Dog Name: Alvin
Dog Age: 2 years
Dog Breed: yorkie
Behaviour issues:
Alvin, like a lot of dogs I see, had been given a lot of mixed messages which confused him as to his pack status. This had left him feeling anxious, insecure, untrusting and generally fearful of all changes in the house. He had also been teased when he went crazy over a crying baby doll by the owners relatives - this created a positive reinforcement for his negative reaction and so it continued. The couple is expecting their first child and while they had put up with his biting and barking behaviour at the front door for other guests they were beginning to get nervouse about bringing a new child into the house. People were telling Vinzina she should "just get rid of her dog" - they might as well have been saying "just don't have the baby"!
Providing your dog with consistent leadership and clear dog communication can help ease not only your stress but your dog's as well.
Outcome Descriptions:
Alvin no longer jumps up on people, nor does he try to bite or bark at the front door. Instead he chooses his safe place if he is feeling nervous because that is what we taught him to do with practice and proper communication and timing.
He has learned to relax around the dreaded crying baby doll and we have worked at teaching him to be calm around real life babies.
He also comes consistently when called and is no longer a constant shadow nervously following his pack's every move.
With leadership this terrified little guy is learning that leadership is no longer his responsibility and he can now relax!
Client Comment / Review:
"We were having issues with our little dog Alvin, though he is only 5 pounds, but he is full of heart and personlaity. the natural reaction to anyone seeing him is “wooow, how cute” and they pick him up right away. Also his cuteness was our downfall, because who could say no to such a little guy. And this was the problem. The problems we had included, continuous barking at the door, charging people coming into our home, nipping and biting, jumping up and lunging at guests, going crazy when we brought a baby doll out and not obeying ANY commands like “sit or come”. This was our challenge. We called Lisa (Bark Busters) because we wanted to resolve this issue and we have a new baby on the way. within minutes of her coming in, we noticed a change. She took control right away and showed us what we were doing wrong. The program she setup was easy to follow, with some homework. And now happy to say after only two sessions, most of the behavior has changed…THANKS LISA"
Wissam & Vinzina - St. Clair & Dufferin area - Toronto, ON
