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Stevie ~ "Sitting in his place"
Our 91 pound yellow lab, Stevie, definitely has a mind of his own. He is the sweetest dog around, he just really hated listening. He was constantly taking food out of my kids hands, taking food from our plates, jumping on any poor soul who came through the door, NEVER coming when called, digging holes everywhere, eating couch cushions and the biggest problem: hopping our fence and running away. Once he got out of the yard, the only thing we could do was get in the car and try and find him, while shaking the box of treats out of the window hoping he would come to us. It was horrible. We tried other methods of training all of which failed. "Positive reinforcement" was not meant for our Stevie! We were at our wits end so I decided to find ... doggy boot camp. I called around to a few places but as soon as I talked to Dale, I felt very comfortable. Not only were they the best price I could find, but Dale was very "real", I could tell he wasn't just reading something off a piece of paper. My main concern with getting Stevie trained was not having his personality change. He is always so happy and he is so great with my kids that I was afraid after "boot camp", he would come back to us really sad or un-friendly. I can assure you that neither are true. I didn't know what to expect when we got there to pick him up. My husband and I walked in and Stevie went nuts. He was so happy to see us and already I could tell that he was the same dog that we left there. Then we went in the training room to see his new "tricks". We were in shock, to say the least. It was AMAZING. We were never able to take him for a walk without his gentle leader, but Tiffany had him walking on his leash in the heel position the whole time. I had to double check just to make sure we were getting the same dog back! I was also amazed that she could put him in his "place" and he didn't budge until she told him too. Even though we were standing right there and all he wanted to do was come see us, he never moved. We brought him home and that same night, we had a few people over for dinner. We put Stevie in his "place" and he sat there the entire time without moving and never bothered anyone. We have been so happy with him ever since he's been home. He hasn't had any relapses in old behavior and he listens so good, sometimes I still can't believe it. It has only been a month since he's been home and he is already taking walks without his leash and stays right at our heel the whole time. He still likes to hop the fence, but now when I say, "Stevie COME", he comes! We haven't had to go looking for him once because he knows when we say "come", we mean business! Bottom line, the Dog Squad WORKS! We have the same lovey, want to lick you in the face, "lap" dog that I had before, the only difference is he listens to what we say the first time we say it. On the way home from picking Stevie up, my husband said "any dog we ever get is definitely going there"! Thanks Dog Squad!!
Jen and Jesse Hawes
