Scooby

I contacted Linnea at Walk and Train in April last year when Scooby, our delightful miniature schnauzer (MS) was 15 months old. We were at the end of our tether with Scooby. Although much loved, we were not coping with his behaviour which had escalated gradually over a few months. We could not let him off the lead as he would chase like a rocket after runners, cyclists, and would bark ferociously at other passers by whether on or off the lead. The only people he would not react to were people who were with other dogs. He would also want to play with ALL other dogs so would try to race over to every dog he saw. I approached several recommended and highly rated dog behaviouralists in the area. One in particular said that she was aware of many other MS in Edinburgh with similar issues which she thought is probably down to breeding, and that she would try to help us but she didn’t hold out much hope. With this in mind, I was sceptical of Linnea being able to help us at all.

Linnea spent an afternoon with Scooby and our family at home in April. She chatted to us all and quietly watched Scooby. She ascertained pretty quickly that Scooby is a dog who is by nature a calm animal who is not able to cope with excitement and is unable to calm himself down easily. She also warned us of the risks of letting him approach other dogs freely as different dogs can react in different ways to this, and some may become aggressive. She worked with him immediately demonstrating to us a bed-stay where he can relax in his own safe place. Then she took us out into our garden and local park and showed us how to recognise signs that his excitement was escalating and how to correct this gently before it got out of control with a slip leash. After this single 3-hour session, we all breathed a massive sigh of relief. For the first time in months we had been able to walk down the street with Scooby on lead, without him barking or lunging at all.

It sounds too good to be true, but this is really what happened. We have been working with Linnea since then both in 1-1 lessons and in group lessons. Scooby’s behaviour is not perfect but is vastly improved, and we have a much better understanding of how to be dog owners. We have much more insight into why Scooby behaves as he does and have strategies to deal with this. We can now walk down the street with Scooby on a loose lead without him barking and lunging at passers-by which a few months ago seemed an impossible task. Scooby is much better at being able to stay calm passing other dogs. With Linnea’s help, we are working towards being able to let him off leash. When we get our next dog, I will definitely get help from Linnea in the very early puppy stages to guide socialisation and training. Thank you Linnea – your help has been invaluable and you have enabled us to relax and enjoy our lovely dog again.

- Rachel