Phoenix Valley Dog Training Success Stories

Nicole and her Rottweilers, Maxx and Karma from Scottsdale, Arizona - Dog-on-Dog Aggression

I have a 6 year old Rottweiler named Karma and an 8 month old Rottweiler named Maxx. I want to share with you the problem I had and then the successful ending.

Well, it all started a few years ago when I noticed Karma had some serious dog aggression issues while walking her around the neighborhood. It made walking her a nightmare because every time she saw another dog, it did not matter on the size of the dog, she would go absolutely ballistic. It seemed to progress over the years and then escalated with fighting with my mother’s female dog in our home. A few years had passed and my mother’s female passed away and then her male dog passed away and it seemed like Karma had some depression since she was close with my mother’s male dog. I had talked to Steve Wood from Canine Dimensions for some help with Karma in regards to some of her bad habits she had picked up over the years and the aggression she had on our walks and I was hoping to give her a refresher on basic obedience. It had been so long since I had her in obedience class that I had forgotten the basics myself and I knew nothing about pack structure and how to be a great pack leader.

Then we had the idea to get a puppy so Karma would have a friend to play with and snap her out of this depression. We went looking for a puppy and we found or I should say that’s when Maxx found us. He was a 10 1/2 week male Rottweiler and he was perfect for us! We brought Maxx home and Karma was not crazy about him for the first day and then suddenly they were best friends and they played day and night together. I called Steve from Canine Dimensions back and told him the news. A few days later we had our first session together and everything went very well. Steve went over the house rules and how pack structure works and things I can do to be a good pack leader. I have to admit I was not a good pack leader at all, and after hearing what I should be doing I was wondering how I was going to make so many changes. From the looks of it I had my work cut out for me, but I was committed and determined to being a great pack leader.

We had started Maxx on little training and Karma had a session on the leash and a session with the basic commands – What a difference in just the first session! On our next session, which was about a week later, we worked both Karma and Maxx that day and things were going great when all of a sudden Karma had an aggression trigger and attacked Maxx. Steve and I tried to snap Karma out of that aggression zone but she just wanted to hurt Maxx. I was very concerned at this point! Steve, my Mother and I sat down and talked about my options – even though I did not like any of them we decided to re-home Karma with my brother. I was devastated and Karma was very discombobulated for about 2 weeks, but then she started to acclimate in her new home. Steve suggested crate training for Karma to give her a little security and confidence, also to help me with pack leadership. I had never crate trained before, so this was new for me too. Karma did great with the crate!

I worked Karma at my brother’s house consistently and worked Maxx at my home and we slowly re-introduced the two of them together after about 4 months of separation. By this time Maxx had exceeded Karma’s height and weight and his hormones and scent were different from when they were first together, so I felt this would be a good time to start the re-introduction process. I started slowly with putting both the two crates side by side and alternating each of the dogs in the crate for an hour for just a few days at a time every 2 or 3 weeks. I really kept tough and consistent with the house rules; one of the hardest habits for me to brake was no sleeping in bed with me. I did this re-introduction for 2 months and just kept consistent and worked the rules and did all the commands and after 6 months of separation I was able to get Maxx and Karma together again successfully! I still have to make sure I watch them when they play and stop any over-excited behavior or any rough play. Karma now respects me and responds to my voice. I became a successful pack leader and all the hard work has paid off! The best advice I can give to anyone who is put in the same position as I was is: 1) stick to the house rules no matter how difficult it may be for you 2) you must be consistent all the time 3) work the basic commands often – everything is earned with a sit, down, stay, etc… 4) be confident and calm because that shows up in your posture and in your voice.

Words can not describe how happy I am! I could not have done this without the guidance and help from Steve at Canine Dimensions.

Thank you again Steve for all your help – we did it!!!!!

Nicole, Karma and Maxx

Scottsdale, Arizona – June 2009

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Indi Eric and his Pit Bull mix, Indi from Chandler, Arizona - Housebreaking and Doggy Manners

After living with my roommate's dog for almost three years I could not imagine life without one when he considered moving out.
About a month before he was scheduled to move I got the call. A young female pit bull was found by an acquaintance of mine in
the backyard of a foreclosed home. I was cautious at first, knowing that pit bulls can be aggressive and not knowing the trauma
she had gone through. After meeting her and seeing first hand her loving and tender personality I knew she was too amazing to
let go.

