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Hector L. Hernandez is an Author, previous law enforcement officer, speaker, police K-9 instructor and professional dog trainer. He has been training dogs for over twenty years and has been recognized as one of the best trainers in the United States for the protection phase of police dogs, K9 training. In protection training, he uses the dog's instinct to protect its owner/handler, while at the same time encouraging the dog to maintain its positive, trusting relationship with humans. This is a major contribution to protection dog training. Also, he regularly conducts obedience classes for dog owners and their dogs and also gives 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 which leaves you in awe of his ability to know how much to do to change bad behavior and when to back off and "let the dog teach itself." He understands that there are bad dogs/good owners and good dogs/bad owners, although most cases are at neither extreme. 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, no matter how bad 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 wide range of people from parents to fire fighters to animal shelter personnel how to protect themselves in dangerous situations with dogs. He demonstrates how "reading the dog's body language" can tell you the difference between a harmless encounter and a potentially dangerous one, and what to do about each situation. His speaking technique will make you laugh, while also making you think seriously about dog behavior and how to stay safe in all kinds of dog encounters. His training programs have been accredited by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards, and he is an evaluator for the American Kennel Club's 'Canine Good Citizen' program. He served in the United States Marine Corps, receiving an Honorable Discharge in 1994.