My Golden Retriever "Ella" had been attacked in the past and since then exhibited fear aggression towards other dogs.  The behaviour worsened to the point where taking her out on walks was unmanageable and certainly unpleasant, as she would lunge at every dog we met along the way.  Despairing, I remembered my girl's friendly demeanour before the event that changed her outlook towards other dogs and contacted Judi at Pro-K9 Dog Training & Behaviour.

Judi came out with us and spent time coaching myself in strategies to apply when we found ourselves in the worrisome predicament of the presence of other dogs.   Much explanation of Ella's behaviour; why it was occurring and why had in the past continued to escalate, helped greatly in raising my confidence in being able to manage Ella whilst we were out and about on our walks.

Due to pre-planned holidays, I also engaged Judi to look after my two dogs (Ella and Tacker) .... oh, and my cat .... whilst I was away.  Judi attended them on a daily basis.  She walked, fed and watered them.  In addition she ensured that the yard was picked up, their clam shell pool was clean and contained water (due to the hot weather) and also cleared my letterbox, put the bins out on garbage night and even (on request) watered our pot plants.  I had wondered if Judi was going to manage to walk Ella, as previous attempts by someone else had proven futile - Ella being a shy dog would not easily allow other people to catch her.  But I shouldn't have been concerned as Judi's strategies with Ella promoted confidence and both Ella and Tacker were well looked after and exercised.  Since then I have engaged Pro-K9 on several occasions to look after Ella and Tacker whenever I have needed to be away without them.  

                                                

Beyond that, I decided that it would certainly relieve my extra-ordinarily busy lifestyle if Pro-K9 would agree to walk both Tacker and Ella once a week.  I love my dogs and see them walked every day, but with double work-shifts I sorely needed some time so that I could attend to other things as well.  So began a lengthy and happy relationship between my two dogs and Judi.  I know that Judi took her time to get to know Ella and Judi's manner meant that Ella never felt threatened or punished.  Judi had a way with both Ella and Tacker which instantly promoted positive behaviour.

What I did notice as a 'spin off' from Judi being engaged to walk my dogs, was the further rise in confidence that Ella displayed.  This was also noticed by their groomer, who normally had difficulties with Ella's timidness and shyness.  It also reflected in Ella's increased improvement in the presence of other dogs and although I continue to work on that behaviour issue, it is vastly improved.  In fact, not so long ago, Ella even selected a few dogs and playfully interacted with them for a short while!!

In addition to everything, Judi has also been vigilent in her awareness of my dogs' health and on one occasion of the arrival of her visits rang me with a concern about Tacker, who was showing up lame with a swollen foot.  I was at work that day so Judi offered to take Tacker to the Vet's as a broken foot was suspected.  Fortunately xrays proved it to be a bad sprain but I was so relieved and thankful that Judi was there to care for my dogs in my absence as though they were her own.

Judi's dedication to working through Ella's behavioural problems enabled Ella to develop the skills in order to have a much more fulfilling and social life.  Judi patiently took me through the steps needed to continue Ella's education whilst always being ready to give sound advice and direction.

Thank you Judi so much for all your work and enthusiasm!!  I have so much to thank you for as Ella and Tacker have benefited so much from your walks and training!  Naturally, I cannot help but highly recommend you not only in your primary capacity as a trainer and behaviourist, but also as an excellent and trust-worthy dog (and in my instance, cat as well :D) minder and dog-walker.  We (myself, Tacker and especially Ella) have all appreciated your expertise and ongoing help and service.

Regards

- Fiona, Ella, Tacker ...... and Cat! -

Balto is what I call my “rescue” in so many more ways than one. Having grown up with German Shepherds I knew that when it was time to get a companion of my own it would have to be a German Shepherd (no matter how I tried to rebel against my parents’ choice!).

I was actually looking for Breeders on the internet that had puppies available when I saw Balto’s picture advertised in the Trading Post, it was his eyes that got me and I knew immediately then and there that he had to be with me.

Going to see him only cemented this in my mind. He was confined to a small section of the back yard. He had only attended puppy training for 6 weeks in that whole 3 years, he had never been let off the lead to run freely in open spaces. His diet had consisted on home brand commercial foods (and in fairness leftovers of course) and he had not been permitted inside. The previous owners, having two young children, one having been born premature, just didn’t have the time or resources to care for him any longer. My mind was made up!

