My 3-yr old German Shepherd, Drogon, was usually good around people, but was always overly aggressive around other unfamiliar animals (dogs, cats, rabbits, you name it), so I stayed away from areas where he might come in contact with them. When our daughter moved home with King, her 3-yr old Shepherd mix, we attempted to acclimate them, but things quickly got out of hand so we knew we needed help. We inquired around town and were referred to Best in Show Dog Training.
After our phone conversation with the owner, Orlando, we had him evaluate the dogs in our home. He gave us tons of useful tips to improve the situation and let us know there were several ways that he could help. Key was that we needed to have the dogs obey our commands even when distracted by anything else. We chose to board each of them with him for his 4 week Core Camp session starting in late January.
Orlando's training sessions with the dogs were very productive. Drogon and King were taught how to learn, refined on basic obedience, and trained to stay in control and follow commands with little to no body language even around heavy distractions. He provided us with coaching sessions to teach us how to lead the dogs as well. Between coaching sessions and throughout the process, Orlando sent us mini update notes and videos. It was great to see their progress throughout the camp.
During our last transfer session for Drogon, Orlando took us to a couple of dog parks. While many of the other dogs were barking at him, Drogon stayed in control. Before leaving Core Camp, both dogs were following our commands and even lying on the ground next to each other, listening to us as opposed to focusing on one another. Amazing!
Since coming home from camp, the dogs have continued making progress. Both dogs tolerate each other at home as long as we are there to provide leadership. Also, I go everywhere with Drogon now without fear of his aggressive behavior. People are constantly commenting how well behaved he is. Little do they know that until recently, that was not the case.
I highly recommend Orlando at Best in Show Dog Training to anyone in need of dog training. It's made a big difference in their behavior, in our relationship, and in our home environment!