Benji the Collie
We rescued our dog 11 months ago and we have tried to sort out his various problems on our own without success. He pulled and barked at other dogs if he was on a lead, he barked at cyclists, loud children, joggers and people if they caught him off guard. Off the lead he was unpredictable and would bark without warning. In the house we considered him well behaved, although Sally has revealed to us otherwise.
During Sally's first visit she made us realise that although we thought we were in control of our dog, it was actually him who was in control of us. We thought he was just disobedient and stubborn, but actually it was because he didn't trust that we could keep him safe and that whatever he wanted from us we would just give him without even realising. She taught us how to walk him by our side, she gave us rules to follow so that Benji would respect us and see us as leaders of the pack.
On her second visit she was delighted to see how much happier our dog seemed in just 10 days after following her instructions. We worked on stopping his possessive behaviour and improving his walking.
We have noticed a lot of improvements with Benji's behaviour and feeling hopeful about the future. It is not a quick fix and takes real commitment to turn things around, but with sally's help it is definitely possible. Benji is already becoming a HAPPIER and more BALANCED dog! We look forward to continuing with the sessions.
Jacky
UPDATE: We have just had our 3rd session with Sally for Benji, over a period of 4 weeks and feel we have made a huge amount of progress. Sally has taught us how to be the leaders in our house, where the work to rehabilitate really starts. It has been hard and you have to be tough and consistent but it's definitely paying off. Benji is a much calmer happier dog in the house and far less needy. He respects and trusts us more, gives us our space and no longer begs for food. He quickly settled into being left in the kitchen when we are out so he doesn't have the anxiety of watching out of the window every time he hears a noise outside while waiting for us to come home.
Our biggest problem has been walking Benji due to his unpredictable and sometimes aggressive behaviour and the fact he pulled so hard when he was on a lead barking at dogs, children, bikes and joggers. Now, with the teaching of techniques from Sally I am able to walk Benji on a lead beside me without him pulling or barking and most importantly I feel in control and don't have to suffer the embarrassment of Benji barking and straining on the lead to get to other dogs or people. Benji does wear a muzzle but that helps me feel more relaxed when we're out.
If we hadn't put in the hard work in the house to gain Benji's trust and respect to be the leaders then we couldn't have made the great progress we have made outside. This week we have walked Benji in the woods and beach for the first time in ages and can't express how much that has meant to me. I have really enjoyed our sessions with Sally, they have been educating, rewarding and fun. I know we still have a long way to go with Benji and it remains to be seen whether we can fully rehabilitate him but I am so grateful to Sally for getting us this far and look forward to our next session.
Jacky