Bambi was found as a stray and ended up in a shelter. Moe adopted her and within just a couple weeks realized he didn’t know how to fix some behaviors he was seeing. She was reactive to other dogs and had severe separation anxiety. He called a handful of trainers but said none of them were giving him the comfortable feeling his dog would be trained properly or safely. He even did a demo with a company and while he did want balanced dog training, he didn’t want a place that would just slap a remote collar on her right away and force her to do things. With continued searching he finally called Julie McLean. He felt comfortable with her description of their process and just knew it was the right fit for his dog.
Bambi went for her board and train. First learning on leash behaviors, and crate training. Crate training was essential to her getting over her separation anxiety. It wasn’t easy but by the end of that stay, she was able to go into a crate without a fuss and actually took treats and a stuffed kong. Prior she wouldn’t touch food in her kennel and would scream while pulling the bars apart. Her leash reactivity was greatly reduced and she learned to make a few dog friends.
Moe took Bambi back for a couple of weeks to practice and then decided he wanted to do off leash obedience. He sent her back for another stay and she learned how to fully get over her leash reactivity, and come when called from long distances off leash as well as walk in heel off leash. Bambi developed into a wonderful dog that loved everyone and everything. The perfect example of a dog that was trained to her highest potential but also had the dedication of her owner to keep it going.
Bambi recently developed an aggressive form of cancer and is no longer with us. We were there to guide her in the 5 short years she was loved by Moe and we want to use her story to allow us to help as many dogs as we can be their best selves. Rest In Peace sweet Bambi.