In the first few weeks to say that Balto was spoilt is an understatement. I so wanted to give him a better life. Upon bringing him home he was very hand shy, it was evident that he had been handled physically, and his hind legs kept on collapsing underneath him due to lack of exercise and poor nutrition, (I had x-rays undertaken to ensure it wasn’t hip displaysia – it wasn’t).

So I set my mind and heart in correcting all of this starting with diet, exercise and gaining his trust. It was when we went on our walks that real problems began, not so much with Balto himself (other than the constant pulling on the lead), but with other dogs trying to attack us (yes often off lead with their owners just standing and watching rather than trying or more to the point unable to control their dog). Balto had been bitten once and we’d had at least another 8 attempts. Having not been socialised with other dogs other than puppy class growing up, this led to him becoming highly defensive and aggressive towards other dogs and wanting to “get in first”. I knew I needed to get him in a more controlled environment with other dogs and that’s how I met Judi upon researching who not only trains obedience, but knows how to deal with behavioural issues.

As I started to ask a little more of him by way of obeying me and implementing some rules, Balto began to openly challenge me. I was obviously sending mixed messages regarding who was leader and Balto was going to challenge me and make me earn that title. Notwithstanding, this was a 3 year old dog that had never been controlled other than by being locked away in the corner of the yard. It wasn’t his physical strength that was the issue, it was his mental toughness that I was up against and I had no idea how to deal with that (he is the first dog I have owned myself). He was relentless in his challenging of me. So when the physical pushing and shoving emerged (from his end) and 15 minute stand-offs over the hose he had become fixated on, as well as his increasing aggression towards other dogs and mouthing of my arm when I would try and move him away from trying to go after my cat, I knew I had to get some serious help, and quickly, so I called Judi.

All I can say without exaggeration is that Judi has truly been instrumental in the turning of our lives around. She came to our home and spent a solid two hours with us – ensuring I had the correct equipment, teaching me how to correct Balto effectively and have him walk on a loose lead with his attention on me rather than everything else (including other dogs), as well as how to deal with those “situations” that can arise when other dogs pop up from nowhere. Foremost, she taught me numerous ways in which I could become a better leader in a non-confronting manner and yet get the message across, by “talking dog”, and ultimately, relinquish all that responsibility from Balto. She then left us with homework and then would check in with us periodically to see how we were travelling.

The change in Balto and our relationship within one week was nothing short of miraculous to say the least. He no longer even attempted to pull on the lead, he is now constantly aware of what I am doing and going and even matches his gait to mine (I still cannot believe this!), and he no longer tries to pull me under tables and diner’s chairs to get to the dogs that may be there. If we do see a dog, his attention is immediately on me (most of the time) to see where I am going. Furthermore, he waits until I go through doorways/gates first, he will not touch his food until I have moved away from his bowl (out of respect to ensure that I have finished “eating” from it), he now listens to me when I give him a command (whereas before he would literally smile at me and completely ignore me), and he “waits” for me when I tell him to (for example if we’re about to go to the car and I need to dash inside quickly for something I’ve forgotten). He will be sitting patiently “waiting” for me to return, every time.

At training he will even sit quietly next to me amongst 20-30 dogs waiting for our next move whereas the first time we literally had to hide behind the buildings he was so aggressive and causing such a commotion. Most of all – he is so, so much happier and relaxed, and this has all developed in 3 weeks, yes, three weeks.

We have had countless people approach asking if it is the same dog (yes we had gained quite a reputation in our small community – from the aggressive German Shepherd he is now “Inspector Rex”), and my father, who owned German Shepherds for close to 40 years, cannot believe the transformation in such a short period of time.

Judi, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your ongoing support, genuine care, and wisdom. It has literally changed our lives and made them so much more enriched, as well as the bond between us which has only deepened as a result. I know in my heart of hearts there was no way I could have done this on my own and giving up on Balto was just not an option. I think you knew that. I’m sorry that this is so long, but I wanted to give a clear illustration of exactly where Balto came from to where he is now for others considering your services, and to show that this type of transformation is indeed possible, with any dog, as long as the commitment is there and we don’t give up. You’ll be pleased to know that we are making doggie friends, but have not touched noses yet - but we are well on our way!

I cannot begin to tell you how happy I am knowing that Balto can now live and enjoy a full life, rather than one in isolation. Thank you for making me a better leader and someone that Balto can not only trust, but respect. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, thank you, thank you………..

