Monty was full of spirit — pulling, barking, chasing, and nipping his way through life. His owner, Lizzie, loved him dearly but found daily walks stressful and home life exhausting. Group classes hadn’t worked out, and she was beginning to lose hope that things could ever improve.
Then fate stepped in — quite literally — when Monty spotted me jogging past one day!
Here’s what Lizzie had to say:
I’d had bad experiences at group training sessions and difficulty working the training around my own busy schedule.
Before we started I was losing hope in ever being able to enjoy a walk with Monty. He pulled so hard on the lead that he choked himself, jumped up at visitors, and decided when he wanted to play or be stroked.
As a result of having some training I am enjoying life with Monty so much more. I see what a lovely dog he is rather than just seeing the bad behaviour that I was becoming frustrated with. I saw the importance of focus on rewarding the good behaviour instead of the bad. Also having to change my own voice and behaviour to help relax Monty.
You fitted Monty with a harness (an absolute godsend!) and introduced exercises to tackle his biggest challenges — even using a bike for desensitisation! We attempted the whistle but recognised it wasn’t for us. We tried out fly ball together.
Monty has changed his approach so much when new people come into the house no jumping up. He is a happier dog and we are much happier owners.
Working with you as a trainer has been an excellent experience. The chance meeting of you being the jogger that day that caught Monty’s eye was the best thing that ever happened to us…I can tell from how you are with Monty that you really genuinely care for him and have a really good connection. I have hope for the future.
Monty’s transformation is such a lovely reminder that progress takes time, patience, and heart. He’s a shining example of what can happen when understanding replaces frustration.
In her book, Tales of Two Species: Essays on Loving and Living with Dogs, Patricia McConnell talks about training impulse control. She writes, “It takes growing humans about 20 years to learn to control their emotions … so be patient with your dogs, and think in terms of months and years when training, not days and weeks.” 🐶💛
