November 2009
Up until my most recent addition to the
family, I had never before had the experience of a dog who had any
sort of behaviour concerns.
Shelby came
to me as a rescue and, although Bailey (my other lab) and I had no
intentions of expanding the pack, she is a wonderful addition.
Within a few weeks of her arrival, however, I discovered that she
was unpredictable in her interactions with other people and other
dogs. She would often react to people coming into our house by
growling, barking, putting her hackles up and generally being as
intimidating as she could be. Not only was I embarrassed by this
behaviour, but I was really concerned that she may actually bite
someone. Given her lovely lab face, people are inclined to come
right up to her to pet her and that suddenly seemed like a recipe
for disaster.
I chose to cope with this new challenge by
eliminating her interactions as often as possible, trying to
reassure her that she was safe and fine, and to win her over with
loves and cuddles. None of this was working and I suddenly found
myself adjusting my and Bailey’s routines to fit
Shelby’s
issues.
In the mean time, I had also decided that 2
labs and one small yard was equaling a lot of dead grass and so I
hired Poooh
Busters for poop scooping. By chance, one day when Roland came
to do my yard I happened to be home and got to witness first hand
the crazy, maniac show that
Shelby put
on when he entered the gate. I went out to apologize to him for the
freak out and he said to me, “It’s ok Jenn, you can let her out.” I
looked at him doubtfully and assured him that this was NOT a good
idea. He explained to me that he works with dogs with aggression
issues and that it would really be fine. I let her out – doubtfully
I must admit. She did as she had always done and bolted right for
him, and then the totally unexpected happened. Within less than 10
minutes, she had calmed down and not only had stopped growling, but
was actually following Roland around the yard. I was sold! Roland
had done nothing drastic, scary, or harmful but he had made a
significant change in my dog’s behaviours.
Shelby and
I have now met with Roland and Erin twice. We have fit our homework
into our own routine at home and the change is outstanding. The
techniques are based on dog behaviour and once this was explained to
me – they just make so much sense!
Shelby’s
insecurities (what I now know were the source of her behaviour
issues) have decreased and I have actually assumed the alpha role in
the house. I thought I was the boss – now I know I really am – and
I know that this is the best thing for both of my dogs and for me.
I actually now open my front door without a sense of fear, we go for
walks without me being mortified that we’ll cross the path of
another dog, and
Shelby is
able to be a calm, relaxed, lovely member of the family. She’s not
perfect and we will continue to work, but now we know the work to do
and we know there will be results.
I have learned so much from Roland about
what it means to be a dog. These lessons have helped
Shelby
without a doubt, but they have also helped Bailey and me as well.
Roland and Erin are true animal lovers and their constant support
and advice was invaluable. I have such respect for them both for
working with dogs in such a natural and gracious way. THANK YOU
from Shelby,
Bailey, and I for all that you have done for us!
Jennifer Hanna
Calgary, Alberta
October 2009
Roland and
Erin from Canine Correction were exactly what we needed. It wasn’t
shortly after we brought Lexy home in February that we began
reactive dog training where we were told that she would never be
fully corrected. We saw multiple ‘recommended’ trainers all that had
different approaches, suggestions and ‘tricks’… but nothing worked.
We were left with
a dismal bank balance, a basket full of correction gadgets and one
reactive dog. We were at the end of our rope. After agreeing to surf
the web one last time to find one LAST dog trainer we stumbled
across Canine Correction. ‘Why the heck not, one more try isn’t
going to hurt at this point.’
I was pretty
skeptical at first but was quickly swayed. Within 10 minutes into
our first session we noticed a dramatic change in Lexy’s behavior.
Roland explained what was going on with Lexy and helped us
understand how we could help, what activities we could do and how to
interact with her to get the best results. We were assigned homework
and urged to contact them at anytime if we had issues with Lexy’s
progress (or with our level headedness through the process)
We emailed them
and were responded to quickly. Having had an aggressive dog herself,
Erin was able to relate to our frustrations and give great
suggestions that helped us get passed the bumps along the way.
