We welcomed a gorgeous 4 and a half year old Dalmatian into our home, and our lives, just after the loss of my husband, for a while there I really wondered whether I had done the right thing by any of us, myself, my son or Mr Mojo
Myself and my son instantly bonded with this noble sweet boy needing a new home and a fresh start. He had a few issues, and so did we. The search was on for a trainer who could help us help him and bring happiness and balance to our home once more
Justin came highly recommended, I had my doubts that an in home training session and on going support were going to be enough, I was delighted to be proven wrong!
The first thing about Justin was definitely his professionalism, but, more importantly, his empathy and genuine passion for our dogs well being shone through
His welcome from our cranky feline family would have been enough for most to have thrown in the towel without going any further. Justin gave grace, understood that it was a household still grieving and moved in to Mr Mojo
Justin's assessment was detailed and individual, realistic and attainable
Everything was achievable with a calm approach, consistency and reward, backed up with constant praise and positivity
No gimmicks
No pressure selling of training aides or miracle cures
No force
No domination, not even the dreaded 'leadership walk' that others had extolled, that would leave our boy a gibbering wreck
No negative measures or tactics
Kind, gentle training, more of us than Mr Mojo at times, with positive reinforcement and loads of encouragement and support
All aspects of Mr Mojo's life and routines were addressed, feeding, exercise, play, toys, family time, car safety, socialisation (both with people and dogs) right down to the collar he wore, the way I held his lead and accommodating his emotional needs alongside his physical needs
What some saw as aggression and dominance, Justin viewed as a lack of confidence, an uncertainty in his place in our home and family, in short, our boy was waiting to get bumped on to the next family, the next home, the next set of rules
Viewing our beautiful Mr Mojo through a different lens, looking at what he was telling us by his body language and behaviour, allowed us to help him become a better member of the canine community
Also, a realisation that some things that are broken, cannot be fixed, but that they can be accommodated and adapted to....what do I mean? Well, Mr Mojo is never going to be a fan of small white fluffy dogs....solution....avoid them when out don't invite them to our home. Unrealistic? No, it really isn't. Aside from said small white fluffy dogs Mr Mojo is incredibly tolerant of all comers, human, furred, feathered or scales (yes, he even loves our blue tongue lizard!)
This gorgeous boy, now over 7 years old, will hold and wash a foster kitten gently and with no aggression, he will watch and care for the chooks and chicks, adores the goat and her kids, and helps mumma goat by supervising the kids when she needs a break. Mr Mojo's favourite time is that spent in the paddocks with the horses
When Mr Mojo senses someone is hurting, emotionally or physically, he becomes Velcro dog....he supports and cares, showing infinite love and gentleness....this is the dog inside the young dal that came to us....this is the dog that Justin instinctively knew that we had, the one that he encouraged me to find and to nourish and cherish
Aside from the in home training, Justin provided, and continues to provide, unending support via Facebook, messenger and texts
Justin did such a fantastic job of helping Mr Mojo and us that our boy is awaiting his assessment to become an assistance dog. Mr Mojo goes everywhere with us and is a much loved family member, who is also widely welcomed into our community
When we got our second Dalmatian, Justin was not able to accommodate us at that time, but was supportive in finding us another suitable and positive reinforcement based trainer, how many professionals do you know that would do that?
Upon moving to rural NE Victoria and taking in another young Dalmatian with serious health and emotional issues, the first person I turned to for advice was JJ, sadly, he does not have staff in Victoria as yet, but, as ever, he was supportive, helpful and kind.
In short, Justin is everything I could ever want or need in a dog trainer and I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone and everyone read more
