Axel’s owner called me with a whole list of problem behaviors. Pulling on leash was the least of her worries, because in her words “any time I throw a ball overhand, he bites my arm and won’t let go” and “I haven’t been able to have him around men since the incident at the pet store”… just to quote a few. He was aggressive towards strangers and his owner didn’t know what to do.

Within the first lesson we had Axel under control (I even got him releasing a toy for me on command), and within a couple months we had him back out in public, calm around strangers, and much easier to predict and handle.

His behaviors started out so severe that rehoming would most likely not have been a responsible option, so Axel’s owner did not mince words when she said “You saved Axel’s life.”

When I first met Yoshi he was a 10/10 in terms of explosive aggression. He was at the end of his leash, lunging, snarling, trying to bite me. He already had a bite history and his behavior was only getting worse. He could not be around men without exploding, and his owner couldn’t figure out how to stop the cycle of aggression.

Within 1 minute of training (not exaggerating), Yoshi and I were already friends. He was already asking for my affection and he was never aggressive towards me again. His owner also saw a complete shift in his behavior outside of training once she started to learn how to replicate my results. He is finally able to stay calm in situations that would have triggered severe aggression in the past.

Karma has been dealing with the loss of her best friend Bruno (another pit bull in her house).  Without Bruno’s presence and leadership, she’s been acting out with excessive stress and anxiety.

Her owners described her as being excessively needy, to an unhealthy level where she can’t be separated from her human without acting out.  She also has crate anxiety and has done damage to a very heavy duty crate.

On top of all that she has some aggressive behaviors towards dogs outside of her pack.  After just one lesson we were able to get Karma in a much calmer mindset, teach her some leash skills, and establish a good line of communication between her and her owner.  We were even able to pass by dogs with no outbursts! Within a few weeks her crate anxiety and needy behaviors were much easier to control. Good job Karma!

Before Getty was a year old she was already trained better than most dogs you’ve met of any age.  She wasn’t always such a good listener though. She is a naturally rambunctious girl so sitting still, walking politely on leash, and coming when called were areas she struggled with. Her owners put in the work and it paid off with a dog who can be included in situations (on or off-leash) that would have been a struggle in the past.

Taco was rescued from a bad situation when he was only 5 weeks old which means he missed out on some crucial training from his mother.  Mother dogs play a critical role in teaching a pup how to be polite and under control, so when they are separated before 8 weeks (at least) they tend to need a little extra help with manners training.

Being out of control also tends to lead to anxiety in dogs (they need a leader), and Taco was no exception. He was a hyper anxious mess and he pulled on leash harder than most any other dog I have worked with! He loves to chase almost anything so that made his leash pulling even worse on walks.

Taco’s owners have seen a huge improvement in his behavior and obedience!!  He doesn’t pull on leash anymore, he can even be called away from big distractions!

Good job Team Taco!! 

Evee, the bernedoodle, was a nervous wreck when I first walked into the house for our first lesson. She would basically run laps around the room, because she couldn’t find a spot that felt safe enough to settle in. She would bark and growl if I made any sudden movements, and her owner couldn’t figure out how to get this behavior under control. This is how Evee acted any time someone new came into the house.

Within the first couple lessons Evee had learned how to remain calm and observe her surroundings without reacting. She learned there was nothing to be afraid of and we became good friends. We also stopped her leash pulling, and made sure she had very good obedience when off-leash in the face of distractions.

Bubba is mostly just a typical goofy doodle. But his goofy behavior turned serious when his owner, who could not control him, watched Bubba drag his smaller dog house-mate (a yorkie) around the house by the yorkie’s collar. I think Bubba had a lot of fun, but I don’t think it was fun for the owner… or the yorkie!

This type of behavior seemed totally unpredictable to the owner at first but once I saw how little impulse control Bubba had, it actually became very predictable to me as a trainer. Bubba was used to pulling on leash, jumping, ignoring commands, etc, and those little transgressions can lead a dog to believe they can get away with anything (and not infrequently, they can!).

It didn’t take long to teach Bubba the new rules; coming when called, walking by the owner’s side (without pulling), no jumping, and DEFINITELY, no picking up other dogs with his teeth!