- Rhonda and Balto - 

We have had Meg, our chocolate Labrador, from a puppy of eight weeks old.  She has been a joy to have and all the family get so much from having her as part of our family.  As she has got older, bigger and stronger her desire to go out for walks means she has been pulling dreadfully on the lead and therefore the fun and enjoyment of taking her out has diminished with every walk.  

We met Judi at a breakfast function and had a good chat with her about Meg and that prompted us to do some "Loose Lead Specialty Classes" with her.  After just three lessons with Judi, Meg is now a completely different dog on the lead and the whole family can now enjoy walking her again.  

We would like to thank Judi for her complete understanding of dogs and of Meg and helping us getting our dog back!  Thanks Judi, we couldn't have done it without you.

- Lindsay Family -

When my dog “Newie” reached adolescent stage he began to develop anxiety and fear aggression towards strangers. I thought I could handle it, but with time the problem became more ingrained so I decided to seek out a trainer for assistance. Unfortunately, my first experience with a trainer was not productive and following the trainer’s advice for over three months only served to see Newie’s behaviour worsen. I struggled away for many more months beyond, changing tactics every time a well meaning person had advice to give. All the while, Newie’s behaviour and my confidence in managing him were fast eroding.

I made a decision to try the trainer/behaviourist route one more time, and that is when I called Judi at Pro-K9. I cannot express how happy and relieved I am that I did! From our first consultation I finally felt that Newie and I were not a lost cause. I learnt about my leadership skills, my timing, Newie’s mind-set and the initial steps we needed to take, to steer Newie on the road to becoming a well-adjusted dog.

The program Judi implemented for us gave us pretty quick results in our general walks around the neighbourhood. Very soon, people could actually walk past us without Newie aggressively barking at them …. and without me feeling the need to profusely apologise.

I knew what to do! I had a program to follow and confidence in my own dog-handling skills was returning!

That isn’t to say we don’t have our little set-backs occasionally, but these are usually due to me either sinking back into getting flustered and not handling the situation according to our ‘program’ or me becoming a little over-enthused and pushing things. But because Pro-K9 offers email/telephone after-care support, I have been able to debrief and pinpoint areas that I need to work on as we progress. I have greatly appreciated this.

Every week Newie has made progress and every week the program has become more and more second-nature to me. I have had so many people tell me how much Newie has improved and how great he is doing – it is a good reminder to me of how things were a few months ago and how far we have both come.

I think it was about 12 weeks from our initial consultation with Pro-K9 to us achieving one of our first ‘long-term’ goals of Newie completing a successful “stand-for-exam” at obedience school ….. AND we graduated up a level in class!

At obedience school, we used to work at the end of the line …. but now we can handle working in-between people!

Just over three months ago, Newie’s tail posture was most often between his legs. Now it is mostly relaxed, or when he is cavorting around, held up over his back and it makes me so happy to know that he has become a more confident dog.

This process has and continues to be an amazing learning experience for me and I know that it has given Newie a better quality of life. I look forward to achieving just as much continued success, now that Judi has re-adjusted our program to compliment the progress we have already achieved in a relatively short period of time.

Pro-K9 – Thank you so much.

- Kate and Newie -

Up-date from Kate - 7th June, 2009

I took Newie to the vet on Thursday re: his ongoing problems but more immediately an ear infection.  I bookedthe appointment with the most senior vet who Newie had never met.  I gave him no rescue remedy as I usually would before I take him to the vet he has seen since he was a pup.

Wow, Newie was the perfect patient.  I always muzzle him for the examination part just incase but he is still usually highly strung and moves around a lot.  This time he stayed perfectly still while his ears were looked in and whilst he was examined.  I took the muzzle off and he was sniffing around.  The vet got Newie to sit and shake hands and gently take liver treats and he was patting him.  All the while Newie was really very relaxed.  

I left the surgery feeling elated so just wanted to brag.

PK9's response :

Well done, Kate.  It is lovely to hear how things are going for my human and doggy customers further down the track .  I am so pleased that Newie has come along in the leaps and bounds that he has.  He would have to be a far more happier dog for his growing confidence and for that you deserve a pat on the back .  I might have given you the technique to work with but you were the one who followed the program I set and made the effort.  Congratulations to you both.  I look forward to hearing more on the progress front as time goes by.  I hope Newie's health concerns resolve themselves and that his ear is ok.

- Judi -