The Turnaround

I had posted a few months ago how we were worried about our dog Rex and not being able to adapt into our new family atmosphere. When we brought Bear home from the hospital Rex was very possessive of me which led him to be aggressive towards Bear. It was MISERABLE! Rex is 5 years old and has been a huge part of our lives. We didn't want to give him up, but we would not in anyway put Bear in danger. It also wasn't fair to Rex to spend 75% of his day in his crate and only come out when Bear went down. We looked into options and found the Canine Academy which was located just down the street from our townhome. Their slogan is,"Have a Good Dog, Want a Great Dog". After spending 7 weeks at their facility we truly have a great dog.

It has been amazing the transformation in Rex. Their philosophy is they teach the dog how to be safe. Rex was acting out of fear and now he knows how to  put himself in a safe place. The training is definitely not easy. We say that because Greg and I spent hours memorizing our new commands for him and still get corrected when working with Leah at Canine Academy. Leah was the best trainer we have ever come across, and we have come across many trainers with Rex :). We went from having a dog that  ruled the house to now having a dog who is fun to enjoy. He is now able to be in the nursery with Bear and I and just lay on the rug and hang out. He now will even kiss Bear's feet or hands. It truly is remarkable. He is great on walks now, he can heel with the stroller and is even off leash trained. While walking yesterday, someone come out of their townhome to compliment Rex and how good he was with the stroller. We still have some work to do around new visitors coming to the house and the doorbell, but we are just amazed at the progress we are seeing right now.  More importantly, we are just excited to have a dog that can assimilate into our new family life. 

Rex is much calmer now, which Leah did say is a result of the training. He can relax and not have to be  constantly on watch.We were heart broken thinking that we would have to give up  Rex. We are so glad we spent the money to invest in this training,because now we are equipped with the tools to teach Rex how to be safe in any environment.  I have pasted some pictures of Bear and Rex together playing in the nursery. 

The change seriously is remarkable. Leah mentioned how some families will send their dogs there right when they pick them up as puppies so they don't develop any bad habits. You can bet that for our next dog we will be doing that right from the start. We can't thank Canine Academy enough for all that they have done. We are so grateful and so glad that Rex can stay part of our family!

Canine Academy

If you are in need of some extra help with your furry friend please check them out!

Cheers!

JNK