|
Maggie liked to run and she would run
fast and far every chance she got! She knew that once
that leash was off, we had next to no hope of catching her. We
would yell after her and she would completely ignore us.
In the beginning, Maggie would approach other
dogs with a wagging tail, happy to find someone to play with.
But, over the course of one year, she was attacked three separate
times by other dogs, each one serious enough to require medical
care. She began approaching other dogs on the defensive, ready
for battle, just in case. Every encounter
with another dog made me extremely nervous.
|
|
We also had a lot of problems walking her on the
leash. It was a constant, frustrating battle
for control. She would pull and bolt after other dogs,
which often frightened their owners. My daughter was never permitted
to hold the leash for fear of injury if Maggie suddenly caught
sight of another dog and took off. Maggie also had a dislike for
cyclists, skateboarders and rollerbladers!
|
 |
|
Family outings were also difficult. Since Maggie is a part of
our family, we wanted to take her with us everywhere. Unfortunately,
many of our family trips (which we mostly geared to the outdoors
so that everyone could enjoy) were disrupted due to Maggie's behavior.
Sometimes we had to put her in the car while we finished our event,
many times; we just packed everyone up and came home.
|
While in the car she never listened either. She would
fly across the backseat, all over my daughter, in a bid to get near
and bark at, any dog that came into view. It was annoying
for me and painful for my daughter.
When we first met Jeff, we had been struggling through
Maggie's behavior for about 2 ½ years. After
just an hour working with Jeff, Maggie was beginning to listen.
After two weeks of training, I took the leash off for good!
Maggie is like a whole new
dog. Jeff's techniques and his park sessions have made such
a difference. She will now sit, lay down, and heel using both verbal
and visual commands - and from a distance! She absolutely loves park
sessions and we both have so much fun with the other dogs and their
owners. Her tail wags incessantly and she even talks to me sometimes.
The park sessions have done wonders to re-socialize her with other dogs.
I no longer worry when we approach other dogs on our 'off leash' walks;
I know Maggie will act appropriately.
Maggie actually seems so proud of herself now when she
listens. I don't recall her being this happy, her tail is always wagging
and she has this look in her eyes that say she
is loving life!! Those outside activities that were once
stressful, are now so relaxing and a lot of fun, for both Maggie and
our family. I cannot believe that we waited as long as we did before
contacting Jeff!!
Linda & Maggie
Home
Puppy of the Month (Vito)
