Wolfman K9 Obedience - References

Don’t take his word for it, see what Mike’s clients are saying about him.

8 July 2007 - Featured Dog - Scully

Scully is our 10 year old black lab mix with separation anxiety. She is and always has been a follower, no matter where we went. We picked her up as a puppy and agreed to get her trained. However, no follow through happened. Scully was trained by us to sit, down, heel, come, stay and shake a paw. She wasn’t too keen on ‘staying’ put. She followed everyone around, and enjoyed a good ole chew now and then. She was hyper, and everyone told me she would settle down when she was 5. Well 5 came and went and Scully didn’t change. Riding in the car was cause for more hyper-ness and lots of calming down. Ten years of calming down didn’t help. Other than that she was a great dog.

We kept her in a metal crate when we left the house. If anything got in or near the crate, it got shredded. Cushions, juice boxes, chair backs, etc. One evening while we were out, she shook her cage, which hit the plastic laundry tub, which hit the tap on the wall above it, which caused it to turn the water on. While hitting the tub, it came off the drain and caused a flood in the finished basement.

Over the years she stayed with various family members, while we vacationed. She quickly ran out of family as she caused havoc wherever she went. Others who chose not to put her in her crate, found out the consequences with ripped curtains and such.

We then moved out to the countryside from the city, hoping this would be better for her as she had more places to run free and enjoy. Well the first few days after moving we lost the lock to her cage. She managed to get free and rip up the top of our 5 month old loveseat, rip open some boxes and make a big mess with raisins and flour all over the kitchen. I think she may have been after a mouse. This escape happened again the next day and she enjoyed ripping the other old sectional couch, in some places. Six months later, she decided to break out of her crate, breaking her teeth in the process. This was followed by surgery to remove the broken teeth. After this, we decided to keep her out of the crate. She did fine out of the crate for almost a whole year, until this spring.

More destruction, a hole in the leather chair, a broken lamp shade and items tipped over on the window sill and scratches on the walls. My husband was quite upset and had had enough of the destruction; he wanted her out of the house. The vet gave me Mike’s name and number, and I left him a message. The next day he called me and we discussed bringing Scully by later that week for him to take her for the day. Well that very day, she had managed to get stuck in the bathroom and the door closed behind her. She panicked and broke the mirror, took down the cabinet above the toilet, turned on the water and broke the end of the tap off. When we came home we found water in the hall, bathroom and in the basement below. Somehow with all this mess she didn’t get hurt. I immediately called Mike back to ask if I could bring her over tomorrow and explained why.

Mike and Karen took her for a few days and trained her in the crate and with commands. I purchased a plastic crate and followed their instructions, training her in the crate and not letting her get ‘hyper’ or ‘whiny’. She was doing quite well and we had confidence she wouldn’t wreck the house. She enjoys her days at Uncle Mike’s and loves it when we go for our training sessions. I’ve since taken her on pleasant car trips and fun store visits. I have noticed such a difference in her attitude and manners. She is more confident, listens much better to our commands and is closer to us now than before. At a recent family gathering, everyone was amazed at how well she behaved, with just a few months of training. We look forward to finishing our training, and enjoying Scully at many more gatherings and outings.

If it wasn’t for Mike and Karen, Scully wouldn’t be here. They took a misunderstood dog, and turned her into a dog that anyone would want to have. I think it was fate that brought us to The Wolfman. This process made me face up to our mistakes, but also taught us some important life lessons….Never give up on your friends, and always train your puppy with a pro.

Thanks Mike and Karen
The Kidd Family
Caledon ON

See Scully’s picture in our gallery.