Current Featured Pup.

This is Darby. Darby had moderate to severe anxieties and socialization issues

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“We met our sweet, white, fluffy Darby at a foster-adopt event, he had an incredibly sweet disposition. We were lucky enough to bring Darby home with us that day. He was affectionate with us and responsive to us, he started to bond with us almost immediately but we noticed that he had some baggage.
Darby was a bit more like a person than a dog, he wasn’t excited about toys playing at the dog park, smelling other dogs, he didn’t bark at anything… he loved food, building a relationship with us, and being an only dog. But he needed to be around us all of the time, he wrecked blinds, he made his paws bleed and was frantic if we left him for even 15 minutes. He seemed to be petrified of other dogs, hiding behind our legs and avoiding them at all costs. We resorted to doggie day care when we absolutely couldn’t have him with us, he hated it and we hated leaving him there. We knew he could be much happier and then we found Todd.
Todd instantly bonded with Darby and really made an effort to understand the dynamics of our family. He pushed us to pay attention to the cues Darby gives us and to be consistent with a goal in mind. Working with Todd is work because as humans we have to retool our skills and develop new communication methods. Darby is constantly working because he has to work outside of his comfort zone every day. The work always makes sense and is fun.
We started seeing results almost immediately and Darby continues to grow and develop confidence daily. Just tonight Darby was in the house alone for an hour, nothing was broken, he wasn’t hurt or traumatized, he was a normal happy dog when we walked back in the house.
Todd is amazingly adept at understanding dogs and realizing that pet owners usually need some help too. We are so glad that Todd came into our lives so that Darby can live a well-balanced life.”

Positive Association. Repetition, Trust

When Darby came to me ,he was dealing with severe separation anxiety and had little in the way of canine socialization skills. That meant no dog park, little or no interactions with other dogs... on walks or at any other time, and absolutely no leaving Darby alone. Darby has come a long way since that first day. His owners are incredibly supportive and are willing to think outside the box of "normal". It takes real commitment and follow through and they are model examples of what to do after the trainer leaves. Darby is well on his way to enjoying a fulfilling "dog life" with his family. He has several dog park visits on his resume now and is progressing extremely well at home and on walks as well. Though I will always be available for support to the family should they need it; soon Darby will be able to move forward on his own with his fabulous owners support helping guide him the rest of the way.

I am proud and happy for all involved.

Your K9 Guy

Teaching Humans To Listen, One Dog at a Time