Lisa, from Tempe, AZ moved to the valley from New York state with her German Shepherd mix, Zoni and was looking for help controlling Zoni on leash. In New York Zoni had lots of freedom in the woods to wander and roam, but here in the Phoenix Metro area that wasn’t the case. Zoni had no manners while on leash, she would pull with or without any distractions around, but would look and sound like a giant beast whenever she saw another dog. Holding on for dear life was all Lisa could do to prevent Zoni from charging and going after another dog. Lisa even said that while off leash in New York Zoni likely tracked, found and killed a deer and that was the last thing that Lisa wanted to have happen to another dog in the city.
When we sat down for our initial visit, Zoni was stressed at first, but quickly became more comfortable and was able to lay down and rest while we chatted. During this talk, Lisa said that Zoni was a rescue from a shelter where she was an owner surrender and she wasn’t told much about her history. Lisa was just looking for a nice, mellow and relaxed companion dog since her older dog was too ill for long hikes in the woods. After Lisa told me more information, we found out that Zoni had no manners inside the home either. She wouldn’t listen to any commands and would help herself to furniture and bedding whenever she pleased. We knew we could help and Lisa happily signed Zoni up for our Unlimited Program.
During our first lesson we correctly sized and fitted the collar and leash to help communicate with Zoni. We started off slow, so we didn’t over stimulate Zoni and very quickly Zoni began to understand what we wanted and needed from her. She immediately stopped pulling on the leash and began to look to us and Lisa for guidance on where and when to walk. She began to understand commands clearly and actually enjoyed doing them throughout the lesson. Each lesson Lisa and Zoni made huge progress, so much so that we ended our indoor lessons early and started going to public and crowded areas where Zoni was able to see and watch other dogs without lunging, barking, screeching or injuring Lisa.
Lisa couldn’t believe that she was able to now walk Zoni within 10 feet of another dog! Lisa and Zoni now enjoy the hiking trails in the Phoenix and Scottsdale areas. They spend hours in the outdoors calmly enjoying each other’s company and getting to know their new home. Zoni no longer reacts to every dog or wild animal she sees and Lisa is much more confident in her skills and knowledge of Zoni’s needs and behaviors and has said “nothing can stop us now.” Each day brings new and exciting challenges for this duo and we could not be happier to have been able to help them get there!
