Dogs are members of our family. We treat them with love and care, wanting the very best for them, and acting with great resolve in order to give them a life we are proud to provide.
Much like searching for an ideal school to send your kids to, researching teachers, class size, and quality of education, we do the same for our furry family members. When searching for a place to send our English Shepard mix Shay, I researched nearly every school, private class, trainer, and company that performed dog training. I settled with Off Leash K9 Training LLC, but only after speaking with Ryan.
Shay was crazy. Constantly searching for something to do and something to chew. Five minutes of downtime seemed like an eternity of relaxation when Shay was around, yet the anxiety of wondering what he was destroying during those five minutes prevented any bliss offered. Shay would dart through the house, knocking over kids, anytime a door was opened. He would leap over couches to be near you. He simply wouldn't sit still. And the barking... well, I'm surprised it didn't wake neighbors down the block from inside our house. Needless to say, Shay needed training. He wanted to be a good dog, but didn't know how.
I spoke with Ryan before making my final decision. Over the course of an hour long phone call, Ryan had completely laid out his plan. He asked relevant questions which revealed the issues I was aiming to resolve with Shay's behavior. Ryan informed me that he would focus on these issues, as well as maintain his structured training regimen towards the betterment of my pup. I was assured that Shay was in good hands and that his poor behavior would stop.
I drove the 100 miles to Eugene, OR from my home in Bend, OR to drop off Shay in the morning. I knew they had local trainers, but I was impressed by Ryan's communication and organization. He was the man for the job. With only one other dog being trained, and a full two weeks of boarding and training, Off Leash K9 Training guaranteed results. While two weeks was a long time to be away from Shay, I knew it was in his best interest. Plus, Ryan said he would send me updates and pictures.
After receiving a few emails, texts, and plenty of photos. The day had arrived to pick Shay back up. With my fiance, we drove to Eugene, OR and met Ryan at a local park. Shay was waiting inside a kennel in the back of Ryan's SUV. Knowing full well that Shay was going to freak out when he saw me, Ryan left him inside for about 30 minutes while explaining how to use the training collar and associated remote. First, we gripped the collar in our hand as Ryan slowly increased the numerical level of power. We couldn't feel the vibration until it reached about 12. I can't really relate the softness of the feeling of a 12 to anything, but I imagine about a 60 would be similar to those restaurant buzzers notifying you that your table is ready. Ryan explained to me that a '5' is all Shay, and most dogs, need to associate the command with the feeling - a numerical value that we couldn't even feel. After the collar and remote instruction was out of the way, Ryan put on the collar. He taught us how to use it while he pretended to be Shay. It's pretty weird telling a person to "Sit, Off, Place, and Come," but Ryan did well with his commands and was rewarded with some pets, positive reinforcement, and a treat. Once we were comfortable with the commands, Ryan let Shay out of the kennel and walked him around a bit using the "Heel" command. We were already impressed. Shay barely deviated with the overwhelming excitement he was feeling after seeing me. Ryan yelled, "Break," which breaks the command and Shay bolted over to say hi. Ryan let us practice the new commands with Shay for another 30 minutes or so before we loaded up and went on our way. Shay listened - Shay was trained.
Shay has two 'fuel' tanks. A mental tank and a physical tank. As Shay is a working/herding breed, his mental tank is a bit higher than most dogs - meaning we could spend more time training him each day. We continue to train Shay most days (we're human and don't always do it) and are constantly seeing improvement. The training stuck. He no longer barrels over couches taking out kids in the process. He comes when I call. He sits and waits when commanded to do so and the 'Place' command keeps him in place for upwards of 45 minutes at a time. We can even vacuum now without him losing his mind and attacking it like it's a violent intruder.
I couldn't be more impressed with this experience. It was worth every penny and I recommend this to anyone with a dog needing training. For me, and my rescue pup Shay, we were blessed with the opportunity to work with Ryan and Off Leash K9 Training. read more