We are so
impressed with the progress Lexy has made these past months. Roland
and Erin are calm, understanding, friendly, knowledgeable and above
all hard working. They love what they do and you can see it in their
quality of work and the interaction they had with Lexy.
Thanks, you
helped us make Lexy into the best pup she can be!
Kevin Kraft
Calgary, AB
October 2009
Before meeting
Roland and Erin, I was convinced that I had the most poorly
behaved dog in the world. We had been to both puppy school and
obedience classes with little success. The worst part of both
classes was that not even our trainer could handle my little
guy, Dexter. During puppy class when off leash time would start,
all the dogs would be allowed to run rampant while we were asked
to sit on the side lines. The trainer told us that Dexter was
“too big” and that he scared the other dogs. Needless to say,
this did nothing for his socialization skills. Eventually she
told us that he was uncontrollable and that we should look into
a prong collar to get a better handle on him. So we went out and
bought one and brought it to our next class. When the trainer
tried to show us how to use it, he nearly pulled her off her
feet. After the failure with both classes I kind of gave up. I
felt that if a professional dog trainer couldn’t handle my 180
lb St. Bernard, there was little hope I would ever be able to.
But all that changed early in September of this year.
Dexter is the
most loveable and affectionate dog I have ever met but he has a
mind of his own. He wouldn’t listen to me, he would endlessly
seek attention, and whenever the doorbell rang, it was like
going to war with him to keep him from jumping all over any
visitors. I decided it was time to try again with a dog trainer
but this time I looked for someone I knew could handle him. When
I found Roland’s site, the first thing I remember seeing was “we
specialize in large dogs”. That sealed the deal for me
immediately. I knew he was going to be the one to help me become
the owner Dexter needed me to be.
Roland and Erin
came over early one Saturday morning, and I was petrified. They
saw firsthand his excitement with the doorbell and visitors,
instead of telling me how terribly behaved he was, they told me
he was an over excited happy-go lucky guy who needed structure.
I won’t ever be able to put into words how that made me feel but
for the first time in the almost 2 years, I had someone telling
me something positive about
Dexter! Roland took him outside and
within five minutes
Dexter was a new dog. I was pretty sure that
they had a spare, well behaved, St. Bernard hidden in the back
of the car that they swapped
Dexter for, but to my surprise, it
really was him acting like the dog I knew he wanted to be.
Since their
visit I have been working with him every day. The techniques
Roland taught me were not only simple but they made sense. He
took the time to explain why we needed to do a particular
exercise and how dogs interpret our actions, it really made a
light go off in my head. I know now that
Dexter is not a bad
dog, he was just desperate for an owner that took charge and let
him follow rather than lead. We still have a long way to go but
after our single session (yes, only one and there was this much
of a change!!!) each day is getting better. I know that if I
have Roland and Erin behind me, one day soon, we’ll get to where
we need to be.
Roland, Erin,
thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you have done for
me and Dexter. Thank you for showing me how to communicate what
I want from him and how to work with him. Most importantly,
thank you for never making me feel stupid. There is much more
work to be done and I can’t wait for our next session.
Victoria
Worsley
Calgary, AB
September 2009
Our one and a half year old Doberman, Bozley,
is the most loving dog with our family but had HUGE excitement and
aggression issues with strangers coming into our home and with other
dogs or people out on the street. My family and friends repeatedly
told me that I needed to do something about Bozley, and I felt
extremely embarrassed and ashamed because I didn't know what to do
about the behaviors. And not to mention the embarrassment and
frustration when Boz would go absolutely berserk about another
dog/kids/skate boarders/rollerbladers out on the street when we were
out for walks. It didn't happen every single time but the
anxiety that I felt when I would even think about walking him
completely took away any joy of connecting with my dog.
