You know THAT dog you tell your kids not to go near, THAT dog, the one that makes even you nervous? THAT dog was our dog. Buddy is our 4 year old male German Shepherd cross.

When we got him, Buddy was 3.5 years old and had a ton of bad habits but it was behavior with other dogs and other people that had us the most concerned. Taking Buddy for a walk was almost impossible as he would pull and lunge at other dogs and people and due to his size, was incredibly difficult to control. When friends tried to come to our house to visit, we would lock Buddy up in a room so that he wouldn’t bark or growl at them, it was exhausting and sadly it got to the point where we were considering giving Buddy up… and then we found “Life Without A Leash!” At our first meeting with Jill, we were shocked to see Buddy respond so quickly to the remote collar training.

Now after 5 months, friends and family can’t believe he’s the same dog. Now instead of dreading walk time late at night after all the other dogs in the neighborhood have gone, making sure there’s nobody around to glare at THAT dog, we go out during the day, are able to cross paths with other dogs and people and we feel completely comfortable doing it. Buddy walks calmly at our sides, follows basic commands and is doing really well with his recall. We can even take him off leash and really enjoy playtime in the backyard as a family. I hate to think of what would have happened if we hadn’t found Jill and Life Without A Leash!

We feel terrible knowing we were ready to give up on Buddy for things that weren’t his fault. He has become such a huge part of our lives. We have recommended Jill and her programs to numerous friends and family and sincerely hope that anyone else in our situation does not give up but instead takes the time to explore all of their options. Our heartfelt thanks to Jill Henry!

ELECTRONIC COLLARS: DON’T THEY HAVE TO SHOCK THE DOG IN ORDER FOR IT TO WORK?

Good Morning Jill;  Writing to sincerely “Thank You” for the wonders you have created here at my very doggy home. Having FIVE big, smarter than me, Standard Poodles (with three of them still under a year old), and the older two spoiled silly, had me at my wit’s end. It felt like I could easily win any Championship competition for best “Dog Yeller”! Now,I am only yelling occasionally– that’s just my bad habit.

It’s been just three months and most of the time calm quietness pervades. The dogs are so much easier to handle in so many ways. The Remote Collar System works! That little small pulse when I hit the button does the job. Dogs come, dogs go to their ‘places’, dogs quit chasing poor wee cat up and down the fence line (although that’s her fault for teasing), dogs even go to their own houses and don’t all try to get into one crate….but the best thing is Cry Baby has quite whining. I now have an easy and quick response from all the girls and even big Fonzy. His remote collar set at a very low level….it varies from 12 to 14, which is the low end of the range.

The two smaller girls have a varied setting between 12 to 16 depending on “what’s happening” as they are way more excitable. The double controller/collar is the best – it took me awhile to get used to the two control buttons on one unit – but, it is perfect for walks… I put two dogs on the split lead, wearing their own collars – then I only need one hand for the controller. If I really want to take three dogs for a walk at the same time I can….but it causes too much interest – I am sticking to two dogs for outings. I also appreciate your time, expertise and patience in training all my devil darlings to walk on the treadmill….it is so valuable on a day when the rain is just pouring….no soaking wet poodles to dry and brush before they matt. That is a huge chore and it’s pretty much eliminated.

In the beginning I was not sure this Remote Collar System would work – but I was so wrong and so glad that I was. It doesn’t hurt the dogs at all and its pretty easy to learn….guessing if I could learn it anyone could….so if you ever need a reference have them call me. The dogs love going to your class and sit quietly now so I can put their collars on nice and snug…they know we are going to see all the other dogs and you…they totally love you! When my new batch of puppies are born, I will be bringing them to Life Without A Leash’s big group classes on Saturday mornings, so they can socialize with all the other dogs and their humans. This would be so good for them…all those dogs and folks who love dogs. Couldn’t find a better place!

Take good care of you. Thankful and happy poodle person,

I have a young male Doberman and his name is Roman. I purchased him 2.5 years ago as a return from the breeder. While he is a magnificent looking dog – he came with enough baggage for ten dogs – he was like a fast moving train about to be derailed. In addition to his lack of walking skills, he did not know sit, his name… well you get the picture. Since he arrived, he’s been too much for me to handle, I’ve tried to walk him on a choke chain (that cut his neck), next I tried a prong collar (that made his neck bleed and they just kept breaking) the martingale and harness were also tried and as you can guess these tools failed miserably.

