I have 3 dogs and have tried various trainers and methods, and the bottom line was that NOTHING worked effectively for the long term. I was very frustrated with the other approaches, because they either involved food extortion (no food nearby & you're out of luck!!) or using things like choke collars which I thought would hurt/scare them. Previously, a walk with Daisy would have consisted of HER dragging ME down the road on the leash and barking crazily at any dogs that approach. I knew I needed to address it, but I didn't want to have to keep bribing her with food. Finally, a few months ago, when I had a larger group of people over, I realized that the mayhem was not just on the leash but also at home (barking incessantly at the drop of a hat, charging anyone who tried to come in the door, jumping up on EVERYONE's lap and demanding to be played with, bursting in and out of the doors and almost knocking people over, and scaring people who did not know the dogs were friendly). I searched online and read Michael's excellent reviews, but I was still skeptical. I heard a friend rave about how good he was, and I decided if anyone could help us, it would be him. The short version is that the money paid for Michael to train US (yes, us!) was, without a doubt, the best money I have EVER spent in my ENTIRE life!! Within MINUTES, he was well on his way to provide what I can happily say are LASTING RESULTS. It was amazing to see the transformation in my dogs both within the first visit and over the next weeks as I continued to work with them. I can now let people into my house without worrying about them being charged and knocked over or having them fear being 'attacked'. The dogs walk into and out of the house in a calm and orderly fashion. I do not get barked at to pick up an antler or to fetch them cookies. I'm finally the leader of the pack :-) Daisy and I can walk and run at the park without her pulling and having crazy temper tantrums. On the second visit, Michael met with me and my now-ex-boyfriend and made adjustments to clarify some of the things we had practiced; this fine tuning was extremely helpful. A few weeks ago, I put Daisy and Paco through a real test: spending 4 nights with me in a hotel. Using what I learned from Michael, I thought through how to make sure that their new good behavior came with us; that's one of the great things about the training… it really makes you think like a dog and thus communicate more effectively with dogs. I was absolutely amazed by how well they did. The entire trip, I could hear dogs in other rooms barking and carrying on, but not mine! They even remained completely calm and silent when people from housekeeping, etc. came into the room. I could not believe my eyes and ears; it was just amazing!!!!!!! Michael is nothing short of a canine wizard!! He's professional, obviously a first class expert in what he does, and, on top of that, a genuinely nice person, engaging, funny, and very pleasant to talk to and work with. I cannot say enough good things, but I am probably driving every dog owner I know nuts by telling them to quit bribing their dogs and just call this magic man!!
I have 3 dogs and have tried various trainers and methods, and the bottom line was that NOTHING worked effectively for the long term. I was very frustrated with the other approaches, because they either involved food extortion (no food nearby & you're out of luck!!) or using things like choke collars which I thought would hurt/scare them. Previously, a walk with Daisy would have consisted of HER dragging ME down the road on the leash and barking crazily at any dogs that approach. I knew I needed to address it, but I didn't want to have to keep bribing her with food. Finally, a few months ago, when I had a larger group of people over, I realized that the mayhem was not just on the leash but also at home (barking incessantly at the drop of a hat, charging anyone who tried to come in the door, jumping up on EVERYONE's lap and demanding to be played with, bursting in and out of the doors and almost knocking people over, and scaring people who did not know the dogs were friendly). I searched online and read Michael's excellent reviews, but I was still skeptical. I heard a friend rave about how good he was, and I decided if anyone could help us, it would be him. The short version is that the money paid for Michael to train US (yes, us!) was, without a doubt, the best money I have EVER spent in my ENTIRE life!! Within MINUTES, he was well on his way to provide what I can happily say are LASTING RESULTS. It was amazing to see the transformation in my dogs both within the first visit and over the next weeks as I continued to work with them. I can now let people into my house without worrying about them being charged and knocked over or having them fear being 'attacked'. The dogs walk into and out of the house in a calm and orderly fashion. I do not get barked at to pick up an antler or to fetch them cookies. I'm finally the leader of the pack :-) Daisy and I can walk and run at the park without her pulling and having crazy temper tantrums. On the second visit, Michael met with me and my now-ex-boyfriend and made adjustments to clarify some of the things we had practiced; this fine tuning was extremely helpful. A few weeks ago, I put Daisy and Paco through a real test: spending 4 nights with me in a hotel. Using what I learned from Michael, I thought through how to make sure that their new good behavior came with us; that's one of the great things about the training… it really makes you think like a dog and thus communicate more effectively with dogs. I was absolutely amazed by how well they did. The entire trip, I could hear dogs in other rooms barking and carrying on, but not mine! They even remained completely calm and silent when people from housekeeping, etc. came into the room. I could not believe my eyes and ears; it was just amazing!!!!!!! Michael is nothing short of a canine wizard!! He's professional, obviously a first class expert in what he does, and, on top of that, a genuinely nice person, engaging, funny, and very pleasant to talk to and work with. I cannot say enough good things, but I am probably driving every dog owner I know nuts by telling them to quit bribing their dogs and just call this magic man!!
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