| rev:text
| - In September, before heading to our winter home in AZ, we decided that we need to do additional training with our, then, 17 month Standard Poodle. Savi has been a wonderful, sweet, good, and playful puppy . . . but she also liked to pull us along when walking, and more than once decided to run, not easily returning when called. Did some research, and discovered All-American online; after reading many wonderful reviews . . . like the one I am writing now, decided to reach out to Bob. I discovered that Bob trains using an e-collar; watching several online videos, I was wowed by his success . . . but I anguished over the use of the e-collar. Speaking to Bob, he explained that the e-collar is like a TENS unit, which both my wife and I have used in physical therapy, and we knew it would in no way be harmful to Savi. Signed up, and paid in advance to reserve a training spot with Bob exactly two days after we were due to arrive in AZ. I have to confess that we both continued to anguish about using the collar; we knew that it would not be harmful, but Savi has such a wonderful, sweet, disposition; we questioned whether it would change her in any negative way. Bob arrived the first morning, and, understanding our concern, he asked Vicki to hold the collar; it's easy to dial in the correct sensation. He started with 20, and Vicki felt nothing, then 30, then 40. At 40, Vicki felt the TENS sensation, and we were good to go. Outside we went; in the first ten minutes, with the sensation set to only 20, Savi was walking next to us, not pulling at all. We were AMAZED. Over the next four lessons [yes, you only need four lessons], we learned the correct way to work with Savi. By the second lesson, Savi would walk next to us off leash, she would sit and stay on command. It is essential that you continue consistent training in between the lessons, and beyond . . . and we did. Easily, I could tell Savi to sit, walk away with my back to her, go two houses down, turn around, look at her, and she would not move . . . until I called her.
We are in a neighborhood filled with dogs; on many occasions, while still training Savi, we were stopped by neighbors, who told us we had the best trained dog in the area. People would stop their cars to compliment her, and the work we were doing with her. Wait, I haven't mentioned our concern about how it would change her. NOT AT ALL. Savi is still joyous, warm, loving, and friendly to everyone. But, when we walk, instead of her being choked by pulling so hard on her collar and leash, she walks comfortably at our side.
Second goal: allowing her to run in a field, then come when called. Last lesson: went outside a local dog park, and she walked perfectly. As an aside, know that Standard Poodles are actually hunting dogs, bird dogs. As I was walking with Savi off leash, there were three birds directly ahead on the path; Savi never even acknowledged them, even as they flew away [used to pull my arm out of socket when she saw birds]. We headed to a very large open field. Told her to take a run, which she did, romping delightedly. Then, the test: "Savi, heel." Took a couple of times to get an immediate result, but she came bounding back, up to my side, and sat, smiling and looking up, with the message, "didn't I do good?" OK, do we love the training; it's all we bore everyone with. Vicki and I keep looking at each other in delighted disbelief that Savi is so wonderfully responsive and happy. Bob Videos the first and last training, and the evening after our last we got this great video of us and Savi. A fun addition to the training.
WOW, just wish we had trained with Bob with our out three Standard Poodles!! Don't hesitate for one moment: call Bob!
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)