In the world of dog training, Cesar Millan is probably the first person who comes to mind. But there are others out there who have their own methods and have gone viral for it.

Augusto Deoliveira is one of them. Several years ago, a video of him walking five off-leash German Shepherds through the city went viral, earning him both praise and scrutiny. They walked closely to him without being distracted by people walking past them or the traffic whizzing by.

When he stopped, they stopped, when he turned, they turned with him, and when he told them to heel, they did. The roughly 5-minute video had people wondering how Deoliveira was able to train them and where they could sign up.

The 27-year-old grew up in Brazil around dogs, lived in Michigan for a while, but now calls South Carolina home. There, he owns 20 dogs and besides training, also breeds and sells shepherd puppies. His reputation for keeping his dogs well-behaved while out and about has earned him clients who seek to train their dogs with behavioral issues.

According to Deoliveira, he uses a combination of positive reinforcement and gentle corrective techniques for training. He credits his training abilities to being able to read body language and communication signals when it comes to guiding the dogs.

He told Barcroft TV:

“I don’t use abusing, harsh devices to correct dogs – a gentle touch or a gentle tug at the leash is enough.

It has a lot to do with the energy I let out, and my body language, that’s really what gets the dogs attention. It’s a matter of really understanding the dog and having the dog be able to understand you.

You can’t just have one set method to train different dogs. You are going to need to try different things. I believe a trainer will fail the majority of the dogs they train if they only use one method, such as an only treat, or only correction.”

Thankful clients say that without Deoliveira’s help, their dogs would have continued to be aggressive or out of control. They appreciate that he is so accessible and that he’s taught them how to handle their dogs on their own without being abusive or overly strict.

If you do some digging, you’ll find that Deoliveira also has a controversial track record when it comes to public opinion. While living in Michigan, neighbors and locals complained about his training methods and the living conditions for the dogs at his kennel. The state sent out an animal cruelty inspector who found no evidence of wrongdoing.

Several online campaigns were also launched that aimed to shut him down and have dogs removed from his care. As it stands, he is admired in his community and loves being able to turn dogs’ lives around to prevent them from being put down.

Listen to Deoliveira talk about his relationship with dogs and how he trains in the video below. You’ll get to see him in action and hear from some of his happy clients too!

Have you heard of Augusto Deoliveira and his viral dog-walking video? What do you think of this training abilities?