Behavior Success Stories

Bugsy 

Bugsy is a very strong-willed Bulldog/Husky mix.  His owners understand the importance of regular exercise and challenging work to ensure that he is well-behaved, and walk him regularly wearing a Gentle Leader and a backpack.  For Bugsy's next challenge, his owner is planning to build a cart for him to pull.

Hunter

Hunter, a lively Springer Spaniel, dragged his owner down the street on their walks every day.  After his behavior consultation, Hunter walked politely beside his owner on the Gentle Leader.

Logan

Logan, a large Labrador Retriever, jumped all over visitors who came to the door, often barking so fiercely that his owner could not restrain him.  During his consultation, Logan was taught to walk calmly on a Gentle Leader.  Then, he learned that when people came to the door, he was expected to lie quietly on the carpet until his owner invited him to greet the visitors.  Lisa taught the owners how to reinforce this behavior, so he would continue to be well-behaved long after the consultation was over.

Shug

Shug, a high energy English Bulldog puppy, chased and jumped at his owner's 12-year old cat.  The cat was afraid to come out of the bedroom, and spent a lot of her day hiding under the bed.  The Gentle Leader fit Shug's blunt face nicely, and he quickly learned not to rush out the door in front of his owner at the start of their walk.  Inside the home, Shug's owner held her cat calmly on the couch, while Lisa taught Shug his new barrier rule:  Shug was not allowed within four feet of the couch while the cat was in the room.  His owner learned several techniques to reinforce this behavior even when there was no one else around to help her correct him.

Spunky

Spunky, a hyper Border Collie mix from the Friends of Michigan Animal Rescue, was dangerously aggressive toward vehicles.  He would charge and try to bite the tires of cars, trucks, and buses when he was on a walk.  Lisa has been donating her time to the shelter to help Spunky and the other dogs become more adoptable.  At this time, due to the hard work of volunteers and behavior modification techniques, Spunky is learning to sit calmly on the side of the road as vehicles drive past him.  He always wears a Gentle Leader and backpack during his walks.  Lisa is currently training Spunky with a special harness to pull a sled.  Spunky is pictured here, wearing his Gentle Leader and backpack, which is filled with water bottles.  Great job Spunky!