Contacts

 

“We adopted Audra almost two years ago from a rescue. We fell in love with her immediately and even though the owner said she was bossy with other dogs, we thought with an obedience class, we could help her get along better with dogs. After having her for a month, we took her to an obedience and manners class. Audra did very well in the class- treats and praise really seemed to work for her. She learned basic commands and we were able to form a good bond with her. Yet, she still didn’t get along with other dogs. Because she was reactive and ‘pushy’ with other dogs, we couldn’t pass by other dogs without a struggle. She seemed to forget all of her training and commands when she got close to another dog and simply lock on and stalk. Usually, if another dog approached she would be reactive by growling, snarling, or pushing. However, about 20% of the time, she would do well with introductions and even seem to want to play. After a few minutes of play though, she would get too amped up and ‘pummel’ the other dog.
We decided it was time for her to get a more specific type of training. Audra began socialization training with the same company we had the obedience class with. It was twice a month for three hours which neither of us were allowed to attend. We began to notice that Audra was getting worse around other dogs. She would lock in on another dog and pull us aggressively toward it when it was a few blocks away. We thought, “The problem will get worse before it gets better.” Then, twice in one week, Audra intentionally slipped her collar and chased after two different dogs. Though she didn’t bite either dog, she pushed and “beat up” the other dogs. We realized between a poor relationship with the trainer and Audra’s behavior getting worse, we needed a switch.

After researching and talking to friends, we emailed Rhonda. We were both hesitant about reaching out to a new trainer, especially with E-collar training. After meeting Rhonda, we couldn’t have been more excited about starting. She was so kind and understanding about our past with Audra. She was very excited about working with us and Audra, and was upfront about the fact that we will have to put in the work to get the results. After the first few sessions all of our concerns about E-collar training and its negative stigma went away. We instantly saw improvement. We progressed through leash work both on our own and around other dogs, and then we started working off leash. This was something we never really envisioned with Audra, since she was so reactive and unresponsive.
Audra has transformed from a dog that made us nervous leaving our apartment for a walk to a dog that can be off leash in almost any situation because we trust her to focus and listen to us. We are now comfortable enough and able to recognizing her body language and signals to prevent any escalation. She can successfully greet other dogs both on and off leash, even in large groups. Training with Rhonda has changed Audra from a dog that we were perpetually nervous about taking outside into a trusted member of the family.

Working with Rhonda has changed our way of life and communication with our dog. Her training methods can work for any dog and we would highly recommend her to anyone who needs advice, training, or any level of help training and raising their four-legged family member. Thanks Rhonda!”
– Sam and Hannah, Audra’s parents