We have just finished a consultation…
We have just finished a consultation with Laura (PetMind.co.uk). We took on a worried rescue doggie, Bear, around 18 months ago, and had made great progress with him - mostly to get his confidence built up and get him enjoying the good things in life again. He was 5 when we got him, partially deaf, and we were his home No 4 or 5 - and he didn't engage with human beings, or expect them to take any notice of him. He is not like that any longer.
However, we had a problem with walks and other dogs: Bear is very reactive - other dogs, especially loose ones, are a threat. So he would be rearing up, dancing around on the end of his lead, growling and barking. We decided we needed some professional help - and the vets gave us Laura's details. We read her web site - full of really good stuff - and decided to ask Laura to come and do a behaviour consultation with us. She is most impressive - knowledge of dog behaviour - rapport with Bear (and with us) - and she came up with a strategy to help our situation, and introduced us to some training exercises to reinforce our relationship with Bear, and his "feel-good" well-being. He loves training - loves his play and treats - and we began to see improvements in walks and in his manageability in the first week. We had a practical session with Laura and Inca with Laura telling us what to do on her mobile phone as she observed Bear reacting to Inca. It was exhausting, but so positive, and again, we understand so much better and can see the visible results.
Laura tailor-made a strategy specifically for our needs with Bear - and it is working, far better than I dared to hope. She offers on-going support - stay in touch via email - and we shall take another practical session with Inca in a while. Laura is so pleasant to work with, and a fount of knowledge and understanding about dogs - we have learned so much from her. No miracles, no magic wand, just a lot of hard work and love - and such pleasing results. We shall get there.
Thank you Laura.
Alan and Jane - and Bear
Date of experience: February 17, 2020