I tried multiple different dog trainers and behavior experts who
didn't really seem to listen to the real issues. I felt like we
weren't even scratching the surface of the problems. I was told that
I have a wonderful dog; he isn't aggressive; he just needs more
training. None of the problems disappeared and new ones seemed to be
cropping up by the minute. Their solutions were all techniques that
used food or toy based training. Sure... my dog can now do half a
dozen tricks and knows all of the basic commands inside and out but
that didn't change anything! The behaviors just seemed to be getting
worse the older that Bozley became so that instead of a cute 15lb
puppy barking and jumping excitedly at another dog, Boz is now a
95lb big boy with big boy teeth that can pull me right off my feet
when lunging toward another dog! Family and friends didn't want to
visit anymore unless he had been put in his crate with the bedroom
door closed. I didn't feel comfortable inviting anyone over that
Bozley didn't know because of the worry about him deciding that he
doesn't like someone. It was really starting to limit my life and
cause unnecessary stress.
My boyfriend sent him to an expert in BC for two weeks that made
wonderful progress with the down/stay and heel commands. We picked
him up and he was PERFECT... for two whole days. The behaviors came
back with a vengeance and possibly even worse than before. Our dog
walker even fired us from her service at that point.
I was at the end of my rope. I couldn't get rid of Bozley because I
felt like I was passing on the monster that I had created to someone
else to deal with. The guilt that I would feel if another person,
child or dog got hurt because of him was an overwhelming
thought. Besides, Bozley is a part of our family and I didn't want
to give up on him. Even though other trainers had not provided us
the help that we needed in the past, when our dog walker suggested
that I try Canine Correction I realized that I didn't have anything
to lose.
So I called Roland and Erin and am so EXTREMELY happy that I
did!! We have been in their training program for approximately 3
weeks now and have noticed significant changes in Bozley's behavior
already. It isn't hard work to do the exercises that Roland
provides, just motivation and dedication are required. It is well
worth the effort and time investment! Roland and Erin offer so much
advice and support and are there anytime that I have questions or am
just extremely frustrated and need a pep talk. They are teaching us
how to gain respect from Bozley and we have even had family over
since beginning the training that have noticed BIG changes in him as
well. Their training techniques aren't complicated; they make
complete sense and get results quickly!
THANK-YOU, Roland and Erin for all of your help, I look forward to
the rest of our training sessions! I would recommend you to anyone
who asks (and possibly some who haven't!)
Veronica Webbink
Calgary, Alberta
September 2009
I contacted Canine Correction when my new
rescue dog Ranger started showing some issues with having people
around his food. I didn't want this problem to escalate and knew
"regular" obedience sessions wouldn't get to the root of this new
problem so I was searching around on the internet for someone to
help us. I am so thankful I found Canine Correction. Roland has
helped Ranger and I not only with the food issues but also with my
relationship with Ranger.
When I rescued Ranger as a one year old, he had spent the first nine
months of his life chained up in a backyard, only to be abandoned by
his owners when they moved. As a result, Ranger was a very
independent dog and it felt like there was something missing when
interacting with him. Ranger was overall a good dog, but his
attitude was "I'll do what you want because you'll make me" not
"I'll do what you want because I want to". Roland came over and
pinpointed the problem within 5 minutes; Ranger had a huge lack of
respect for me. Roland gave me simple, easy to remember exercises
that I worked at diligently. The difference in Ranger was huge. He
went from a good dog to an amazing dog! A 75 lb dog who used to tow
me down the street and lunge at squirrels and bunnies became a dog I
now walk on a loose leash held in one hand. No more towing, no more
lunging. After I gained more respect from Ranger, Roland came over
for a second session to specifically work on the food issues we'd
had. The exercises were once again simple and easy to remember that
garnished huge results. Ranger is now completely trustworthy with
having people around his food.
