I am thrilled when clients tell me about their successes in working with their dogs. This is the highest form of compliment there is.

———————————————————
Kate,

Wow, I would never have believed it, if it were not with my own dog with my own eyes. When you came over to our home to speak with us and to give us a demo, you asked us what we would want to expect from Harley, our 100 pound English Lab. I said I wanted to be able to walk with Harley without a leash, without him seeing another dog or child and running over to them and mobbing them with playful love. I also wanted him to come when called and be able to control him in a crowd. Harley is such a sweet dog, but he is just as stubborn as a three year old child. He will bolt after a cat, or a child to play with, and we would not be able to get him back. He would just take off and play this game of “catch me if you can”. The front door could never be left open or he was gone. As we walked out the front door, you noticed Harley wearing a pinch collar or choker at the end of his leash. You told me that we would never use that again. I chuckled, because that was the only thing controlling him from dragging Cathy or me down the street. Kate, I am eating my words. From that day on, Harley has never worn that pinch collar again, for there was no longer a need for it. In just one day of training (30 minutes), we were also able to take Harley outside off leash, walk with us, and ignore other dogs and people. We have taken him on your off leash outdoor walks with a large group of dogs, and he just runs with them, and never runs off. When I call Harley to return to my side, he will literally push his way through the crowd of dogs and sit at my feet. In one week, about 30 minutes every other day, we accomplished all this. And in two weeks, Harley has gone from hating water, to eagerly wanting to swim with the others. We now have to drag him from the water to go home. We love Harley as if he was one of our children, but now we are enjoying him. Thank you for your expertise, your knowledge and your ability. Other training that we have done with Harley only left us disappointed. You have been a true blessing, and we can’t thank you enough. As a side note, Lucy is doing great. She and Harley have bonded well. Harley even lets her eat out of his bowl, before he is finished. What a gentleman. She is such a sweetheart. We are truly enjoying our adopted little girl.

——————————————

Trials of Monty, pt. 1

I moved out to Washington two years ago from Connecticut, where I lived all of my life. I was 2 years out from a 27 year relationship in which we had separated amicably, only I had to leave “our” dog there. Yes, I got the cat, and a chance to move around the corner from our daughter and her family. It was great, almost perfect. All I needed was a dog!

I know that animals take time to get used to their new surroundings, so I gave the cat and I time as I searched the internet for a dog in need of a home. Six months later I found one. He was a rescue, a silkie terrier mix, being fostered at a Vets in a town 30 miles away. Knowing that this was a big decision, I went down and visited the dog several times before making the decision.

I watched the way he interacted with other animals as he was allowed to roam off leash inside the kennel. He was especially friendly with a big old bloodhound and a cat that also had free run. I walked him outside on a leash, and was surprised that he didn’t seem to have had much experience on one. He had a tendency to dash back and forth not seeming to realize he would run out of line. I tried to ask more questions about his background. The vets’ office said they didn’t know much about him. But all in all, it looked like a good match and I was falling for the little guy.

When I got him home, it quickly became apparent that he and my cat did not get along. She hissed and spit and he tried to go for her throat. I decided to give them a little time and separate their spheres within the house. So much for seeming to get along with cats…

I started working with him on a leash, using my past experiences with dog training, I had attended three different courses of dog obedience over the years with different family dogs. My running joke had always been that I failed the classes but luckily the dogs all passed…. But that wasn’t quite the truth.

Parenting is difficult, whether its’ children or dogs! I had always thought that if I were a solo, I’d do better, due to the ability to be more consistent with the training. And in fact when I worked at a kennel for a couple of years I did have a couple of good training relationships with dogs others found very difficult.

But regardless of past success, nothing seemed to work. My little guy wanted to be head dog of a sleigh team as he continuously tried to pull me all over the place. And as if that weren’t bad enough, whenever we got insight of another dog, he went ballistic!! Barking, lunging, no regard for anything I did or said, he was a maniac. Big dog, small dog, it didn’t matter he went into attack mode, a 13 pound Kudjo the killer dog!

