Dog Name: Lizzie
Dog Age: 14 yrs
Dog Breed: Chihuahua
Behaviour issues:
Extremely fearful of people including her owner, toileting in the house, barking constantly at everything
Lizzy spent 10 years in a puppy mill before being rescued 4 years ago. During her entire 14 years she had never been out on a walk and living with people was stressful for her. She would withdraw from human contact and avoided getting too close to anyone. She was so nervous around people she would defecate. It was impossible to handle her enough to even put a collar on her.
Outcome Descriptions:
We were careful to progress very slowly to keep Lizzy from reaching her stressed state so that she could learn a new behaviour. On lesson day we were able to get Lizzy to come up on the couch and sit with her owner. On her own accord, she moved close enough for some gentle hand contact for the first time.
Client Comment / Review:
I had to email you the AMAZING news! Tonight I went to take the dogs for a walk and decided to try taking Lizzy too. I managed to get a harness on her after a bit of struggle and we took her for a walk!!!! We walked with cars going by, people walking past and everything and Lizzie did AWESOME! She was wagging her tail, having a great time! She was incredible! I felt like crying!
I had no idea that we would ever get to this point with her and I truly cannot thank you enough for everything! I was doubtful about training with her and now I am so happy that I did. Thank you again Brenda!
