Eve the Whippet

We rescued our dog Eve, a one-year-old whippet cross, in mid-July 2015, and we were told she was not house trained, but was comfortable being left alone for three-four hours at a time. It became clear, very quickly, that this was not the case. Whilst house-trained, she suffered from quite severe anxiety when left alone for any period of time, destroying her bedding, blankets, and soiling everywhere, including in her crate. Nothing we did seemed to work. She would also control the stairs, jump up at any guests and when out walking would pull on the lead and charge to greet any other dogs, runners or cyclists.

From the first contact with Sally it was obvious that she understood exactly what our dog needed. Within minutes of Sally walking into our house, our over-exuberant dog was laying quietly at her feet. Several minutes later Eve was laid sleeping in her bed. Sally then got to experience, first-hand, the separation anxiety. Leaving her for about an hour in the crate we came back to a mess!

However, over the last few months she has improved dramatically, she now sees us as the leaders, and leaving the house is not accompanied with such dread. There is still work to do, but she is much calmer, and whilst she occasionally urinates in the crate, we can now leave successfully 80% of the time. From such a state of despair, we can now proceed confidently, knowing that together we will conquer this issue. After only two sessions with Sally, the improvement in other areas has been even more dramatic, the pulling on the lead has vanished entirely, jumping up as a greeting is much, much rarer and she can now ignore other dogs and distractions without having to approach them.

We must also talk about the demonstration Sally provided. Sometimes it is easier to talk the talk than walk the walk, but Sally’s own demo dog was truly exceptional. He is devoted to Sally, at one stage returning her car keys which she dropped in the middle of a playing field for him to retrieve later. He would walk perfectly alongside her off the lead and responded instantly to any gesture or command Sally expressed, all the time ignoring other peoples dogs charging around and chasing balls.. The level of control Sally had of such a large dog in such a public area was really quite something to behold.

Ultimately, I cannot recommend Sally enough. She doesn’t come to your house saying what you want to hear, throwing dog toys and treats around and generally pampering to your dog, but she tells you exactly what you need to hear and what is best for your dog. You will be so much better off for this approach. Much of what we have learnt has been life-changing for both ourselves and our dog. Had we not been given such brilliant guidance we fear that our dog may never have been comfortable or generally as happy as she is now, and we may never have been able to leave the house!

Thanks Sally!

Richard & Sophie