Dexter the Staffy

We contacted Sally after reaching the end of our tether with our well-loved but badly-behaved rescue staffy, Dexter. Over the course of the past year his aggression towards other dogs had reached new heights, with a particularly bad incident that resulted in us having to muzzle him. His walks were incredibly stressful and I knew it was time to enlist some help, and I felt very excited when I saw Sally’s videos and read her testimonials.

We had a two hour video call with Sally, in which we explained all the issues we’d been having, and she was able to observe Dexter has he sat at our feet, to get a good sense of his temperament. She then got straight to the point: while we were going in expecting her to train the aggression out of our dog, what actually happened was she trained us to be effective pack leaders.

I was always convinced that I knew what I was doing, I thought I’d established his place at the bottom of the pack, but over the years he’d been allowed to rule the roost. I didn’t realise that his aggression stemmed from a need to ‘take over’ the pack because he felt unprotected and insecure in our care. When she said that a dog will innately follow, but step in to lead if he has to, that really resonated with me.

I like Sally’s frankness. Her primary concern is getting the right care and home environment for the dog, as it should be. It’s no use going into this feeling defensive or having hurt feelings: the fact is, we are humanising our dogs in ways that we might think are kind and loving, but actually are detrimental to their mental wellbeing. Listen to what she has to say, and put in the work.

It’s been just over a week and we’ve seen a remarkable difference in his behaviour: he’s much calmer and quieter, and he’s barking less. He seems to have a better understanding of his place in the pack, and we’re feeling confident that it will keep getting better.

Some of the changes take some getting used to, and as dog owners we may feel hesitant or resistant to make them, but it really is worth it. I highly recommend Sally’s services – she provides a straightforward and no-nonsense insight into what our furry friend need from us, and why they’re not getting it.

Mildred & Adam