In January, 2018 we rescued a 2 year old female American Bulldog. Two days before we were to pick her up, we received a call from the Giant Schnauzer Rescue asking if we could take a 2 year old male (30" at the shoulder). So, we picked up the female on Tuesday, and drove to KY to pick up the male on Thursday. The female is extremely sensitive, very shy, timid, fearful of everything outdoors (all sounds) and some things indoors. She runs away from anything she doesn't know. The male is exactly the opposite. He is hard-headed, strong willed, boisterous, high energy, immature, and meets everything head-on although not aggressive. The two dogs did not get along because he was too big and strong and out of control for her to feel safe and comfortable around. He barked non-stop the first 15 days and barked at her every time she was near. This, too, caused her to be afraid of being anywhere near him. Neither dog had any socialization to speak of and either lived in a cage or was left in a fenced back yard to get into any mischief he desired. First, he would dig under the fence, and then when he got large enough he jumped the fence. The male could not be out of his kennel because he would run around the house, playing "catch me if you can". He would not lie down and just be a dog even if he was kept on a lead. His excessive energy and 'party-animal' behavior kept him in his kennel all the time unless he went outside or for a walk. Neither dog had any training in basic manners or had lived with people who spent any time with them to train them when they were younger. The two dogs could not be any different from their color to their personalities and behaviors. Our home was their last and only chance at a forever home. We knew we were unable to work with both of them to afford them that success, even though my husband is a former K9 handler for a Colorado police department. We contacted Karen at K9 Companions in Nashville for help. Both dogs went to doggie boot camp for three weeks in April. Now, we can have them both out of their kennels at the same time without him jumping and running all over the place. The female is much more comfortable being near him and he isn't out of control with her.
The change in them is amazing and we couldn't be any more happy with the results from just three weeks. We continue to work with them, daily reinforcing their commands and training. This is essential to their success here at home. Basic manners of heel, sit, down, stay were just what they needed to begin living as part of the family. We have already scheduled for him to return to K9 Companions Nashville for an additional training in off leash & recall. We couldn't be happier with the training they received. A special kudos to Melissa who worked with them. Both dogs loved to see Melissa when she came to our home to help with environmental issues. This tells us the dogs respected her even though the training was tough. She was firm, fair, and consistent with her training and loved on them when she could. The product tells us their training was high quality. We would recommend K9 Companions to anyone and everyone who is considering outside help in training their pet. K9 Companions took our 2 dogs and broke some bad habits and instilled good ones. We now have two obedient, loving companions to share our lives and take us on much needed walks. Thank you Karen and staff!