Mia-confidence through obedience

Mia, a mixed breed rescue puppy from Pawling, New York, recently attended our two week board and train for basic obedience and confidence building. Mia came to us a skittish 7 month old puppy who was very uneasy around new people and really needed a boost of confidence through the power of obedience. Mia would bark aggressively when members of her family would play together, and would nervously bark at guests and passersby. She had some destructive tendencies in the house, and pulled a lot on the leash. She needed to learn obedience, not because she was a terribly behaved dog, but because it would bring her clarity in her day to day life with her family. This clarity would bring more peace of mind, which would ultimately make her a more confident dog.

We delayed the start of her training because of just how uncomfortable she was with just about everything. Her family followed some very specific instructions to get her ready for her board and train and it worked perfectly. She ate all of her meals and started to actively engage in her obedience lessons. Teaching her a basic common language through obedience was critical to improving her self esteem, along with making things black and white for her. Once she got used to the routines of her board and train, she realized that she no longer needed to make decisions on her own. We would always provide her with the right answer, which she found great comfort in. Soon she began making those decisions on her own, and received lavish praise for those good choices. You could quite literally see her confidence grow each day. It was truly remarkable.

Teaching Mia “place” was much more about the act of climbing up on things and being rewarded for it, rather than getting on her place bed and being forced to stay for long periods of time. Taking her to the park and having her climb on top of boulders, benches and playground equipment with a steady stream of cheerleading was a massive benefit to her.

Mia returned home with a reliable recall off leash, new manners on and off leash and basic obedience. Her family has the tools and knowledge to continue working with Mia back home-continuing to develop her confidence and to maintain the obedience she learned in her training program. They are able to play with her outdoors for physical and mental exercise, without having to have her on a leash or worrying that she will run off. She is able to control herself around house guests and family members. 

Here is what one of Mia's owners had to say about trainer Adrienne Mesko and her experience with MondioPup:

“I cannot say enough about Adrienne. We rescued Mia and is sweet as can be. At about 6 months old we noticed she was a scared little girl. Scared of everything! This was holding her back from being a part of our lives. We contacted Adrienne and she worked with us and Mia. Her patience with our petrified girl turned this puppy around to a confident 8 month old pup who is clearly now enjoying her life with us. Mia needed so much TLC to get her where she is today. Adrienne put in the time with Mia and put family and we can't thank her enough! I highly recommend MondioPup. She's the best trainer out there!” -Lindsay Macchio, Pawling, New York