Phil is an AmStaff/Boxer mix and joined our family in December of 2016. It did not take long for challenges to surface. He was reactive to other dogs when on walks, and as weeks passed his reactions became more severe and prolonged. Inside the house, he was not welcoming to our guests and it took considerable time for him to wind down after getting excited. We were frustrated. We signed up for a Reactive Dog Class at a local training facility and were optimistic. Our first class was not good, we made it 10 minutes before having to leave. We came back to class over the next 3 weeks and after 4 sessions, we knew we had to do something else. We could see that the approach and methods employed in the class were helping the other dogs but they seemingly had no impact for us. Throughout this time, we also had separation anxiety developing. We adjusted our routine and were starting to feel trapped in our own home.
We found Smart Dogs Training and started reviewing their program. We sent through an inquiry and heard back from Kristy almost immediately. We were set up for the Lodge and Learn program and they were working with Phil within the week. Kristy and Ian set-up an individual training program based on Phil’s needs and they also focused on educating and supporting us so everyone was ...
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