Ken’s Comments:
Owning a bully breed, any bully breed, brings with it a special responsibility. Your dog has to be better than every other dog out there. It has to be bombproof around other dogs and people. Bully breeds do not get second chances.
It is for that reason, I appreciate when owners with these types of dogs recognise issues and ask for help. Such was the case with Megan, Jules and Beau. Beau is a young adult male Rottweiler.
I remember the first time I met Beau. I came to their house for our consultation. They had him in their backyard. I went around the house to say hi and Beau came charging at me growling and barking. It was definitely one of those “holy crap” moments. As he charged me, I quickly saw it was all a bluff and just walked past. He sniffed and followed me back into the yard.
My clients range from all types of backgrounds. However, I especially enjoy dealing with those who have undergraduate or graduate degrees in psychology or the like.
They tend to just “get it”.
Megan is one of those clients.
Beau presented with a number of issues including being an extremely rude dog. Unsurprising really given his background. Megan and Jules were adamant they wanted to help their gorgous boy. Megan in particular had one specific goal. She wanted to be able to walk Beau by herself and feel comfortable doing so. Sometimes it is the small things that many of us take for granted.
We immediately set up a plan to boost Beau's confidence around people, begin socializing him around other dogs, start teaching him some manners and help him become an all around well adjusted dog. Megan and Jules knew this would take time…it would not happen overnight but they were up to the challenge.
Fast forward a year…Beau has been on many of our dog walks and even recently marched in the Pride Parade. The work Megan and Jules have put in has been amazing. Beau still has a ways to go but the improvements have been remarkable.
One of my fondest memories of Beau is after one of the group dog walks, sitting on the pavement as he lay in my lap, four paws in the air, cuddling with me. The big goof.
Beau even has a sister now and their story is just starting.
Here is Beau’s story from Megan:
On April 5, 2015, I had a strange cosmic pull towards the Fredericton SPCA website, where there were many sweet fuzzy faces (even several other Rottweilers), but none that drew me in quite like my Beau.
I knew I shouldn’t be looking, but I instantly fell in love. I can’t explain it; for days after, all I talked about was Beau, and nothing could distract me. Unfortunately, it seemed totally impossible for Beau to ever be our dog.
We lived in a very pet-unfriendly apartment. We were moving from New Brunswick to Newfoundland in 2 months so I could attend graduate school – how would we transport a Rottweiler from New Brunswick to Newfoundland in the backseat of one of our small cars?! My summer job kept me out of town for weeks at a time (sometimes over a month), and a dog would be an additional financial strain on moving to a different province. Still, I was persistent, and yes I broke out the waterworks.
I emailed my landlord a plea to let me adopt this “little guy” (as I called him), and convinced Jules we would somehow make the move work. So on April 10, we visited Beau at the SPCA, and on April 14, he came home with us. Despite the many applications received, and the many visitors he had, the shelter employee who had introduced us to him had been waiting for us to come back for him.
While we had only minor obstacles to work through to call Beau ours, we had major behavioural obstacles coming our way. We knew what we were getting into, but we didn’t really know how we were going to deal with it all.
I have a degree in Psychology, with emphasis and interest in the behavioural aspect, so I had my own ideas about positive reinforcement techniques, desensitization, etc. – however, experienced dog owners kept trying to convince us that forceful and “dominance” style training was what we needed. We just couldn’t bring ourselves to bully this beautiful shelter dog, who had a dark past of abuse and trauma, so what were we going to do?
I implemented what I could with my knowledge, but was still plagued by the dog training ideas that were given to me. Therefore, our training methods were mixed, inconsistent, and not quite right. It seemed that the issues got worse instead of better.
Beau was unable to stay outside on his own without us with him, even if he could see or hear us through a window. He would “spite pee” in the house if he didn’t get his own way, or if we left the house and he felt that he was entitled to join us. Given regular food consumption was new for him, he would gulp his food and steal food off of the counter (including whole loaves of bread). He also was a terror to walk, extremely rude to passers-by demanding attention from them (and in some cases demanding their grocery bags), and the more he began to feel loyal and protective over us, the more he would react to other dogs we encountered. That was a huge issue for us. He also had poor impulse control, and the listening skills of a stubborn, saucy teenager.
Beau was a piece of work, but he was our piece of work.
A co-worker suggested that I get in touch with Ken Reid in September 2015. We were certainly getting frustrated and interested seeking the help of a professional. Ken was the first and only trainer I contacted.
What I loved about Ken, and the biggest reason I have recommended him to so many other people, is that he uses the force-free techniques that I was familiar with from my degree, and I knew that they were extremely effective. I felt comfortable using those techniques because they didn’t harm my dog, they were safe and comfortable tools that anyone could understand and use. Ken also made me feel confident that we were on the right track, but just needed to tighten up our methods.
We needed to be consistent.
For once, I wasn’t made to feel dumb because I wasn’t adhering to the classic “dominance and submissive” school of thought.
Overall, I also feel that Ken has a kind, open, and approachable personality. Beau absolutely adores him, and I have always felt comfortable approaching him for help.
After a one-on-one with Ken, and the implementation of his advice for training, Beau began to change into a totally different dog. Over the past year his trust in us began to build so quickly. His new found confidence was easy to see.
The “spite peeing” stopped, his recall has improved, and he can control his impulses for toys and food. He also now has some of the best leash manners of any dog I have ever met – he wont even look at a stranger walking past us unless the stranger approaches him first, and he walks directly beside us on a loose leash! He still gets a bit too rambunctious when another dog walks past us, but even his reaction in those situations has improved drastically!
Before training with Ken, I was (I am embarrassed to say this…) not comfortable walking Beau.
At all.
Ever.
Beau would not get walked if Jules couldn’t come along to hold his leash, I was too nervous. But now, walking Beau by myself is the highlight of my day, and being able to walk him confidently has strengthened our bond more than I could begin to describe.
This, I feel, is owed to Ken’s group walks.
Going on the walks and getting exposure to other dogs really worked for Beau. When we first joined the walks, I never thought I would be able to take Beau on a walk by myself, let alone without a muzzle. His muzzle was the only reason I felt comfortable having him around other dogs at all! But I have since taken Beau several times on my own, and he doesn’t have to wear his muzzle anymore. I never thought I would get to a point where I would be comfortable with that, but here we are.
Ken truly deserves the utmost recognition for his donation of time and energy to these FREE walks every single week, it is a selfless act that makes safe dog socialization financially accessible to everyone.
If you are reading this and you are unsure about joining the walks, trust me and take the leap! The work you put in is worth the reward. The group is extremely supportive, and you will feel welcomed no matter how weird and obnoxious your dog is ☺.
I know this because my 110lb dog snarling and lunging has never phased the group one bit, and folks have always made sure to comment when Beau was on his best behaviour and improving. Also, if you’re lucky like me, you will make friendships with other like-minded dog moms along the way.
Now, to conclude this success story with a little cliff-hanger:
Beau now has a doggy sibling!
Having another dog in our home was beyond our wildest dreams, given Beau’s behaviour.
Stay tuned for Jada’s success story in the future, because she has many behavioural kinks to work out, but with the help of Ken, I am sure she will exceed her potential as a great companion as well.
