Charlie – Algonquin, Illinois

Recently my wife and I visited a friend’s house for dinner.  These friends have a dog that’s normally locked in a room due to a fear that their dog might bite.  During this recent visit we encountered a whole new dog.  The dog had been recently trained by Eileen of “A Whole New Dog” and the transformation was remarkable.  Their dog was able to roam freely and was kind and gentle.  Seeing these incredible changes, my wife and I knew immediately that we needed to hire Eileen for our dog Charlie.

Charlie is not an aggressive dog but just the opposite.  He’s extremely submissive and at times can be afraid of his own shadow.  His fear and anxiety were increasing day by day and now included being afraid to go for a walk, which he previously loved to do, since he’d become afraid of his leash.  Charlie is a 2 1/2 year old miniature poodle and the love of our lives.  We got him from a previous owner when he was six months old.  He’s extremely loving to our entire family but definitely most attached to me.  He was also showing signs of depression as he was now refusing to eat when I would leave for work.  We were concerned that Charlie’s anxiety was getting the best of him so we engaged Eileen.  Of course, we imagined that all of Charlie’s problems could be attributed to his previous owners and definitely not anything we were doing.  A foundational belief that Eileen would prove to be wrong.

Eileen first took time to understand Charlie’s environment and our interactions with Charlie which she did over the phone.  She then visited our house to meet us and Charlie.  During the next couple hours, we learned a great deal about Charlie and a dog’s mind.  Further, we learned how our interactions and directions could confuse Charlie which could lead to anxiety and fear he was experiencing.  Eileen provided great analogies that we could relate to from a human perspective and how a dogs perspective is similar or may at times be completely opposite.  This was critical in our understanding of how to make sure that Charlie understands he’s a dog with rules and boundaries and what he can expect of us.  Eileen also provided support materials for us to read.

Charlie is a “Whole New Dog”.  Although we understand that this transformation does not happen overnight, after just the initial training session, we were already seeing incredible progress.  His confidence improved, fear and anxiety are subsiding and we now have the tools to ensure that continues.  Charlie is now again enjoying his walks with a renewed bounce in his step.  You can see a sense of accomplishment in his daily activities and we know we’re heading down the right path.  Eileen continues to be a great resource for us and we’ll continue to use her services in the future.  We HIGHLY recommend Eileen to all of our friends.  Rest assured, you and your dog are in good hands and you will not be disappointed with the results.