We rescued our mixed breed, Annie, with the best of intentions but soon realized we weren’t equipped to deal with our anxious, reactive dog. She was aggressive with people and other dogs, which meant we couldn’t even attend group training. Instead, we tried to educate ourselves so we could do the training on our own.
It was a disaster. We didn’t solve any of the issues. But we loved her and were willing to put up with her behaviors…until she bit our pastor.
Our vet suggested we call Karen. After reviewing our descriptions of Annie’s behavior and her own observations, Karen explained that we were not providing Annie the things she needed to reduce her anxiety. Annie needed to have a clearer message about what “good” behavior was and she needed her human pack leaders to act like leaders. Karen told us what changes we needed to make, why they were needed, and showed us how to do it. We started slowly, clicking and treating when she sat or lay down, with almost immediate results. That gave us incentive to begin to tackle her reaction to other dogs and to guests entering our home.
Wary AnnieWe have had three sessions (and many, many phone calls) with Karen and have seen significant improvement. Annie has learned to trust us and is making progress understanding that people and other dogs are not a threat but, instead, being ‘a good dog’ in their presence earns her a treat! As she changes her behavior, she seems to be changing how she feels. She is happier and less anxious. And, for us, we now have a dog we love AND enjoy.It’s not an overstatement to say that Karen has changed our lives, and we’re very grateful.