Chomping Charlie brought to heel

When Marge Bird of Moulescomb Brighton, took charge of her beautiful black cross breed pup, Charlie, 3 years ago, she was blissfully unaware of the traumas that were to follow.

As Charlie changed from perfect pup into hooligan hound, his long-suffering owner was faced with his continual barking and aggressive behaviour.  Charlie’s aggressive behaviour became so bad that he bit 3 people, a figure that Marge admits would have been far higher ’if he could have caught up with the others’!

Charlie also dragged his owner everywhere and managed to regularly pull her over, including one costly fall that happened a week after Marge had undergone major foot surgery. The fall caused the metal plate and pins that had been secured in her foot to move and left her in need of another operation to put the damage right.

In summary Charlie wouldn’t let anyone in to the home, he was severely aggressive when taken out and behaved abysmally in the car, hurling himself at the windows and going absolutely berserk at everything they passed.

Marge admits that Charlie was a nightmare ‘No one could walk past the house, let alone knock at the door without Charlie having a real go at them.  In the end there was no way that I could take him out for a walk for fear of him attacking someone and I hadn’t taken Charlie to the park or out for a walk for over a year’ admits Marge.

Marge had sought help from various trainers, but nothing had helped until she came across Kim Lummis, a Canine Behavioural Therapist with Bark Busters in Brighton.

‘Kim has transformed Charlie, it honestly is as if I have a different dog’ says Marge ‘By the end of the first session, I knew that I was back in control and that was a wonderful feeling’.

Charlie is now walking to heel on a loose lead and takes no notice of joggers or other passers by. 

‘I truly cannot believe the difference.  The other day I had him walking side by side with another dog, a sight that I had never imagined possible’.

He also lies down calmly at home, happy and relaxed, rather than barking his head off at anything that so much as twitches and constantly demanding attention from Marge.

‘Before the training I had never seen Charlie dream because he wasn’t relaxed enough to fall in to a deep sleep.  Now I watch him happily running and woofing as he enjoys his doggie dreams’ says Marge.

So how did Kim put Marge back in control?

‘Charlie is a lovely, but nervous, dog and he had taken on the responsibility of looking after Marge.  As with some people, he had been promoted beyond his capabilities and needed to know protecting Marge wasn’t his job.  I showed Marge how to be a leader through communicating with Charlie in a way he understood and which uses the same principles that dogs naturally use when communicating with each other in a pack.  Marge has certainly achieved great results’ says Kim.

A real test for Charlie came a week or so after Kim’s initial visit when there was a huge thunder storm.  In the past Charlie would have become extremely worked up and agitated, the newly trained Charlie thought he would give all that manic behaviour a miss and went to his bed, where he promptly fell asleep! 

Kim explains that ‘Charlie will never be the most confident dog in the world, but he now knows that he is safe with Marge in charge and both dog and owner are much happier’.

Kim will be attending the Pride Dog Show in Hove Park this Sunday 8th July.  Look out for her and do come and have a chat if you need some help with your dog.

Bark Busters, the world’s largest, most trusted dog training company, started in Australia in 1989 and came to the United Kingdom in 1999. Since inception, over 400,000 dogs have been trained worldwide. With more than 230 offices in eight countries, Bark Busters is continuing its mission to build a global network of dog behavioural therapists to enhance responsible dog ownership and reduce the possibility of maltreatment, abandonment, and euthanasia of companion dogs. Bark Busters is the only international dog training company that offers a lifetime guarantee. Therapists will provide future sessions free of charge if problem behaviours recur, or if any new problems develop. For more information, call 0808 100 4071 or visit www.barkbusters.co.uk, where dog owners can complete a Dog Behavioural Quiz to rate their dogs’ behaviour.