Roland and Erin are wonderful to deal with and really want to stay
involved with you, even long after the training sessions end. Their
love and respect for dogs is simply amazing and the results they
produce are jaw-dropping. I contacted them because my dog was food
possessive but they changed our whole relationship. Ranger now
eagerly listens to me and most importantly WANTS to please me. He's
also so well-behaved on our walks people stop their cars next to us
and tell me what a well-trained dog I have. Probably the most
amazing thing that has happened since our training sessions was when
Ranger and I were walking on a fairly deserted street and a car full
of men started harassing me from the road. They pulled up a few feet
in front of me and one man opened the door and made as if to get
out. Ranger turned from a docile, happy-go-lucky dog to a snarling,
growling attack dog and went to stand between me and the car. The
man quickly shut the door and they drove off. As soon as they were
gone, Ranger calmed down and went happily along on our walk, even
stopping later to let someone pet him. I know if Roland hadn't shown
me how to change my relationship with Ranger, that story probably
would have had a much different ending. Thank you so much Roland and
Erin!!
Ashley Banbury
Calgary, Alberta
November 2008
My name is Amy and I am
27-years-old with Multiple Sclerosis and am 8˝ months pregnant.
My husband Drew and I purchased
a puppy named Maggie, nearly 3 years ago. She started off small
and obedient but now weighs in at nearly 100lbs and doesn’t do
anything she doesn’t feel like doing. I am the main caretaker
and have never owned a dog before in m life! I’ve never been
taught how to properly deal with issues like barking, stealing
food, eating cat litter and garbage, jumping, not listening,
pulling when walking and so on. I was no longer enjoying my dog
in fact, I wanted my husband to get rid of her! So, last year I
decided I had enough of her antics and called in a trainer.
After spending $500 and being shown how to throw a bag of chain
on the floor to scare the dog into submission, and to say “bah”
we had enough! It did NOT work, the trainers weren’t interested
in helping us further and seeing as these were the only
techniques they offered, we were out $500 and still had a
misbehaved dog!
When we found out we were
pregnant early this year, these issues soon became very urgent
to fix! My husband did more research and found a company called
“Canine Correction”. We were very hesitant about inviting
someone else to the house to help because of the horrible
experience we had previously so when Roland and Erin came over
we were slightly reluctant to fully accept what they were saying
right off the hop. However, we listened to what they had to say
with open minds and as the night went on and Drew and I were
able to see with our own eyes the immediate improvement of
Maggie’s overall behaviour! It was crazy! She went from this
independent, “I’ll show you who’s boss” attitude to “I better
listen or else”. Our jaws were literally on the floor just
watching and listening to it happen. By the end of the night, we
knew this was going to work. Roland and Erin emphasized how our
gaining Maggie’s respect was KEY to the training and left us
with some homework. They said they would be back in two weeks to
see how it was going to and to show us more. They also let us
know if we had any questions of any sort we could reach them by
phone or email...every time we asked, they replied without
hesitation.
We worked with Maggie as much
as we could and the improvements were happening daily. Roland
and Erin came back, just as they said they would, two weeks
later, and showed us more. Respect IS the key and without
this information, we would still be at ground zero! Now I can
walk Maggie myself; she no longer patrols the windows; she no
longer barks at every little thing she thinks she hears; she
doesn’t jump; she listens to come, sit, stay, lay down and more.
She doesn’t eat food off the counter and is pretty much doing
what we want when we want her to...like I said,
it’s CRAZY! For the first time since we got her, I am really
enjoying my dog. Something I didn’t think I would be able to do.
Thank you!
Amy and Drew Grenier
Calgary, Alberta
May 2008
Our family was planning a
vacation when my husband and our very large German Shepherd got into
a very "heated" argument in the park and of course, the German
Shepherd won the battle. I was at my wit's end trying to figure out
what to do with our family pet who had suddenly decided he was the
boss! We didn't want to take him to our regular pet-sitters as they
had small children and we didn't know exactly what was wrong with
our beloved dog.
