Stella

I have a staffie cross named Stella. Stella is a very friendly and happy dog, however only really to people. Our problem with Stella is her behaviour to other dogs. She has always had this issue, just on a much smaller scale, as she only gets aggressive towards certain dogs and only occasionally.  She then started getting progressively worse with other dogs after a certain incident, leaving her much worse off than the other dog. She then got a lot more anxious during walks, and reacted badly more often to dogs that approached her. Walks then turned from being enjoyable to pretty stressful with me worrying about meeting other dogs, as well as keeping Stella on a lead at all time, which wasn't fun for either of us. This is when we decided that we needed help from someone who actually knows what they are doing and how to properly address these issues.  

What Linnea taught us was easy to understand and made a lot of sense. She even showed me how to walk Stella properly and different ways to divert her attention from other dogs by using her own dog as a distraction. 

Linnea even covered feeding and play time and how they can also help with her behaviour towards other dogs, giving me a huge amount of information to think about.  

I ended up buying one of the leads Linnea sells and uses, instead of the retractable long lead I usually use. After a few walks she stopped pulling and was more responsive when we were out. I definitely have more control over Stella now, especially when she sees another dog. She was always very interested in other dogs and would get exited to see them, then occasionally she would react badly. It was hard to tell why or when she would, however now, she doesn't get as interested any more, and when she does I am able to divert her attention from other dogs, so she doesn't feel the need to meet them. It makes our walks more enjoyable and a lot less stressed. I have definitely seen an improvement in Stella, her recall has also improved, and she is able to sit outside and relax, even if dogs and people are around her. 

After the training with Linnea I know understand that it's not necessarily Stella's fault, but also the way I am with her. I get her excited about walks, I don't give her clear enough instructions, there is little consistency when it comes to training and I get stressed out when I see other dogs (because of how Stella might react) which can't be good for her either. Linnea made me aware of this which I think has helped a great deal.

I want to thank Linnea and Gregor. I feel they have really helped, and done so in a simple easy way to remember and understand. We're still improving and we are no where done yet, but I have seen a definite improvement.   
Thank you guys!! 

- Katie