Indie - the dalmation with attitude
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Indie came from a rescue centre at 12 months old, with little history other than we were his fourth home. It was love at first sight through the bars of his cage but we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We’d both grown up with dogs but not one with behavioural problems. Indie was friendly towards us, but it was clear he had little experience of the outside world and reacted with aggression. Three weeks in, and he had terrorised all the neighbourhood dogs and any visitors to our home. Unsure how to cope and being advised by the rescue centre to have him put down, we called Phil.
Phil’s manner put us at ease, looking at the positives and he gave us a realistic and practical assessment. Indie normally barked and snarled at any visitors, but within minutes Phil had him calm and under control. Any dog within 100 yards was enough to send Indie into a frenzy - Phil introduced one of his dogs on a walk and got Indie to walk past without any fuss.
Over several sessions with Phil we learnt the techniques to control a big, highly strung dog, how to give him calm and positive correction and follow a training programme designed to get Indie to relax and accept his surroundings over time.
It’s now two years on, and Indie’s come a long way. He’s playful and friendly, welcomes the attention of strangers and we can now enjoy walks on and off the lead. It was hard work for the first six months, but we love him all the more for it. It’s great to have a ‘normal’ dog and see him running huge laps around the park. Now that he’s so much better, we’ve been in touch with Phil again to work on more advanced behaviour training.
Couldn’t have done it without you Phil!
Matt & Jaye |
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