Maggie testimonial
Maggie came to us from a shelter. She was picked up as a stray so her history is unknown. She was unspayed. Her age has been estimated from 5 to 10 years old. We have finally settled on “about 8″.When she joined our family, she behaved so weirdly that we spent much time speculating about her past. She would stare up at lights, startle when the heat went on, and was very furtive in her eating habits. She would tolerate affection but did not seem to understand it. At times, she was so unresponsive that one of us thought she was deaf.
After a time, Maggie began to show serious aggression to people and other dogs, so much so that our daughters would not have friends over anymore. Family visits were fraught with tension over “watching the dog”. Even with Maggie leashed, woods walks were nerve wracking lest we meet another dog or person.
Friends recommended we contact Kyle Warren. It turned out to be the right thing to do! In addition to teaching us how to implement the basic commands of sit, stay, heel, come, and take-a-break, Kyle gave us strategies to deal with Maggie’s aggression. It was most reassuring to have a plan for what to do when company comes or to know an effective way to assert control if she lost it around another dog.
Kyle’s unyielding firmness and patience in the face of Maggie’s slow acceptance of human intervention into her behavior was wonderful to see. We. too, worked hard with Maggie. The payoff has been tremendous. Early in her life with us, she would not choose to be in the same room unless it was forced upon her. Now she readily accepts and enjoys affection, wags her tail, and even follows us around the house! She knows and practices the behaviors expected of her around other dogs.
Through this association with Kyle, a willful, untrained, aggressive dog has been changed to an affectionate, highly valued and loved member of our family. The change in Maggie seems miraculous but it is really the result of Kyle’s skill and intuitve understanding and lots of consistent effort by all of us.
Barb and Tom Raffaldi Hurley, NY