And as if that weren’t bad enough, he was a runner! Any chance he saw, he would bolt out a door and tear around the neighborhood, me chasing him through backyards yelling his name until he decided he’d had enough fun! Okay, that really only happened 3 times in a year and a half, but that was more than enough. This dog was going to get himself killed. I HAD to do something!!

Then I saw this amazing pack of dogs walking around the Tacoma Dome Home & Garden show carrying their little bumpers… and I followed them back to their exhibit area, where they all jumped up on stools and sat their patiently while the two women in charge talked to perspective clients. These dogs were amazing… and they were mostly all Labs! Labs are great dogs, I’d known a lot of people who had them and had a hard time containing their boundless energy and general good natured goofiness! These guys had discipline! I had to get my little guy whatever they’d been eating.

Well, as we all know, it’s not that easy. But after signing up with Sit Means Sit and working hard, my little guy IS LEARNING! And so am I. I remember the first time Kate came to my house for the demo. We could hardly hear each other over the barking of my dog – and he was in the house – we were outside! She had her wonderful dog Spanky go through some of his training and then we took my dog out and he did his little maniac thing… and her dogs were all safely enscounced in their kennels! But Kate assured me that if I put the work into my guy, Monty, he too could learn new behaviors. I was skeptical. But I had to do something, I love this guy and he really was going to get himself killed. I couldn’t let that happen!

It’s all well and good to say you’ve “rescued” a dog when you adopt him from a pound and feel good about giving them a home. And yes, I had the requisite fenced-in backyard I could have limited him to. But I wanted this dog to be my companion. And if I didn’t train him to quit the aggressive behavior, all I was doing was trading one fenced yard for another, that’s really not rescuing him from anything.

After I met Kate, I have to admit I balked heavily at the price. I’ve never seen a dollar of ‘disposable income”, especially since I have been trying to get by with one income. But after a year and a half, I was totally committed to this dog. I had to face the facts: I needed serious professional help and Sit Means Sit is just that! Kate’s unparalleled professionalism has saved my dogs’ life. I have no doubt of that.

After a couple of months working with him, he can sit, stay, place, and actually walk by another aggressive dog… without putting either of us in danger! It is a miracle as far as I’m concerned! I can walk him “off leash” and he stays with me! I never thought this would be possible! Yes, we have worked hard to make all of these gains, but they are worth it ten times over. And, I have the little buddy with whom I wanted to share my outdoor activities. It’s awesome, but it’s not over yet! We still have a lot of things to work on… but that’s okay because the program doesn’t end… it just keeps going and so will we!

Stay tuned more “Trials of Monty”. I’ll post updates on this blog.

Barbara Gomez

———————————————————-

I would like to thank Kate so much for what she has done for my dog and I (the rest of my family thanks you too). My 16 month old German Shepherd, Luka, has been aggressive with both other dogs and people since he was very little. I have worked with 2 other trainers before Kate, in which the first trainer told me that I would need to put him down, when at the time, he was only 4 months old. Our second trainer used prong collars, where he showed little improvement, but he seemed to become more aggressive as he got older. It got to the point that I was having trouble controlling him when he would lunge at people even with it on. It was so embarrassing to take him anywhere, even on a walk in our rural neighborhood. Whenever people would walk by, with or without another dog, they would get mad and yell at me, because he would start lunging at them. It got so bad, that the rest of my family was too embarrassed to take him on walks. He has always been quick to learn obedience, but he would “argue” back when you told him to do anything outside of training lessons. Getting him to listen to me was a very trying process.
My mom came home one day, and handed me one of Kate’s pamphlets, and told me to give her a call. Calling Kate was the best decision I could have ever made for my dog. By our second session, Luka went for an off-leash walk with Kate and her dog’s. I was so impressed with how he behaved that day. Oh, and did I mention that it was OFF-LEASH and with OTHER DOGS? His behavior at home has improved a lot too. He listens to everyone in the house now, we can trust him to be outside with us without a leash on, because he comes when called and wants to stay close to us. Taking him on walks is a lot easier now for the whole family. The improvement we have seen in Luka has made my family strong believers in Kate’s training methods. He is a much calmer dog now. I look forward to going to lessons, and so does Luka. When he sees that I am getting his remote collar out to put on him, he gets so excited.
I plan to take full advantage of Kate’s “Lifetime” program, because of the improvement I have seen in only a few sessions. I am so grateful to have found out about Kate and the Sit Means Sit program, that I have told as many people that I know about the program. To have a dog who wants to listen and please you, and who can be civil when around others, makes every bit of the training worth it.
Thanks again Kate!
-Sarah Jacobs

