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"Hi! I thought you would enjoy this. I DID! Yesterday was sunny when we got off of work so we threw the dogs in the back of the jeep and took them to culp lane park in Bethalto for a few quick rounds before we started evening chores. The first trip around the park we did training: heel, stop, wait etc. The second trip around we let them be dogs and run and sniff as long as they weren't pulling on the leashes. Time to go, Harley always jumps in the back of the jeep no problem where Eli looks worried and will put his front paws up but makes no attempt to lift his back legs. We unhooked him from his leash while he was in that position and he lowered his front paws and ran off. UGH! I took a couple deep breaths and watched him run out to the middle of the parking lot hoping he wouldn't head for the road thank goodness he didn't, I said "Eli, come!. He came and I did the hand motion for sit. He sat. I rubbed his chest, working up to his collar and we put him in the jeep with Harley calmly and effortlessly. THANK YOU for teaching us how to keep our dogs safe. If we hadn't been in class, this most likely would not have gone well. It was fine, I felt good. Thanks again for all your work and patience teaching us how to keep our animals safe." Emily, Eli, and Harley
"It has been almost four years since Auggie and I have been coming to Sully for classes, outings and for advice. She has made a world of difference in our lives. I can take Auggie anywhere that I want to take him. Because he is such a well behaved dog I can take him into stores, into public situations such as city Markets and I also take him with me to the Hair Salon. Sully has made life very fun for Auggie and for me. There is so much more to dog training that teaching them to sit and stay. The socialization that the animals get from her classes is so vital. What great fun we have had learning from Sully. The learning never stops." Vicki and Auggie
"We want everyone to know how wonderful Sully is with her dog training skills. We were so concerned about our 14 month old German Shepherd. He was out of control no matter what we tried. We have never had any trouble before teaching our dogs to mind. Sisco, however, was a huge challenge for us. He was always friendly with people, but not with other dogs. With people, he was too friendly. He would crowd them and jump on them. He did not want to listen at all. When we signed up with Sully, he was so unruly we just didn't know if he could be controlled. At the first meeting, he was pulling at his leash to get at other dogs. It really had us worried that he would not be teachable. Within the first five minutes that Sully had him, he was not pulling any longer and was walking with her. We were both so thankful. Maybe there was hope for him and us after all. We left the first class with a whole new outlook on the training. Needless to say, we were astonished. Not only did Sisco learn the first class, but us as well. His social skills were horrible, to say the least. While teaching him his basic skills, he also learned about socializing. With Sully's persistence and stern manner, she made sure he knew his limits and that he was not the boss. He would lash out at other dogs and when corrected, he would try to bite us for correcting him. By the time we finished the sessions, Sisco had learned to come when called, walk right next to us, and pay attention very well. He still has to try us once in a while, but knows when we mean business. He will even walk with us without a leash. Also, at the end of the classes, other dogs could walk circles around him and he would just lay there. What a wonderful feeling that was! The most important test of all was taking him to his annual visit to the vet. Before, he would pull me across the parking lot and want to eat all the other dogs there. At our most recent visit in June, he waited until I told him to get out of the car, walked right next to me, and when we went inside the waiting area he looked around and sat next to me until we were called in. I could not have been prouder than I was at that moment. I told him over and over what a good boy he was and gave him a huge hug. We really hadn't known if we would be able to keep him. Our neighbors have four small children that he would knock to the ground - not to bite them, but to kiss all over them. Thanks to Sully, he now sits right next to them, although he does sneak a kiss in now and then. The five year old girl can even walk him on his leash by herself! They always want to come over just to see Sisco. What a wonderful dog he has become. We thank Sully so much for what she has taught not only to Sisco, but to us. We tell everyone about her and how great she is with dogs." John, Gayle, and Sisco
"First of all, let me just say that I love my dog and I am devoted to his care and happiness, but he has been allowed to get away with too much. Basically, he is a spoiled brat. Just because a dog is a Humane Society rescue, neglected and maybe even abused in his past, is no reason to let him have free reign over you and your home. It isn't good for you and it certainly isn't good for the dog. I am here to attest to that. Although I have not neglected his training completely, I admit to being too lax in his discipline. I have struggled for years trying to convince my dog I am the leader in our home, without success. I tried one dog trainer whose training methods included treats and time outs. I quickly realized this dog is not food driven, and the time outs became a game for him. So, I gave up on that. I have tried clicker training and whistles, and I swear he looked at me like I was crazy. I have watched countless TV shows about dog behavior, and mostly became discouraged because even though I knew what needed to be done to take control, I was unable to put it into practice. I know I have a smart dog, but I didn't know how to challenge him. I know he is a high energy dog, but I have been unable to exhaust him. I had come to the realization that my dog is smart enough to know how to push my buttons. He is a dog with his own agenda. Sometimes he obeys commands, but that is just to humor me. I have put up with excited barking until I want to pull out my hair. I got to the point where I could not show any