Thanks ...
It’s always appreciated when someone takes the time to say thanks and let you know that they appreciate your efforts. After 17 years of working with people and their dogs - I could devote an entire website to the nice notes and cards I have received - here are just a few:
Dear Nick,
I have been meaning to write you for a while now.
I first brought my dog, Cheese, to you last year. She was a rescue I found on the street and was always a difficult dog but had become increasingly more difficult after I moved back to Montreal from Los Angeles.
She was aggressive toward other dogs - dogs that were across the street, let alone close to us. She would lunge after skateboarders and other noisy moving objects. Even with four years of trying to get her to heel she would still pull her way down the street.
Like so many people with "difficult" dogs, i loved her but she was well on her way to becoming too difficult for me to manage as well as a possible danger to others.
I had gone to other private trainers in Los Angeles who all said they couldn't do anything with her. That she was too wild. Or they would only choke her into submission or simply try coaxing her with treats which never worked.
I had done a lot of research into dog training and from our first conversation I knew you were professional and well informed. I sent her with you for your 3 week board and train program.
After those three weeks she came back a well trained, obedient and even happier dog. She walked right at my side, never pulled, we could pass a dog on the same sidewalk and she would ignore it - same for skateboarders or other stimuli that scare her.
That was a year ago and Cheese is even better now than she was then. When possible, I take her with me when I travel for work. People cannot believe what a well trained and happy dog she is. She is still the same high energy, funny, sometimes weird dog that she always was - except now she listens to commands without hesitation and is happier, focused and calm. Her remote collar is never painful to her. On the contrary - she gets excited to have it put on.
And as you know, when I have to board her with you, she is beside herself with excitement because she enjoys her time so much at the kennel with you and the other dogs.
Thank you for literally changing both of our lives. The better she continues to get, the more integrated she becomes into my life, and the cycle of improvement simply continues from there.
Sincerely,
Michael and Cheese
See the new improved Cheese here: Cheese Movie
From: ***Elanor
Subject: Re: this morning
Date: May 11, 2009 10:02:11 AM EDT (CA)
Nick, We had a great walk this morning. After about 20min. of running (and coming back to me on her own) I leashed Ginny and walked to the end of the field. There I let her go and gave her the command 'stay with me', then 'heel'. She heeled perfectly and sat when I stopped, and all this without a prompt. I also let her go again when we left the barn and headed for the car. Again she was very obedient. I don't want to push this, but the constant 'obedience' commands in my relationship with her are making her very much more responsive. And she's happy! Elly
From: ***Elanor
Subject: further Ginny
Date: May 19, 2009 8:10:09 AM EDT (CA)
To: info@familyk9.org
Hi, Nick, Ginny has been staying right with me since I had to use the collar on the weekend. She doesn't go more than 15ft. from me, sniffing and tailwagging. I expect her to venture a little farther away, but hope she doesn't go back to tearing off and disappearing for 15 min. or more. She does always come back, though. Elly
From: ***Elanor
Subject: thank you from Ginny
Date: May 20, 2009 6:48:11 PM EDT (CA)
OK, Nick. So I have a dog that is more balanced, less frantic, eager to join in, loves her food (no fuss), less nervous i.e. more confident. Would you believe the change. She's a joy to walk. Her tail is up and wagging constantly. She trots around me happily. She thanks you, and I thank you. Will stay in touch. Cheers, Elly
From: ***Mark
Subject: Re: Bailey
Date: May 23, 2009 1:10:16 PM EDT (CA)
Things are really really good. This morning I worked and she placed the entire time 1 hour nearby. Than we
walked down to Sherbrooke to Starbucks and she heeled and responded to leave it very well. I also notice she
will follow me around the house ( not wonder off) when I say lets go. So far its all good!
Edit from Nick: Bailey has got to be one of the most adorable puppies I have had the pleasure of training. She
was trained using the pager feature on her collar with Family K9‘s Remote training method and was trained
on and off leash in less than 10 days - see Bailey’s video here: Bailey’s video
Hi Nick,
It's funny - I've been meaning to write for a couple of days now.
Rhea's doing very well.
She's calm around the kids which is excellent because I don't have to worry about their interaction.
It seems that she's also quit stealing shoes or biting them. This is a very pleasant surprise!
She's responsive, she pays attention. I feel that we have a new type of connection now. It has to do with her being obedient.
I've taken her to the old port, downtown, to my office, to friends' house, fruit picking even. She's been great.
In terms of commands:
- she is very comfortable heeling. She does it very well, even when we all go for a walk and the kids rollerblade or bike (this is normally a huge distraction for her).
