Both my husband and I cannot say enough positive things about Megan and what she was able to achieve with our dog. It's hard to know where to begin, but trust me ... you will not be disappointed in Megan's training. Her methods work and she has the patience and knowledge to work with any behavior issue, any breed and any temperament. For our dog, it was money well spent and any ambivalence we had about leaving him with a stranger for 2 weeks ... well, now we often use Megan for boarding when we are out of town because we know he will be safe, happy, and get a little training booster! Plus, our dog LOVES Megan, and that is no small achievement because his main problem was people aggression! And another thing, she guarantees her work. You will not find another group or person who will do this. She has been to our house twice to help us when we were stumped (for instance, how to stop Bon from running the fence when the neighbors were out).
Briefly, we have a 2 year old German Wirehair Pointer. 70 lbs. with very high energy -- named Bon. We went through 3 rounds of training with a different dog training company as a puppy. He hated every moment of it. He was very dominant, territorial, and did not like strangers or strange things of any kind - whether on the street, in our home, etc. His initial fear of people was quickly turning into a bad case of aggression and we were becoming prisoners in our home. He also had no recall and we were in for a long chase if he got off leash. When he was on leash, we were being pulled down the street by a crazy dog and he responded to nothing. It was embarrassing. He would patrol our house going from window to window - so focused, like he was hunting. His behavior was now obsessive. Finally he ended up lunging at and biting a woman at the dog daycare facility. We had to do something or we had to return the dog to the breeder.
I have had more than a dozen dogs in my life and never one like Bon. And I've never had a dog I couldn't train. But I was stumped. I found Megan online -- one of several groups I contacted, and did my homework. I met with her and decided to take the chance. My husband wasn't convinced, but I wouldn't relent. If it's possible, my husband is a bigger fan of Megan than me! Bon is a different dog and a happier dog. And we are better and happier owners. 100% better, happier, and then some. Honestly, for a long while we couldn't believe it was the same dog.
Megan has us use a placeboard, which is really a dog bed, where he goes and stays when he needs to calm down ... when someone comes to the door, while we are preparing his food, while we are relaxing in the evening, and any other time we need him to pay attention to US and not the situation or distraction. When someone comes to the door, we put him on "place" and then we can calmly open the door and invite people in without Bon attacking or being aggressive. If he starts to patrol the windows, we put him on place and he stays there. When we are watching TV in the evening, he's on place. Before he gets fed, he has to go and stay on place. This simple tool was so effective that we have one in our living room, one in the basement where we feed him, one by the front door, and my husband built a wood one for our deck outside. Now he goes onto his place in the living room when he wants to relax! We put a thick pad on it and he loves to sleep there. And we just have to say "place" and he knows exactly what to do. What we do know is that Bon is a good dog and a dog that we love because of Megan. And we are, without a doubt, much better owners because of her. Bon finally sees us as the pack leaders in our home. It's a great thing. We're a bit ashamed that we even thought of giving up the dog when all it took was 2 weeks with Megan to turn things around.
I wish I had known Megan when Bon was just a pup. He was beginning so many of his behaviors, but I didn't see it. You'll love Megan. I know it. She has something special with dogs. I can't describe it, but she speaks their language. I wish I had her gift!
Best,
Melanie and Michael
Midway Dog Academy - Chicago's Best Dog Training For German Pointers
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