The first few weeks with Indi were equally fun and hard. She was so great to be around but her constant elimination in the
house, disobeying of commands and chewing of furniture, carpets and cabinets soon became too much to deal with. Every
second she was not in eyesight lead to another mess to clean up or more destruction. Internet research, advice from friends and
the four books I had bought all seemed to have great insight and advice but different strategies altogether. After a few weeks
and very little improvement I was at a breaking point. It was so stressed I even considered giving Indi up, that is when someone
suggested I call Canine Dimensions Phoenix Valley Dog Training.

I felt better after my first conversation with Steve. Even though I know he heard them before, he listened while I told of him of all the problems I was having with Indi. He reassured me that he could help and three days later he came to my house. What a relief! It was not easy but after every day, week and month things got better. Steve offered a complete system and not just strategies or advice to band-aid her behavior. I am so thankful for him making me a proud owner of such a well-behaved and disciplined canine. I get compliments on her all the time! After the turn around Indi made on their system I would recommend Canine Dimensions Phoenix Valley Dog Training to anyone, and I do! Many Thanks! Eric.

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Cooper Danielle and her Golden mix, Cooper from Phoenix, Arizona - Puppy GoodStart Program

At 3 months old when I brought this boundless ball of energy home I knew he was going to be a handful. After interviewing four local dog trainers, I chose Steve with Canine Dimensions. Their practice and philosophy of taking the time to get to know each individual dog and owner demonstrates their commitment to providing an effective and tailored program that is suitable to the specific needs of clients.

In addition to the basic training sessions, Steve's availability to answer questions and concerns as they have surfaced has been a great resource to guide Cooper and I through some challenging situations. Although Cooper and I still have a long road ahead of us, I am very happy and satisfied with the work we have done over the last five months and I am looking forward to all the great training adventures to come.

Sincerely,
Danielle

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Moose Neil and Tracy and their Doberman, Moose from Queen Creek, Arizona - Board and Train

The pleasure was all ours. You have made a tremendous difference in our home. We had a loving, but unruly, dog before we met you. Moose is now truly a fantastic member of our family (pack) and Tracy has taken to him like I never thought imaginable. She was sick of his poor behavior and now she spends a ton of time with him.

We are working hard at using the right commands and WE are coming along good. Moose is behaving very well and has taken us as leaders without any argument at all.

Thanks to your teachings, we are better owners and appreciate our Moose more than we could have ever thought possible.

Thank you! And we look forward to seeing you whenever you may be in the area with other clients. And we'll be in touch along the way to keep you apprised of Moose's progress.

With our warmest appreciation, THANK YOU!
Neil & Tracy

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Pam and Bob and their Poodles, Molly, Bailey and Lucy from Glendale, Arizona - Barking and Marking

I just wanted to write today to tell you how impressed we are with the results we've seen from the dogs.

We're getting the barking under our control and Bailey's marking has stopped completely. It's honestly a joy to be around our dogs now. Your teachings were very informative and helpful and, just to let you know, we both thought you were very fun to work with. You're sense of humor added a level of enjoyment to the sessions that we weren't expecting.

I told you this before but I'm still surprised at how much information you were able to pass along to us and how knowledgeable
you are about the dogs' behavior. There were so many things that you were right on about.

As you know, when we tried that other service and they had us getting down and barking at our dog, I didn't have a lot of
confidence and I was really just embarrassed. Your methods taught us so much about leadership and pack structure - things that
they never even discussed with us.

You've helped us into a position where we can actually brag about our dogs and how good they are. I've already told many of
my friends about you and your service. Feel free to publish this note and use us as a reference in the future. We'll be happy to
pass along our feelings about you.

Anyway, thank you again. You've changed our home into a place of peace and harmony.

Thank you!
Pam and Bob

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Bubba Nikki and her Golden/Lab mix, Bubba from Surprise, Arizona - Board and Train Program

Hey Steve, thanks for checking in on us. Bubba's doing great. I can't believe he's so reliable with his commands now.

We had my sister over yesterday and were showing him off. You're totally right that a really solid stay is much more impressive than tricks. We were using every distraction that you taught us to show him off. It was very impressive. When we were dropping the treats, you could see how much he wanted to break the stay and attack them but he performed like a champ! I was so proud of him (she made the comment that before the training I couldn't even get him to sit with any consistancy - she's right).

I was really worried that he would come back and only listen to you (I know I'm not the most commanding person). But when you showed me how to elevate myself into the pack leader role, it all made sense. I'm following your suggestions as best I can and he really does show me more respect now.

