Dear Tod:
We are writing to you to express our appreciation for all you did for our friend Ike and for us. We had acquired Ike when he was 4 months of age from a breeder because we wanted a dog for companionship as well as protection and a Doberman seemed to fit the bill best. We recognized the fact that he would do best with professional training and when he was 6 months old he went to a highly recommended 10 day board-and-train school, He returned, having learned the basic “sit-stay-come” routines but still retaining the tendency of jumping on us (by then he weighed 50 lbs), and trying to keep us from leaving the patio after we had played with him. He also had developed the habit of using the patio as his toilet. Although we followed all instructions we had been given by the trainer and attended 3 refresher sessions, Ike’s behavior deteriorated so that he obeyed commands only when he felt like it. We returned him to the original trainer for an additional 10-day board-and-train course: his behavior had improved upon his return but within a week he was back to his own self. Again we had followed all post-discharge instructions carefully. He became increasingly difficult to walk because he pulled hard on his leash and he is very strong. At this point in time, we were very discouraged, ready to give up Ike for adoption because he seemed too much for us to handle. We loved Ike, despite his behavior problems, he was an exceedingly gentle, loving, and intelligent animal and therefore decided to give it one more try.
We has heard about Tod and the ”Redeeming Dogs” approach from the Internet. What appealed to us was the fact that Tod never trained more than 2 dogs at a time and that these trainee dogs live in his house with his family and his own dogs. This obviously results in a far more realistic situation for the visiting dog, who basically trains 24 hours a day. We invited Tod to meet Ike and it was obvious that the two hit it off immediately. The two took off for Tod’s home. Over the next two weeks we received Emails, and photos (and even one film clip) documenting Ike’s progress.
On the 14th day Tod and Ike returned to our home. The great change in Ike was immediately obvious: he was polite, followed instructions willingly, no longer picked up napkins and other small objects off tables, didn’t carry off our shoes to chew on them, went into his crate willingly without protest, walked readily in the “heel” position without pulling, and did his business in appropriate locations. Right now, he is a true gentleman with us and visitors. Interestingly enough, he seems to be much happier and more relaxed than before and has become the dog we’ve always wanted.
Heinz and Linda
