Animal Manners

My partner and I wanted to have a dog and there was no doubt in our minds that we would get a rescued one. We both had rescued dogs before and loved them very much. They were wonderful pets. Sherpa arrived in the summer of 2003 and he was adorable. He loved playing with dogs more than anything else and, while extremely boisterous during his walks, he was very calm in the house. After two or three months we had some episodes where Sherpa chased someone, a jogger, a passer-by, another dog owner; he then barked and jumped, and even nipped them. We were quite worried and sought the help of a behaviourist. She gave us some useful advice about how to deal with Sherpa in the house but really she did not know how to deal with the more serious issues. We saw a second behaviourist and things improved slightly, though once again we felt that she couldn’t help us with the more complex issues.

After a year of having Sherpa we moved to Lancaster and his problems went from bad to worse. During his walks, Sherpa began to barking at everyone, standing on two legs and looking ferocious. People would stare at us as if we were mad for having such a pet. He was also having trouble dealing with visitors in the house. Then we heard about Gill. We called her and had our first session. We were very impressed with her. You could say she treats both the distressed dog and the distressed owner. Gill gave us the confidence and the technique to deal with Sherpa’s problems. We both regretted not having met someone like Gill earlier on. The sooner you deal with the problem the easier it is to solve it. In a way, Gill opened the word of dogs to us: she allowed us to actually understand what Sherpa was going through and why he was acting the way he was. We were finally communicating with Sherpa and helping him through his fears and anxieties, and he was very responsive.

After the initial breakthrough, his behaviour (and ours!) has continued to improve at a slower but constant pace. Sherpa now enjoys his walks and so do we. Reducing his fear and stress is still an ongoing process but he’s now a different and much happier dog. Guests in the house are no longer a problem for him. We have taking advantage of the ongoing training service that Gill offers to improve and build on certain aspects of Sherpa’s training. I’ve particularly come to enjoy dog training, it’s become a hobby. And we have also put Sherpa in the natural diet thanks to Gill, which has improved his moods and reduced our visits to the vet! I can strongly recommend Gill as a pet behaviourist. Overcoming a pet’s problems can actually become an enjoyable experience if you know what you’re doing and that is where Gill’s help is invaluable.

Bea

Sherpa