Crumble the Border Terrier

Crumble the Border Terrier

We could tell Sally was good from the website reviews but seeing is believing!

We knew we had to give a her call having tried various approaches with our Border Terrier who started afraid of other dogs but was becoming more and more aggressive. We had tried Dog Training classes which involved endless positivity and vast quantities of treats to try and mask or distract from the underlying issue. It was at Dog Training that we learned that our dog prefers treats to attacking other dogs but if those stop for a split second then all hell could break loose at any moment.

We tried ultra-stern dictator for spell which isn't nice or in an Englishman or woman's DNA and had no effect. We tried a Dog Behavourist who was good but only did 1hr sessions on their farm - we found that our dog would behave on the farm and around her dogs but on it's own patch it was a different beast.

After an incident at dog training we had to try something else. We found Sally's website, gave her a call and she explained that the problem wasn't a lack of familiarisation or training but a lack of leadership. She assured us that our situation wasn't unique and she was certain it was fixable, even though other methods had failed. We felt better straight away but as we waited for the appointed day we doubted that one person could correct things in one day, our dog just doesn't like other dogs and we have to live with that for rest of it's life. WRONG!

Crumble the Border Terrier laying relaxedAs others have said, from the moment Sally came in through the front door it was clear who was boss. Bearly a word, just body language. During the next 5 hrs we learned the basics of how a pack leader behaves and what boundaries to put in place. We were left speechless when Sally walked our quiet submissive dog down the High Street past a parked car with 3 aggressive dogs barking like crazy and went on to encounter half a dozen dogs all in a calm submissive manner.

Our dog is transformed - no pulling on lead, barking in the garden, standing guard at the front window,  reaching up to visitors, etc. For now we are avoiding other dogs, concentrating on building trust and cementing the new pack structure. We know for certain that our dog can do it - it's up to us to follow through.

Steve and Jane

 

Crumble the Border Terrier dogUPDATE: Some great progress with Crumble during Sally's second visit. Starting with a refresher on the basics in the home, there was further work on boundaries and rules for the garden. Then out into the wider world, introducing our dog-aggressive border terrier to her own beautiful German shepherd, walking together on-lead. Finally and most surprising of all was walking as a pack off-lead - crumble staying behind us at all times rather than tearing around the field. In the few days since Crumble has been a model citizen in the garden, ignoring neighbour's barking dogs and church bells. Neither Crumble or ourselves are quite the finished article but we are more confident than ever that we will get there.

Steve and Jane

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