Willie – Australian Goldendoodle

Willie – Australian Goldendoodle

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Willie’s main issues: hyperactivity, he was wild – no matter how much exercise he got, he always seemed to be getting into trouble and couldn’t settle.   If i didn’t have eyes on him for 10 seconds he would be off chewing something, counter surfing or trying to run out the door.  I had baby gates everywhere in the house and I had to keep him sequestered in the room with me at all times.  On two occasions, despite my hypervigilance he still managed to slip out the front door and run outside onto the street. Both times we got lucky and thankfully nothing happened to him.  He also barked constantly at every sound in the house and when he didn’t get his way.   I couldn’t take him anywhere beyond regular walks because if I stopped walking for a minute to chat or to look at something he would bark at me until I started moving.  I once took him to a friend’s place and he ran around the house, scratching at closed doors and then barking at me to let him explore. Needless to say, Willie was the boss and he ran my life lol.

My expectations in sending Willie to training were low – I really just wanted to minimize the barking and to not have to be constantly stressed out that Willie would run away and get hurt or worse 

When Willie came home from training after 11 weeks he was almost like a brand new dog- he still has the same cheerful, curious personality – but now he’s what I call the best version of himself.    Lucas’s training blew my expectations out of the water. 

Now that Willie has a clear understanding of what is expected of him with consistent rules and boundaries, he’s lost that edgy/hyperactive side to him. He’s now perfectly content to lie in the same room near me or in his “place”.   All the baby gates are gone and  I can leave doors open, he won’t pass a doorway without me giving him the okay.  He’s actually a pretty lazy dog these days – happy to sleep most of the day but still loves to hike with me and explore or play fetch.

His demand barking is completely gone, along with all the other “minor” issues he had that I hadn’t expected to just disappear like counter surfing, jumping on people, jumping on furniture, eating/chewing stuff he shouldn’t, carrying clothing/shoes around the house, scratching on doors..etc

Willie’s newly acquired behaviors: he’s 100% off leash trained, he walks in heel by my side, he has 100% recall which makes outdoor off leash hikes finally possible (and a lot of fun!), he will stay in down or sit position until he’s released, and one of my favorites : place command – he has designated beds/cots around the house and when he hears “place” he heads there and stays there until told otherwise.  It really comes in handy! 

Keeping up the training does take effort especially in the beginning but the rewards are so worth it.   It’s now been 8 months since Willie came home from training, and he’s doing amazing. People in the street often stop to comment on how well trained he is.  I am no longer stressed out and having to check on Willie every 2 min to make sure he’s not getting into trouble.  He’s like my little sidekick now that I can take anywhere.

I’m so grateful to Lucas & Sherry for this incredible (miraculous) transformation and the amazing care they took of my baby Willie while he was there.   I highly recommend training with Lucas and if I could change anything it would be that i would have sent Willie sooner.”

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    Willie