All Dawgs

Reasons for 5 stars for All Dawgs: 1) Effective, 2) Humane, 3) Friendly, 4) Fun, 5) Accommodating. In February I had an aggressive 5 yo mini-Aussie that hated other dogs and bit me 2x. Four short months later I now have a dog that pays attention to me even in the presence of other dogs and doesn't growl even when I pick up a piece of steak from between her front paws. And best of all, she's never been happier or more confident. Poppy loves people but she began developing resource guarding and leash reactivity as a puppy. She breezed through puppy class but remained unusually dominant and willful (not my first dog, or even my first herding dog.) I hired a professional trainer recommended by my vet. His methods were effective in the short run but so harsh it left her with trachea damage and put me off professional training. Summer 2023 I finally decided I had to find another professional. I was wary. I did my homework and enrolled in All Dawgs in-home dog-to--human aggression training. Before that could start Poppy bit me hard, really attacked me, when I absentmindedly reached for her bone from under a chair just a few hours after she tore her second ACL. Yes, she was in pain, but the aggression was not new. Her aggression worsened over the long post-surgery convalescence. She lunged at me more than once when I tried to put her cone back on, teeth bared. I was heartbroken and afraid. When she was well enough for training, I was nearly bitten again trying to muzzle train her (my fault). LuAnn was so great about it. She gave me another week to train muzzle-train her, which I did per their video. It was our first triumph. Our first at-home lesson was in late February 2024. Results were immediate. No joke. The progress was so fast I began to practice without her muzzle by the end of the first week. I also enrolled her in Reactive Rover (muzzled), a class with other leash reactive dogs. Scary. Poppy graduated from both aggression classes with gold stars and a new attitude. We followed up with a Dawg Manners, a regular obedience class with other dogs in the room. I felt imposter syndrome, pretending she was just another dog. But she was great. She growled a little when a puppy bounded into her personal space, but a small verbal correction was all she needed. In fact, she began looking forward to going to All Dawgs. At this point she jumps out of the car with great excitement and would bound through the front door if she had her way. We are now in Real World Obedience, a class that meets at remote locations like parks. On the very first day of class somebody's loose puppy crashed directly into Poppy at full speed (of all the dogs in that park!). No warning. Bam! Both the instructor and I nearly had a heart attack. Poppy was surprised but showed no aggression and settled right down. What a test. What a triumph! We're also taking Intermediate Obedience. Poppy is calm, obedient, even relaxed in a closed room with half a dozen other dogs. She still likes her personal space, but it's three feet, not thirty feet. Poppy finally has the owner she needs and I have the dog I knew she could be. Thank you, All Dawgs.