- she comes when called. She does this very well.
- she does "place" very well.
- she "stays" till released. We combine sit/stay/heel or sit/stay/come during our walks.
I walk her off the leash in the neighborhood. Don't worry, my eyes are on her.
We met Brenda, Dominic and some other neighbors. They were impressed with Rhea as well. We exchanged experiences and opinions about how well you train these pups. Brenda and Dominic are very happy with the work you've done with their dogs. You're very good!
We're now on our way to a walk in the woods and a picnic in Eastern Townships.
Thanks a lot!
Ileana & Rhea
Hi Nick,
Things are going well. We have a new dog. The first morning on Monday I took him to the summit with the collar and he listened to all commands at first with the buzzer (for the first 15 min) and then did not need any corrections (even when surrounded with lots of dogs). He even crossed the dog that he always fights with, and I said leave it (without clicking) and he did (UNBELIEVABLE!).
We have had 4 different new people come to our house, and he did not jump on them at all and this without the collar on.
At meal time, we put collar on and reinforce Leave it & place commands, this is still a little challenging for him. But a huge improvement, needless to say.
Yesterday, In the rain, I took him with me all day doing a million errands in the car and he was a good listener although he doesn't stay in place in the car. Need to work on that. He nervously roams the car. I might need
your help on that one.
Today, went on a big run at beaverlake with my jogging buddies and he listened almost perfectly to heel & leave commands as we passed many squirrels & dogs and he never slowed our running stride. Happy about that
one!
Other that that he is very cuddly and little less bold, it's like he has had
a lesson in humility. He's not the boss anymore.
Thank you
Danielle
Hi Nick,
just wanted to share a Dex story with you. 3 days ago I decided to do some planting in my garden in the front of the house. I decided to let Dexter loose and roam around as I was planting in my garden. You will be very happy to hear that my Dex did not stray, he did not leave my side. He would roam around in the grass but as soon as I felt that he left his territory, I would call him once and he would be right by side. I have to tell you that we often let him loose around the property and he is incredibly obedient. Michel even walks him around the block without a leash. All in all, we just wanted to tell you that we are thrilled with Dexter and how obedient he is. Michel calls you, "Nick the Dog Whisperer". Although, I have to tell you that he is still a "wild child", but we love him to death!
Wanted to share this with you.....thanks Nick!!!!!
Lina
Nick,
Kingston has been home for over 2 hours now and we have yet to see a mistake. He is being so wonderful, so calm and good with the children. Cassidy dropped a bout half of a box of pasta, as he approached, I told him to leave it and he just turned around and went away, with all that food on the floor. You can see by the pictures that the girls love to be with him (before Cassidy would always ask that he be put in his crate because he scared her). This is just so wonderful. As I am typing this, he is on his other bed in my office (another place) and just being a happy puppy!
Thank you so much. You have no idea the difference you just made in our lives!
Carolynn McFarlane and Family
Hi Nick,
Just thought I'd drop you a note, since its' been a while that Simba, Jarrid & I have been in touch. We think about you often and we hope you're doing well. Also, I've been wanting to email you for a while to let you know that my last few walking experiences with Simba have been a pleasure. I usually walk him on Saturday & Sunday mornings, when I'm in town, so Jarrid can sleep in.
We walk to Starbucks on Monkland together without a leash, and he never crosses the street unless I tell him its OK! He also waits for me outside Starbucks when I get my coffee. I tell him to sit, and as I can see him from inside the store, I notice he doesn't move, and waits patiently till I come out. On the way home I'm lucky he's so well behaved and that I don't have to use the remote, because I'm walking back with two cups of coffee in my hands.
When I come home, I tell Jarrid that you both did a great job training Simba. I attribute Simba's excellent behaviour to your brilliant training techniques and Jarrid's ability to adopt those techniques. Jarrid spends the most time with Simba and has done a great job training Simba with lots of love & attention. I no longer see Simba as a dependant that needs to be walked, but as a loyal companion that I enjoy walking with.
Now that I have had the time to reap the benefits of your training techniques, I can thank you, and tell you that I would refer you to anybody looking to improve their relationship with their dog.
Best Regards,
Joanna Adler (Simba's mom)
PS. Please find attached some pictures of Simba taken in the country after he went for a swim. Oh, that reminds me, I also don't want to forget to give Simba some credit too, since he is the smartest, cutest dog in the world!
October 19, 2001
Thanks Nick !
