Maggie the French Bulldog

After a few incidents with strangers and aggressive behaviour at the vets, I had to confront my fears that I had a dangerous angry little dog on my hands. I was starting to feel that I was losing control and was actually scared she might bite me, my children or a stranger. She was starting to display food and bed/crate aggression too. This behaviour scared me that she might actually be put down or not be able to travel back to Australia with me later in the year.

I actually put off calling Sally for over a year but as soon as I did it all started to make sense and what i had been doing was actually making Maggie worse.

Right away I realised I had been treating her like a baby and not a dog. I could make immediate changes and I took some of the power back.

We soon realised just how angry she was, she had never been challenged like this before. All I was asking her to do was walk on the lead and she was seriously challenging me. That first two hours with Sally coaching me was the hardest thing I have ever done. But we persisted. By the next day I had her calmly walking on the lead and really felt like I was pack leader again. And that I was finally setting her up for success rather than failure.

She is already a different dog, she is yearning for my attention and not getting everything on a plate like before. A fews days in and she is so much calmer around the house. We have had a few little set backs, but I've been able to face them and I have the tools to handle her if she challenges me. We still have quite a way to go with her, but Sally is helping me laying the ground work right now.

Melinda