Adrienne Saved Our Relationship
The first time I met Zeus, a Labrador/Daschund mix from one of the local rescue organizations, he was just a tiny puppy about 4 months old. His owners had hired me to do an in-home lesson for some of his nuisance behaviors, which were mostly typical puppy problems like jumping up on people, counter surfing and not knowing how to be calm in the house. One of his owners, Lisa, contacted me when Zeus was near 10 months old and said that Zeus had become quite a handful and that they would like to get him signed up for a board and train with us.
A few weeks later I arrived at their house to pick up Zeus and do a current evaluation. I could absolutely understand their frustration. Zeus was a bundle of excited energy, jumping everywhere and on every one in an almost frantic manner. I generally don't do any training whatsoever in that session, I want to see everything that is going on with the dog at home so I can collect as much information as possible. However Zeus was so wild that I asked that they put him on a leash so we could talk. He chewed through the leash in minutes and resumed his high intensity barking, jumping and nipping. We finished up the evaluation, got his things together and I headed home to get his training started as quickly as possible.
Over the course of his two week program, Zeus learned to channel his incredible energy into more productive outlets. We gave him a reliable recall so that he was able to run and play to burn off a lot of his physical exercise needs. We taught him to play tug, which not only served as another outlet for physical energy, but for mental energy as well. He learned to "out" the tug (release) and to regrip it only after given a command. He turned out to be an absolutely fantastic obedience dog because his food and toy drive were so high. Dogs with as much drive and energy as Zeus can get themselves into a lot of trouble at home, and he was no exception. Once we showed him where and how to use his drive, all of the other nuisance behaviors faded away.
The result was a completely transformed dog. He no longer jumped up on people or counters, he learned to have good manners at home with the adults and children. The biting and tugging on the arms of his people was replaced with healthier activities and he can finally be walked on a leash in the neighborhood. With his reliable recall his family can now play with their dog in the yard knowing he is not going to run off. More importantly, they gained a whole new relationship with their dog who is finally "tuned in" to what they have to say and ready to listen and happily respond.
Adrienne is amazing! My dog Zeus was 10 months old and extremely high energy. He had very bad manners. I have 4 kids and there was a lot going on in my life. Him and I could not “bond” and I found myself yelling at him all the time. Adrienne saved our relationship. She is patient and clear and she makes it easy to carry training over to your own home. Zeus is a changed pup and I can’t thank her enough! -Lisa Chesser, Poughquag, NY