Thanks again for taking such good care of him. I could tell when you brought him back that he had fallen in love with you. That tells me that you must have treated him really well. You'll need to bring Tigger over on your next visit so they can play together. Thanks again and I'll see you soon.
Nikki

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Shasta Danny and Jill and their German Shepherd, Shasta from Gold Canyon, Arizona - Leash Manners and Basic Obedience

Subject: WOW!

Just a quickie to let you know that I took Shasta on a 50 minute walk today and she was nearly perfect from the get go! I can't believe it! Maybe it was beginners luck but I am just thrilled to enjoy a walk with her and I really think she enjoyed it too!

Thank you so much,
Jill

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Dudley Tim and Kate and their Chow/Airedale mix, Dudley from Chandler, Arizona - Leash Manners and Doggy Manners

Thanks for the timely follow up. I was going to write last night to tell you that Dudley and I had two of the best walks yesterday. They were in fact the best walks I have ever had with a dog companion. Dudley was well mannered and focused the entire time. He responded well to "heel" and we worked on his "sit " when I stopped. We need more work on that! Kate had a fall last night and broke her left wrist so she will be on the sidelines for a bit, so we assigned her to work with Dudley in the house on his home work: Sit, Down, Wait and Stay. He takes very well to sit and wait at the door and waits for the break command before leaving the house.

Thanks again and we will see you soon.
Tim and Kate, and of course Dudley.

Follow-up Email:

Steve,

Dudley and I just got back from a great walk. We met three women, mother, daughter, grandmother. We were heeling along, we stopped, Dudley sat, waited while they passed and went on. The mother commented on how well mannered Dudley was and the grandmother thanked us for stopping to let them pass. IT WAS FREAKIN GREAT!!!!!!!!
Thanks
Kate & Dudley

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Sidney Kathy and Carolyn and their YorkiPoo, Sidney from Peoria, Arizona - Excessive Barking and Doggy Manners

We rescued Sidney from the Humane Society...just what we wanted a nice little 13-month old YorkiPoo. She was cute and cuddly and so we brought her home. The first couple of months went fine, our MaltiPoo, Peanut, who is 12 years old, was "tolerating" Sidney and she was pretty quiet and a real cutie. Well, after she started feeling completely at home, she decided to show us her dominant side...she is one hard-headed little doggie. She barked when things didn't go her way...she barked when things DID go her way...she barked when the doorbell rang...she barked when the kitchen timer went off...she barked when I raised or lowered the footrest on my recliner...you get the idea - she was a barker. When we settled in for an evening of quiet TV, she started acting up. She demanded our attention at all times...she was the boss and she let us know it...LOUD and CLEAR!

After researching on the Internet, I found Steve's web site. Perfect! Our little Sidney needed to learn how to behave and she needed to learn it in her own...uh, I mean OUR own house! Steve was full of information on the first visit and he got a pretty good idea that Sidney was a dog who had her mind made up that life was going to go HER way. He also completely understood the "nighttime crazies"!
By the end of the first session, Sidney would work for a treat and we got really good tips on how to make her understand who was boss. Well, the first night after that session was horrible. Sidney acted up worse than ever and I was at my wit's end. I emailed Steve and he could read the desperation in my words...that may be due to the fact I wrote I'M DESPERATE!! The next night Steve came over with a couple of tricks and more great ideas. There were a few more rough patches, but things started getting better each day. We worked with Sidney and she responded well to the training. Today she is a much calmer, better behaved dog than she was when we called Steve. She still has her moments when she barks, but she quiets down very quickly and clearly understands the "enough" command. She's the dog we wanted when we adopted her. Steve was so helpful; always there via email or telephone to offer support, encouragement, and ideas to resolve the issue of the day. When he came to the house, he demonstrated first hand how to teach Sidney to be a well behaved dog. I am so glad I found the web site and made that call! Thanks, Steve!...Kathy
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Cindy and Paul and their Silky Terriers, Leopold and Lexus from Goodyear, Arizona - Housebreaking and Dominance Marking

Dear Steve,
Once again thank you very much for the expert training and knowledge you have given to my husband and myself. I truly did not
know what to do anymore with Leopold when, for no reason, he started marking in the house. Now that we understand the pack
structure and have established ourselves as pack leaders Leopold has not had an accident in the house in 5 months. Please tell
current and future clients that for the program to work everyone in the household must get involved. In the beginning my husband really didn't think the training would work, but when he saw results after just a month he too got involved with the training. Thank you again!!
Sincerely,
Cindy
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