I rescued Cosmo just over a year ago. He was seven years old and he spent his previous life within four walls, his lack of socialisation with other people or dogs meant he was very nervous and felt threatened in new situations. His “honeymoon” period lasted about four weeks where he appeared to be the perfect dog, however, after gaining confidence and feeling secure in his new home his insecurities came shining through.
Cosmo would lunge and bark at almost every person and every dog we walked past. Walks were so stressful that I would get up VERY early to walk him to make sure I avoided meeting anybody on the walk. A visitor coming to the house was just too stressful for me to deal with and walking him on a lead was a comedy act for anybody watching. That was until I contacted Mike.
Mike spent an entire afternoon calmly reassuring me these issues “could be fixed” and showing me how to address each problem. Cosmo was very much at ease with Mike and responded well to the methods he was demonstrating. Mike did not leave until he was happy that I was happy with everything he had shown me and answered all my questions – of which there were many.
I am delighted to say that I can now walk Cosmo wherever and whenever I want to and the walks are very relaxed and pleasurable, as any dog walk should be. He generally tends to ignore other dogs and walking him on the lead is EASY!
Cosmo is a pleasure to have around and it is hard to believe he is the same dog. Mike has been fantastic and has never failed to help me with follow up phone calls – of which there were many. I can’t thank Mike enough for helping me give Cosmo the doggy life he deserves and I would HIGHLY recommend Mike and his methods to anybody. He is clearly passionate about his field and genuinely wants to help. The only word of advice I would give is that Mike can teach you and support you but you have to put in the work he advises. It is not an overnight fix but his methods DO work and they can change your dog’s behaviour – something I never thought I would be in a position to say!
I have now taken on a second rescue dog, with issues, and as I did a year ago I frequently ask myself “WHAT ON EARTH HAVE I DONE?” But I am so confident in Mike’s methods that I know in time I will have two well behaved sociable dogs to enjoy.
If you are reading this wondering whether or not to book a session with Mike -I say go for it, you won’t look back – other than with relief that you did.