Two years ago we adopted a 1.5-year-old German shepherd dog named Talia from a rescue group. Her behavior was wonderful around our family, but when people outside the family tried enter her territory, Talia would turn into the "guard dog from hell." It was a nightmare to have visitors to our house because of Talia's barking and jumping. I took her to obedience classes and had success teaching her commands, but nothing I did changed her protective behaviors in the home. When I contacted Amy Clear, I was looking for a humane trainer, not one that would 'break' the dog of her negative behaviors with violence or force. Talia's bad behavior was motivated by fear, and she probably was not treated well early in life, so I did not want to make her more fearful. She was already a great dog with just our family and I wanted her to be that same great dog for others when they came to our home. Amy taught me how to be the leader that Talia needed in order to calm her fears and improve her behavior. Thanks to Amy, Bark Busters training, and lots of practice, I now can have people over to our house!!! A few weeks ago we had a family of four visit and stay with us for several days. I was a bit worried about how Talia would react-these people are friends of my husband's and I had never met them before. After an initial sniff-down, Talia accepted our guests. The second day they were here, Talia even jumped into bed with the teenagers. We are so proud of Talia; when these guests were in our home she acted like the dog she is for our family when no outsiders are present. Sweet, loveable, mushy doggy-not the Cujo-dog she had been in the past. This summer we have also had more children over for playdates and sleepovers without having to worry about "scary barking dog." When people come over, we tell Talia to go wait, and she does so without the barking and craziness that she used to do. Most importantly, she listens to me; I know that we have a connection. I've watched her behavior change slowly as we continue to practice the techniques that Amy gave us. The changes in Talia have happened gradually and she gets better and better every day. I am so thankful to Amy for helping us turn this guard dog into a family pet.
Two years ago we adopted a 1.5-year-old German shepherd dog named Talia from a rescue group. Her behavior was wonderful around our family, but when people outside the family tried enter her territory, Talia would turn into the "guard dog from hell." It was a nightmare to have visitors to our house because of Talia's barking and jumping. I took her to obedience classes and had success teaching her commands, but nothing I did changed her protective behaviors in the home. When I contacted Amy Clear, I was looking for a humane trainer, not one that would 'break' the dog of her negative behaviors with violence or force. Talia's bad behavior was motivated by fear, and she probably was not treated well early in life, so I did not want to make her more fearful. She was already a great dog with just our family and I wanted her to be that same great dog for others when they came to our home. Amy taught me how to be the leader that Talia needed in order to calm her fears and improve her behavior. Thanks to Amy, Bark Busters training, and lots of practice, I now can have people over to our house!!! A few weeks ago we had a family of four visit and stay with us for several days. I was a bit worried about how Talia would react-these people are friends of my husband's and I had never met them before. After an initial sniff-down, Talia accepted our guests. The second day they were here, Talia even jumped into bed with the teenagers. We are so proud of Talia; when these guests were in our home she acted like the dog she is for our family when no outsiders are present. Sweet, loveable, mushy doggy-not the Cujo-dog she had been in the past. This summer we have also had more children over for playdates and sleepovers without having to worry about "scary barking dog." When people come over, we tell Talia to go wait, and she does so without the barking and craziness that she used to do. Most importantly, she listens to me; I know that we have a connection. I've watched her behavior change slowly as we continue to practice the techniques that Amy gave us. The changes in Talia have happened gradually and she gets better and better every day. I am so thankful to Amy for helping us turn this guard dog into a family pet.
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