——————————-

Hi Kate.

I just wanted to say how excited I am that I can now walk my 80-pound energizer bunny for 3 miles without any problems. Its now a joy to walk my dog instead an exercise in containing my frustration. I owe this all to you and the Sit Means Sit training. I have tried three other training methods, one that cost A LOT of money, and none of them worked. The best part is that I have achieved this success within just a week of training. In addition to awesome training THAT WORKS, the ongoing weekly training you provide is a testimony of your commitment to your clients and the relationship you want them to develop with their dogs. I cannot say thank you enough.

Rema Strauss
———————————-

I adopted a shy/fearful GSD/Chow mix who didn’t wag his tail or lift his head due to years of apparent abuse. He has scars on his face that remind me of what he went through at one time in his life. About 1 month after I adopted him, he began biting men and children who entered my home. I was shocked! He has nipped at, head butted and growled at 10 men and children. I used 6 trainers trying to deal with his fear aggression, took him to classes faithfully and worked with him countless hours at home. Months later, my uncle came to visit from Chicago. I instructed him to give my dog a treat right when he came in, as I had been instructed to do so from 3 of the trainers I had used. My dog took the treat, dropped it on the ground and bit my uncle on the leg! The very next day the neighbor knocked on the door and my dog almost knocked me over to get to him. I love my dog dearly and couldn’t live with myself if he had hurt someone else OR if he was euthanized because I didn’t have control of my dog. What type of life is that if my dog has to be locked up for hours in a bedroom when we have company?

I decided to work with Sit Means Sit. The first session, my dog bit the trainer. Now, he can’t wait to see her! I had no idea this training would make my dog so happy. When I put his collar on, he bolts down the stairs like a truck and waits by the door with his tail wagging! He views his collar as a positive experience. He knows when his collar goes on, he gets to use agility equiptment, go on a 2 mile walk on a trail OFF LEASH, or swim with Kate’s 5 dogs. He wags his tail more than ever now. Being in rescue, fostering various dogs from various backgrounds- it is the fearful/shy & scared dogs that develop fear aggression and will bite. I refused to accept the fact that my dog was going to decide who could or couldn’t enter MY home and did something about it. We are both much happier now.. He gets to do MORE than ever before. I feel good about this training because I have used so many trainers in the past that couldn’t help my dog.. Believe me, I am always open to suggestions, but all of the suggestions I’ve received have not changed a thing. The Sit Means Sit training was like a miracle to us. Thank you Sunny Ortegasunny_ortega@yahoo.com

——————————————————-

I am so GRATEFUL to have been able to work with Kate and Sit Means Sit. My dog Riley has always been very smart but when it came to obedience we always struggled. I rescued Riley when he was 6 months old from the shelter and didn’t start professional training with him until he was 3 years old. We did 2 levels of “cookie” training which was great for teaching him every trick under the sun but when it came to the basics I could not get him to focus. He also had some degree of dog aggression. I started working with Kate in May of 2007 and I have been so impressed with the improvements Riley has made. I never dreamed I would be able to walk him off leash and now we hardly use one at all. It puts a smile on my face every time he learns something new and I can see how proud he is. I can’t wait to see how far he will go. THANKS SIT MEANS SIT!!
:)Wendy