTON chapter!

- Kathy Y


"I felt embarrassed about my dog's behavior in the park (lots of distractions for her) and had some anxiety about the whole thing. The trainers helped our dog right off the bat to get back into focus and we were able to calm down and listen. Thank you! Looking forward to learning more."

- Susanna H

"I soon found out how little I knew about dog behavior and interaction, but through Steven's patient instructions, I began to learn and gain knowledge. With his instructions, resources, and suggestions, I became more aware of how to read situations before they arose. Steven would ask questions. This helped me pick up on cues I hadn't seen before. Through Steven's teaching, I have become confident enough to begin leading playgroup. Steven encourages continued learning and offers help as needed. He is a generous and compassionate teacher who truly loves what he does."

- Pete P

"If I could give Venture Dog Training more than 5 stars, I would! When I adopted Bailey, she was scared of nearly everything, and was terrified to go on walks. Because of Steven, she is now much more confident, and has learned valuable commands that we can continue to build on throughout her lifetime. Steven was very attentive during our 5 week plan, sending me detailed emails each week reviewing what we had discussed during our session, and even checking in on Bailey and I before Hurricane Laura was supposed to hit Houston. Steven is great at what he does, and clearly cares deeply about every dog's wellbeing. He was not only great at training, but also a joy to meet with every week. He thoroughly explained why we were doing each step, making me better-equipped to implement our training plan during the week between sessions. Bailey and I can't say enough good things about Venture, and would highly recommend Steven to anyone looking for an excellent dog trainer."

- Carla G


I"Steven has a very structured approach to dog training. He is thorough and highly professional. He is a great communicator and highly responsive. With dogs he is very effective. He is also responsive to feedback or able to course correct when things don’t work as planned. Our dog Ollie made tremendous progress in the short two weeks that Steven worked with us. Of course dog training takes a lot longer than a few weeks but we now feel equipped to start this journey."

- Stephanie P


"Steven worked and is still working wonders with my dog, Hobbs. Hobbs is a rescue. Hobbs loves people, but has many traits of a dog that was born and spent some time on the streets. He is a bit reactive, guards resources, and has some stranger danger. But, also, like most rescues, Hobbs has a heart of gold and Steven really brought that out in him. Steven communicates well with me and with Hobbs. I receive continuous updates on his progress through calls, texts, and even a spreadsheet with what he's learned. I think the biggest miracle is that when I say "crate", Hobbs actually goes in his crate! The most important thing to me is not that Steven has taught Hobbs how to be a good dog, but that Hobbs loves Steven! I would recommend Steven to any dog lover who wants to make their dog's world safer and happier."

- Amy C


"Steven was immensely helpful in training my dog Jamie, who I recently adopted from a rescue at about 3 years old. Her leash walking manners, obedience training, and ability to be non-reactive towards other dogs have all significantly improved over the course of our meetings. I especially appreciated being able to text Steven in between sessions to ask questions!"

- Allison M


"I’m a new first-time dog owner, and I’m so glad that I found Steven during the pandemic. He was so professional, intelligent, and responsive among other great things. My puppy Azul just finished his 5-week program with Steven, and we miss him dearly already. Amazing!"

- Josue L



"We’ve known Steven since he was in high school, and we knew he was destined for great things. His heart is so large, and we are so happy he is using that heart for animals. We first used Steven as a dog trainer with our anxious dog Abby. He played games with her to increase her confidence. Next came stopping Jackson from running off when he wasn’t allowed. Then we had puppy training for our Great Dane Cooper. Steven had Cooper walking beautifully on a leash within four sessions. If you’ve ever had a large dog, you know how important it is to have them under control on walks. Sit/stay training for Baron and confidence training for Cooper continues so that we may have healthy balanced dogs. We wouldn’t trust anyone but Steven with our fur babies. He’s our go-to every time."


- Anne S

©2023 by Venture Dog Training

Dog Training & Behavior Consultant

Houston & Austin, TX