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter to describe how effective remote training has been with our 3-year old Portuguese water dog named Spencer. We began training at the age of 6 months, and felt strongly that positive reinforcement was the only way to go. Much to our disappointment, 2 ½ years later Spencer was not coming when called reliably, was chasing after motorcycles, squirrels, cats and children, and was jumping on countertops stealing food! It came to a point that we were considering putting him up for adoption. After much convincing from our trainer, we reluctantly agreed to try remote training despite our concern that it was not the most humane form of training.
5 months have passed and we haven’t looked back. After a very short period during which Spencer became accustomed to the collar training has become a fun and rewarding activity. Spencer has never been more obedient and can actually walk off leash safely and reliably. We now only use the remote transmitter occasionally, but when we do, there are only subtle signs that Spencer is feeling something (his ears move slightly). We still are working on a couple of problems but overall we are thrilled with the results. Living with Spencer is finally rewarding and enjoyable.
We are completely convinced that your remote training methods are
effective and more importantly humane we to train a dog from puppyhood
to adulthood.
Sincerely,
Sharon Abish, M.D. & Allan Ptack, M.S.W.
It is like she has gained confidence in herself or me, I don't really know which one although Nick could clear that up, and she isn't afraid anymore when we run into men on the beach
or anywhere else. She is a lot calmer and feels much more secure and I am very happy to say that there have no more incidences since. My dog is a very happy dog today and so are we. I am sure that she feels safer because she knows that I am in control and watching out for her. She is totally manageable now and we are all the better for it.
Danielle La Riviere and Shanti (and Bravo the Jack Russell)
Hi Nick
I know its been awhile since I gave an update on Sable but as you already know, she likes to be on the go all the time. I take her just about everywhere with me, (even the pet store we got kicked out of, had to rub it their faces) and I even manage to wear her out sometimes.
We continue to work everyday for an hour at the dog run, rain or shine. This hour with Sable is the highlight of my day, no matter how stressful work has been, I am guaranteed laugh after laugh with that crazy dog. Sable still insists on announcing herself as soon as we get to the lights at the train track. She will obey "Enough" and cease her barking anywhere else but the entrance of the dog run. Another "Sable-ism" <sigh>
Last weekend was a proud one for Sable. Will and I had a wedding to attend and Sable was being "puppy-sat". At first it was going to be Kim alone taking care of her but I would have come home to Kim wearing the collar and Sable sitting on the couch while Kim fetched a beer. So Tammy was called in to "control" things. In the 10 hours we were gone, Kim cuddled with Sable on the couch and Tammy only had to use the remote 4 - 5 times. She told me afterwards that had I asked her 3 months ago, she would have out right refused. Now they want Will and I to go away for longer so they can take her again.
Hi Nick,
I don't know if you remember me; it's Anja, the owner of Bounty, a female Golden that you trained last year. I just wanted to pass you a little note to tell her how fine she is and how nice she is behaving. She has nice company with another dog and they have been bonding like sisters. I send you a little picture just to thank you again for the work you've done.
If not for your training I would not have been able to keep my dog – and now thanks to your work she is a model “K9 Citizen”! I am impressed not only by your training abilities but also in your care for your clients dogs and all the follow up training and advice you have given us since Bounty completed her training.
Thank you for everything you have done for us!
Anja Brunner & Bounty
Well I am now living in Turks and Caicos now and my dog bit three men in the first 6 months that we were here. I am very lucky that I wasn't sued. I took her back to Montreal and boarded her with Nick for some intensive training with the remote collar. Nick worked with the both of us and sent us on our way three weeks later, with collar for her and a remote for me.
She is a different dog ever since.
The next day my parents had a family re-union with over 25 people attending. Of course, I brought Sable. Most of the people had only heard of Sable. Everyone was floored by how well behaved she was. As each person arrived, Sable was put in "sit" at the top of the stairs, she waited as they removed their shoes, came up the stairs and greeted everyone else before she was allowed to greet them. In fact, most everyone who hadn't met her in her "monster stage" were joking that she probably wasn't as bad as we had made her out to be. If they only knew.............
I could go on and on with the achievements that Sable has accomplished but then I'd just be bragging about my dog yet again:) Don't get me wrong, Sable still has her brat moments and there are times when her excitement does get the better of her but they are getting fewer and easier to correct.
We hope your wife and soon to arrive baby are happy and healthy and that your new house has become a home.
Forever grateful,
Rhonda, Will & Sable
P.S. Those pics are coming..........
Sable (in front) is a dog who believe it or not is dog aggressive and through training has been taught to control herself and has developed into a friendly,confident dog. She has been back for boarding many times and can run and play with everyone here. In this picture she is pracitcing place with Nitro and Ida - who can also be dog aggressive - and are all being taught to control themselves.
