My husband and I were blown away by Off Leash K9 Training and cannot say enough good things about them! We HIGHLY recommend them to anyone looking for help with a dog or puppy showing aggressiveness or other major behavioral issues.
Here's why:
Our 1.5 year-old, 17-pound puppy, Mowgli, came to us about a year ago, suffering from severe trauma early in life. His past abuse made him wary of strangers, particularly children, to the point where he would start snapping/barking/lunging whenever anyone he didn't know very well came near him. We tried everything to help him--reading books, attending obedience and dog aggression classes, researching ideas and tips online, introducing very tight boundaries, socializing him in highly controlled environments, etc. We saw some progress, but not enough to give us confidence that we could trust him to behave appropriate in uncontrolled environments. (Dog parks were out of the question--we couldn't even get near the fence!) This was scary! Especially because my husband and I love hosting people... and we had just learned that we were pregnant. Our hearts were hurting. We worried we might need to find our little pup a new home, but that was the last thing we wanted because our little cuddlebug had become family!
In a last-ditch effort, I asked for professional help on Thumbtack. Cassie at Off Leash K9 Training promptly responded, providing very helpful information and answering all of my (many!) questions. We elected to have a meet-and-greet and info session in-person with Andy, one of Off Leash K9 Training's trainers, to learn more and to make sure that Off Leash would be comfortable working with our pup given his fear-aggression issues. We were impressed with Andy's experience, how he interacted with our little guy, and how Off Leash uses the e-collar system. We decided to pay for the Board and Train option and sent Mowgli to work with Andy for two weeks. That was the *best* decision we made!
Mowgli came back to us an entirely different dog. He was more confident. Relaxed. Calm. Obedient. Focused. He could walk OFF LEASH WITHOUT RESPONDING AGGRESSIVELY TO OTHERS. Andy brought us all to the local dog park to show us how well Mowgli could interact not only with other dogs... but also with strangers and kids.... It was nothing short of amazing. We could not believe Mowgli was the same dog. My eyes watered and I had to give Andy a hug. His work with our puppy literally saved us from losing a family member... and it dramatically increased our quality of life! Now we can take Mowgli to the dog park... on walks... or have guests over, including children and babies, and Mowgli behaves beautifully! He's still a little shy at times, but he's cautiously curious and every day his confidence grows.
Here's the other crazy thing we noticed: once we started using the e-collar system with Mowgli, we noticed another amazing, positive change in his behavior. He used to NEVER give kisses. But now he'll go on kissing binges and doesn't want to stop showering love on me and my husband. He also LOVES his e-collar: every time we pull it out, he gets so happy--tail wagging like crazy--and wants to lick it and wear it. He is not afraid of it in the least. To the contrary: it's given him confidence to *enjoy* life as a healthy and increasingly confident young dog.
We are so glad we asked Off Leash to help our little Mowgster and we highly recommend them to anyone looking for help for a puppy or dog dealing with severe aggression issues. Not only does Off Leash offer a full guarantee, which reassured us, given Mowgli's behavioral issues and the Board and Train investment, but the Board and Train comes with *free brush-up sessions for the life of the dog.* In a case like ours, particularly with a baby on the way, this was what gave us confidence and won us over!
If you're in the same boat we were, feeling hopeless, worried, or fearful about your furbaby, please, please reach out to Off Leash. You don't have to live with the fear of what might happen if you don't always keep an eye on your dog. You can help your dog overcome his or her issues. You can *all* have a better quality of life--together! read more