excitement myself without him nipping me. I made excuses.....he is being true to his breed which probably some type of herding dog, it's just herding behavior; or, he wasn't well socialized as a puppy in his former life prior to rescue. I have had him 6 years, acceptance of bad behavior has just turned into weariness and laziness. Yes, herding dogs are smart and have to think for themselves, and yes, herding dogs will work to protect the flock. But, nipping will turn into biting if left unchecked. A working dog without a job is a frustrated dog. Frustrated dogs bark. A dog without discipline will not respect you. A dog left to his own agenda is boss. I turned to Sully when my dog finally broke skin leaving puncture marks and a severe bruise. I had to admit that there were no more excuses. Nipping is biting and biting is unacceptable. Sully made a home visit which I highly recommend. She was able to see my dog in all his glory. She made a training plan for both my dog and myself. She made sure I understood what the goals were. Homework was assigned. We have a focus exercise I use when we go for walks. Although we do not walk our usual 3 miles as the focus work slows us down, he is much more tired when we return home, and I am much more relaxed. He was able to walk fairly well on a short leash, but now he walks next to me on a leash with as much slack as I want to give with much less pulling. He is also learning some chores around the house. He is learning how to pick things up and bring them to me. This not only gives him a purpose, and believe me, this dog needs to feel like he is working, but it reinforces in his head (and mine) who is boss. Right now, he is on a leash in the house at all times when I am home. I correct the barking immediately when it starts. In just a few short days, I have noticed big changes. He has rules and seems to appreciate them. Privileges are earned, not assumed. He is using his brain, which has calmed him down some. He still has some work to do with barking, but it has only been a few days, and I have no doubt we will overcome that as well. I am very impressed at the progress we have made in just a short time, by using the right approach for my dog. I feel much more in control, and my dog seems as happy as ever. All of this with one home visit. Also, I much appreciated the follow up call I got a few days later. My dog and I are signed up for beginning obedience classes. If all goes well, we will move on to play and train classes. I'm really looking forward to my new roll as boss of the house." Beth and Riley
"I took my German Shepherd, Freya, to Sully because our daily walks were becoming impossible. She started developing a severe dog aggression at about 18 months. She had a few other problems too but the dog aggression was getting way out of hand. I told Sully that I didn't know what to do with her as I had gotten her as a traveling companion. She had been going everywhere with me but I was having to leave her at home because I couldn't trust her anymore. I've always trained my own dogs and had good well trained dogs all my life but this was just out of my league apparently. Our first session she tried to bite almost every dog there, especially one. By the end of that evening, Freya, was ignoring the others. By the end of the second session Freya could even walk past her nemisis without snarfing at him. In our last session the two dogs were walking up and down the drive together without even thinking about it. Sully didn't just train Freya though. She taught me to trust her too. That was a lot of our problems and as Sully pointed that out to me (often) things got better. I'm no longer afraid to take Freya with me anywhere. She goes to lumber yards, jewerly stores, insurance agencies and newspapers and has friends in all of them. When she's not with me people ask about her and tell me to bring her next time. She hasn't even tried to eat another dog. We had a beagle in an invisible fence that would come running out at her and she would go crazy. Now we walk right past the beagle and she turns her head the other way. She even knows when to stand her ground now without going crazy. Earlier this summer my husband was walking with her and they were attacked by two Rotts. He said Freya stood in front of him and barked and growled but didn't try to attack or run. I believe that Sully gave us the confidence to trust Freya and let her do her job. So you see we all three got trained. With Sully not only does your dog get trained, so do you. Even those of us who thought they could do it theirselves can learn from her. If I hadn't gone to Sully with Freya I think I might have given up and her life would have been living in our back yard with just the family but now she has tons of friends and family that she gets to see all the time. Her life is enriched by having new and different experiences and my life is fantastic with her by my side. I've reccommended Sully to every dog owner I know, I pass out her cards and tell everyone how much she helped Freya and I. Freya and I have done three levels of training and I've seen her with dogs I thought were hopeless and seen them come out the other end happy and well behaved. (Their owners too) If you have a problem or just want to start right. This is your answer." Linda and Freya
"Hey I just wanted to drop you a note and say thanks. Thanks for what you say? Well, everytime I walk the girls someone always says how obedient they are or how well behaved. If they ask, "who is walking who?" I always tell them that I am the one doing the walking and why. They made a huge splash in Nashville, TN. The dog walkers in my daughter's community have never seen such well mannered and beautiful animals. Tonight as I was walking my appreciation for you wisdom and kind canine savy was once again witnessed. As we passed another dog on our walk the girls walked by calmly while the other dog tugged and pulled at it's leash. Thank you, thank you, thank you. They are both doing a sit stay as I cross the road for probably about 20 yards then they come bounding to me sliding to a sit stay between my legs. I have never enjoyed any dogs as much as these and I know that it is because of your investment in them. Thanks again." Don and "The Girls"
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