‘Rose’ is one of the most dramatic examples of transformation that I’ve seen. Starting out, she was reactive to people, growling, lunging, snapping. One of the first things she did when I met her, was swing around and bite me in the butt. I just held on to the leash, pulled out and away, and said, ‘Come on”, making her walk with me. That began what would become a unique relationship.
The dog, having lived in a near feral state before she was rescued, was terrified of people in general. That said, by the end of the first session, Rose was walking beside me on the leash, being handed back and forth between her owners and me.
Long story short, while it took some significant strategy, and lots of work from the Nixons at home with the dog, Rose is now able to walk anywhere in public, without the Nixons having to stress over her randomly striking out at somebody. By the end of our training, Rose would come in wiggling all over, coming over to me to be petted. She would regularly lean on me, fully comfortable with handling her. One of the most rewarding transformations ever.
