would not do this again
I decided to go with an in-home trainer because my small dog has separation anxiety issues. As a result, he is fine while we are home, but my neighbours tell us that he barks when we are not home (which they obviously do not appreciate). I was hoping to find a trainer who could work on this specific issue (although I understand that it may be necessary to deal with other behavioural issues as well in order to fix this).
I see that there are some positive reviews about Rob, so if you are going to go with Follow My Pack, I suggest asking for him specifically, because we had a very negative experience with Rene.
First, the technique used is extremely harsh. I understand that I have to be the leader, and that I have to be firm, but if I were to follow everything he said, I would be miserable. He pushed an approach that never allowed the dog to do anything without my permission - that is not the kind of life I want for my dog. I found the approach to be to hard on...
I decided to go with an in-home trainer because my small dog has separation anxiety issues. As a result, he is fine while we are home, but my neighbours tell us that he barks when we are not home (which they obviously do not appreciate). I was hoping to find a trainer who could work on this specific issue (although I understand that it may be necessary to deal with other behavioural issues as well in order to fix this).
I see that there are some positive reviews about Rob, so if you are going to go with Follow My Pack, I suggest asking for him specifically, because we had a very negative experience with Rene.
First, the technique used is extremely harsh. I understand that I have to be the leader, and that I have to be firm, but if I were to follow everything he said, I would be miserable. He pushed an approach that never allowed the dog to do anything without my permission - that is not the kind of life I want for my dog. I found the approach to be to hard on my dog physically, as well. By the end of the training session, he was shaking and petrified from being tugged and lifted off the ground with his leash. I just can't believe there isn't a better way for him to see me as the leader.
They clearly use the Dog Whisperer (Cesar Millan) approach - after Rene left, I did some research, and all of the phrases they use are the same. For those of you who are fans of that method, I apologize, but please do some research before you put your dog through that. Not only has the American Human Society come out against it(and tried to lobby National Geographic to drop the show) but a group of veterinarians are also working to raise awareness about the harshness of his techniques (and the correlation between those who use Dog Whisperer training and illnesses in the dogs later in life due to stress).
Training approach aside, Rene himself was very abrupt. The session was much shorter than he said it would be, he clearly hadn't slept very much from the night before, and he spoke so quickly we could hardly understand what he was saying. After he left, I was very confused about what I was actually supposed to do (although truthfully I would not have done it to my dog anyway).
Finally, in response to the barking issue (which was the whole point of the training), he suggested crating the dog 24/7 and letting him "bark it out". If I were to do that, my neighbours would be very upset, which I tried to explain to him, but he didn't seem very responsive. He kept saying it was the fastest way to solve the problem. I can't believe I paid all that money for such useless advice!
All in all, it was a complete waste of money. I went with the most affordable in-home trainer I could find (Bark Busters is significantly more expensive) and it was a mistake. I wish you all better luck than I had!
Comments
A lot of the exercise done here are very effective....If you actually try them... I am sorry we didn't see eye to eye, I wish I had known during the lesson you didn't agree so that we could of developed a different method. We have since done mandatory free consultations so that our clients may see exactly what our approach is and how it works.
It was not about allowing to do anything without permission, it was about re-establishing a pack and teaching structure before we give free reign.
With this dog, barking was was the symptom of the structure he was lacking. Just like we need a job and hobby to keep us balanced and happy our dogs need one too. In a pack their job is to focus on whatever the rules of the pack are, taught from day one.
As far as crating 24/7 unless you are playing or exercising, yes this is true. But I also explained that the crate didn't and shouldn't have to be a closed cage, it could of been the room or the whole house, but we would teach those boundaries in stages.
You are correct that if you do not speak in a language they understand you may not be conveying a positive message. I'm sorry this didn't work out for you.
If anybody would like personal references with dogs that have had similar issues and been very successful, please contact us and I will send you their name and contact info.
Cheers,
Rene