We see a calmer, more obedient, and much less frustrated & more happy Jax! And Happy us!!
When we adopted our dog Jax, as a rescue last July, we immediately fell in love with his adorable face, blonde coat, and vivacious puppy energy. We soon realized we were in over our heads though, as our previous dogs (3) were basically couch potatoes since we adopted them, and required little redirection. Jax is lively and animated with non-stop get up & go, and we were ill equipped to manage his type of personality. We had no clue as to what we were doing wrong in trying to manage him, but knew to seek help, after trying all we could independently.
We called several dog training agencies, and all seemed cookie cutter, but it was that first in depth phone conversation with Tom that seemed different and piqued our interest.
Tom spent a considerable amount of time explaining the how and why behind Jax’s behavior, to help us better understand a dog’s perspective, and make sence of it. We learned that we had inadvertently taught Jax some of the behaviors we wanted to terminate. Tom is really training US, the owners, as it’s our behavior that Jax reacts to.
Initially, we started with group lessons that introduced Jax to other dogs, helping him with socialization to make him more comfortable with other dogs. It’s been such a relief knowing we’re not the only owners struggling with the embarrassment of an out of control barking dog, at mere sight of another animal. Tom helped us understand the reasons why Jax behaves this way, and how to manage it in a healthier way for all of us. This is a work in progress, yet it’s AMAZING how Jax no longer barks & becomes anxious with the dogs in our group sessions, and his recovery time (and ours!) is much, much quicker when we encounter new dogs on our walks! We’re learning Jax keenly picks up on our anxiety and behaves in turn. Changing our attitude is crucial. The insight & direction Tom gives really makes sense.
We’re also working on specific behaviors in the home with private lessons from Tom. He’s teaching us to better communicate with Jax, giving us simple direction while offering support, to ellicit the calmer behavior we desire. We’ve learned from Tom ways to change dynamics in the home, moving away from Jax being the “boss,” to regain respect from him towards us, which carries over to behavior. We learned that once Jax truly respects his role, then things begin to fall place. For example, not allowing Jax to jump on us or furniture, bark at the doorbell, steal people food, and pull when we walk him, are all negative behaviors we aim to cease. Through patient education and example Tom is teaching us specific techniques to correct & streamline our actions, that in turn, result in positive behavior in Jax. It’s really fun & exciting to watch Jax respond so positively to little changes we’ve made in our actions, that in turn elicit desired behavior from Jax. When we are consistent with the direction Tom has given we see a calmer, more obedient, and much less frustrated & more happy Jax! And Happy us!! Why, in a matter of minutes we were able to squash Jax’s tendency to jump on us! It was fantastic!!! We are also learning neat tricks to play with Jax, that bring laughter & fun, and strengthen our bond with him. 😊
We continue to practice Tom’s superior techniques with his support, and have more to learn, yet seeing successes so early on has been very rewarding. It gives us hope we may continue to love & enjoy Jax for his rambunctious nature, knowing we are well on our way in regaining control. We are extremely impressed with the education Tom has provided!