I tried treats and really every possible tool and training technique I knew of. Then I simply threw up my arms and said I won’t be walking him. I tried trainer after trainer. Some were helpful and progress was made – another trainer wanted him on a gentle leader (you know how that went). Roman did improve some as my husband worked with him religiously – but the improvement was very slow and only slightly measurable. Then a friend suggested the electronic collar and showed my husband how to use it – from there Roman got worse. This was because we did not know how to use the collar and were using it more as a punishment tool.

This method only escalated Roman’s behaviour – which by this time could only be described as brutal. Next we went away for a weekend and we took Roman and our other Doberman Madeline along. That weekend Roman ate a bird, nearly killed a cat and tried to go after a horse. We were beside ourselves. When we got home we contacted a trainer who was recommended to us and who worked with special cases and the electronic collar. My husband worked with this trainer and Roman for several months and there was some progress. Roman could now attend group classes and he was less unruly. But the progress quickly plateau and we still had not achieved any decent walking skills and I still was not able to handle or walk Roman as he still pulled and lunged like bull and his anxiety was still very very high. I could not even take him to the vet as I could not control him at all.

Eventually, we made a decision to just take him out a couple times a week and that he would mostly just be a house dog. Desperate people we were and we were making a desperate decision. I know this is crazy but walking a screeching, barking, shaking, terrified 85lb Doberman was becoming a chore – the neighbors feared him and the most common thing people said to me was “will he eat us?”. I was sure he wouldn’t but if he wanted to eat something – I could not stop him. No one could! Then by chance through my own dog services business I met Jill Sharp at Life Without a Leash. She had been recommended to me by another “dog person” to help some of my clients – I contacted Jill so that I could meet her and watch one of her training sessions for my clients’ benefit – not my own. I had no intention of getting another trainer for Roman – we’d already had three so far

I met Jill and watched her interact with a woman and her GSD and as I watched Jill I saw she had an amazing and very quick connection with the dog and seemed to tune into him immediately. Her instructions to the woman handling the GSD were simple to follow. So… I got to thinking… could Jill help Roman get back on his leash and out in the world? Could Roman one day be a well behave off leash dog like my other Doberman? I booked a private session with Jill and she taught me how to use the electronic collar and to properly handle Roman. I had very little previous experience with the collar and did not even know how to turn it on.

So I had my lesson with Jill and she gave me some simple homework to do with Roman. The next day I took Roman out into my cul-de-sac and began putting my homework into place… low and behold I was getting good results and fast too! I was in shock and could not believe it. We continued to do our homework everyday and I had two more private sessions with Jill and also attended one group class.

It has been one month and a bit and I am still doing my homework regularly with Roman – but the coolest thing is that I AM WALKING ROMAN AND HE IS REALLY REALLY GOOD ON THE LEASH. He always wears the electronic collar and a flat leather collar on our walks – he is more relaxed, happy, responsive and well behaved. I am 100% in control of him at all times.

Now the neighbors say things like “Wow, he walks so nicely on a leash”, “Your dog is so well behaved”, and the best one is “Did you get a new dog?”. In some ways Jill Sharp and her training methods have given me a new dog – a new and improved Roman. Roman also wears his electronic collar around the house and while he was always really good in the house – he is now amazing. And, if you think Roman wearing the collar in the house is a bit much – the minute I pick up Roman’s electronic collar he comes running to me and waits for me to put it on. I know it is not just because he thinks he’s going out – he is actually comforted by it.  Because he knows there is no more yelling or collar yanking corrections should he step out of line. He simply gets a command with a tap on the collar and that is it… all done he does what is asked.

Roman is still a work in progress and still has his moments (as I am sure I do as well) with his anxiety but just think I’ve only been working with Jill and her methods about a month or so… just think where Roman will be in six months. A big thank you to Jill Sharp for making Roman a better dog, a happier and more relaxed dog, and a dog I can handle and walk… but most importantly the bond between Roman and me (that was not very good before I met Jill) is incredible. And, the love I feel for Roman is now the same as the love I feel for Madeline, my other Doberman. My family is lucky and very grateful to have had Jill Sharp come into our lives. Woof!