written by saxondraper on 16/12/2013
My Husband and I inherited a Staffordshire bull terrier when he was 3 years old. He was well loved, great with our friends but unfortunately not good around other dogs. When we lost him earlier this year aged 10 and bought two puppies, one of which was another staffy, we decided to seek advice in the hope that we could have two dogs that were capable in social situations. A friend recommended Pat at PMP K9 training so we decided to give him a call.
We took the puppies to our first session with Pat aged just 16 weeks and we have been amazed at how much they have learned already. Just a few sessions in and we hit Bonfire night, the previous 7 years of which we have, like many dog owners, dreaded. Unbelievably our then 4 months old dogs were completely unfazed by the experience. Not only did we escape the usual routine of every TV and radio in the house blaring, we actually took them out for a walk during the main event. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I wouldn’t have believed it, the bangs went completely unnoticed.
Whilst our vivacious French bulldog took to Pat and the sessions immediately, our staffy was at first very anxious in the new environment, but she now loves the sessions and can’t wait to get out of the car when we pull up. They are now just short of six months and we continue to see them develop and improve in what might be considered very stressful situations. We can already let our French Bolldog off the lead during our walks on the beach, they respond well to basic commands and are inquisitive but happy in the company of other dogs.
Our pets are part of our family and are very well cared for, but what we as owners have learned from Pat over the past few months has been equally as important as what our puppies have learned. I genuinely believe that every dog owner would benefit from a few sessions with Pat. He has never judged the things we have done, but has guided us where he thinks we can improve. We have already gained more than we ever anticipated from our sessions and look forward to seeing what our dogs can achieve going forward. Knowing now that it is never too late to train your dog, I only wish we had known Pat 7 years ago. We feel a great sense of pride in our dogs and the fact we that we are responsible dog owners. If you are looking for a dog trainer, we could not recommend PMP K9 Training School enough.