Winter's expertise, precision, and composure proved to be incredibly valuable in her assistance with our puppy rat terrier, Indy. Initially, Indy exhibited numerous common terrier traits, including an intense prey drive, excessive energy, stubbornness, and destructiveness when not adequately exercised. He also struggled with strong emotions and high anxiety, which left us feeling overwhelmed and frustrated as pet owners. However, Winter's guidance with basic obedience training and reactive behaviors helped to alleviate these issues, which included problematic excessive mouthing and play biting, lunging at cars and other moving objects, chasing after and pinning our chickens, barking at passersby and other dogs, and exhibiting fear-aggression during hygiene practices such as toe-trimming.
Winter's techniques, such as engage-disengage and counter-conditioning, allowed Indy to become much more socially adept, well-mannered, and less vocal around both dogs and people. Even his play biting has now been greatly reduced, and when he does bite, it is less painful. Additionally, Indy has learned to accept oral hygiene measures such as tooth-brushing, sit on command without jumping up, and walk on a leash without pulling or lunging at other animals or cars. Although there are still issues with the chickens, Indy's overall behavior has improved vastly, undoubtedly making him a happier dog. Rather than suppressing his terrier nature, we have learned to embrace and re-channel his inclinations into positive outlets, reinforced by the cues Winter taught us.
Thanks to Winter, we are able to enjoy Indy much more fully, which would have been impossible without her assistance.
May 25, 2022
