A Testimonial: Amy the Golden Retriever
What do Amy's Mom and Dad have to say about her? Read on!
Brenda
and Mike Saling don't train your dog, they train YOU and you train your dog.
Using only positive reinforcement they stress the three things all good
trainers need; patience, persistence and lots of love. They will help you
help your dog realize its full potential.
We have a wonderful two year old Golden Retriever. But, she wasn't always so. While an adorable looking puppy, she was a little devil in disguise. She was very headstrong and believed SHE was the alpha of our family pack. Walks in the neighborhood became a chore. She would constantly go for the leash trying to take control of the walk. In the house she was always jumping up on furniture and demanding attention. In our first few classes we were convinced she would be thrown out for being disruptive as she would constantly bark and carry on. While she was a very assertive puppy in many areas, she was also timid when it came to things like agility. She was afraid to jump over a bar placed flat on the floor. She was afraid of the metal strip on the weave poles. Though she excelled at jumping on our couch, she wouldn't even climb on the agility table. While she had these problems, she also had potential that Brenda helped up see as well as her strong points. She was wonderful with people, she adored the attention, and got along well with children.
Brenda gave us the support and help we needed to turn things around. Our girl Amy now is a pleasure to take on walks and has quickly become a neighborhood favorite. We constantly get comments on how well behaved she is. She excels at agility now, soaring over the jumps, negotiating the weave poles and as to the agility table, she loves it! Brenda was right on the mark when she pointed out we needed to approach things slowly and build her confidence. And as her confidence grew so did not only her agility, but also her demeanor.
How far has she come from being the rotten puppy she was? Recently she passed not only the AKC Canine Good Citizenship test, she also recently received her registration with Therapy Dogs International. We look forward to her starting her volunteer work as a therapy dog. When we began training just having a dog we could live with seemed a difficult goal at best. Now she lives up to the Golden in her breeds name.
Marc and Cathy
Valrico, Florida