We are so pleased to say that Hoagie’s reactivity has improved tremendously, and we know we have Chris to thank for so much of what he has accomplished. It was not only the specific training/commands Chris taught us that have helped Hoagie, but most importantly we learned how to read his body language, take his cues, and overall how to best connect with him to make sure we are setting him up for success even in challenging situations.
Hoagie seems to just be getting better day after day. We can now go on walks knowing as long as we are prepared, everything will be fine and the experience will overall reinforce his progress. This has been a game changer for us, but more importantly for him as we have really been able to open up his world with longer walks and new neighborhoods. He of course still has his episodes here or there, but overall he can calmly pass dogs (at the right distance) and has even grown his own group of close dog friends after some carefully paced intros.
We did unfortunately learn in late March that he has epilepsy, but we are slowly learning how to navigate that struggle. However, all the progress with his reactivity was comforting in a way, helping us feel like if we can help him manage that struggle, then we can certainly help him manage this new one.
Most importantly our relationship with him overall has been strengthened so tremendously. While we know he still has a long way to go and that he will probably always be a dog that is skeptical of new pups, we are so proud of how far he has come. And while we always thought of him as such a good dog, with the help of your training we can now make sure that his best qualities are what shine through.
We have been recommending you guys to anyone we know in search of training and we will continue to sing your praises. Thank you, Chris, Fern, and everyone at Blue Dog so very much!