THANK YOU! Thank you Mellow Vibes…read more
We were referred here by a friend of ours who had a dog with aggression issues so we saw first hand what Mellow Vibes could do! Our dog, unlike most the dogs that I've seen in the reviews, is on the other end of the spectrum. Kaia is a 5, almost 6, year old husky/shepherd mix who has anxiety and fear and had zero socialization with the outside world and people. We adopted her at 4 years old and at that point, she was terrified of people and the world. Zero aggression, terrified of the world and a consistent flight risk. She would shut down when she saw people. If she could, she would make herself disappear from the world. Cowering, shaking, bolting, tail permanently tucked. Anything to get away. She couldn't function. We were having trouble bonding with her in the full year we had her because she was just so scared. Walks with her were full of dragging and bolting. She's pulled myself and my boyfriend over before when she was in a panic. She was incredibly stubborn with her commands.
We eventually bit the bullet and contacted Mellow Vibes. They were the first trainer (and people in general) we talked to that did not judge what we did. The amount of times we heard from other trainers and people that we should not do this or that with our dog out of our desperation to build a bond with her (like letting her sleep on the bed with us or on furniture). They were the first trainers that understood where we came from and why we let her get away with certain things. We didn't feel judged for the first time or like we were being scolded. Instead, we got understanding and compassion.
Paul spent 6 weeks with her. Let me tell you this, the amount of care and time he spent with her is astounding. Our dog was scared of EVERYONE but especially men, children and the elderly. Yet somehow, on our first meeting with Paul, she was calm. Paul kept us updated with her progress, pictures, videos, answering any of our questions or concerns. When it was finally time to pick her up, Paul trained us on his techniques of dealing with our dog's issues. We were met with a dog that listened to commands and when we did our walk with Paul, holy moly we were able to walk through the busy busy streets of downtown. Later that day, we were able to walk her through a busy park with so many screaming kids. We. Could. Never. Do. That. Before. EVER. She seemed to adore Paul, always looking back at him for reassurance and a bit of confidence. I almost felt bad taking her home haha. You could tell she was at ease with him and she was WELL LOVED in her time there. YOU DO NOT HELP A DOG LIKE OURS BY "BREAKING THEIR SPIRIT" OR ABUSING THEM. Now, I don't think our dog will ever be a people dog but we were taught how to manage her issues and she, herself, was slowly learning that people, objects, etc would not hurt her.
At home now, she is generally a happier dog. More smiles, more tail wags, more following us around (she never wagged her tail or followed us around like this before). Mellow Vibes truly has helped her come out of her shell. They continue to follow up with us with messages, phone calls for more tips or to answer any of our questions. The rest is now up to us to keep up with the training and to continue to develop our relationship with her. You do not rehabilitate a dog like ours with anything but love, patience (oh so much patience) and compassion.