To whom it may concern:
My profession is to help people make their businesses more successful. But before I became a coach, I was a veterinarian and for 17 years – first as a practice owner and later working in corporate for a pet food company – I worked with some of the best dog behaviourists in the world. My husband is a veterinarian as well, working full time with small animals.
In 2009 my mother-in-law sadly passed away and we took on her 3-year old Lakeland terrier, Molly. When we first got her, Molly would literally run on the walls, being so frantic everywhere we went with her that she was almost impossible to handle. A year later, we had a much calmer dog, but we had also realised that there were some deep seated anxieties and behavioural issues that we were not quite getting to grips with. The front door was still about running out, requests for play were extreme, cars were an obsession, walking on the lead would involve at least some severe pulling and Molly was just not as happy as we thought she could be.
In July 2010 we asked Hanne Grice from Walk the Dog to help us make Molly a happier and calmer dog. During our initial consultation, Hanne gave us an extremely comprehensive and thorough walk through all the aspects of dog behaviour, feeding back to us the instances where we inadvertently were reinforcing Molly’s frantic behaviour. She gave us a programme of exercises and play to work with, addressing directly the root cause of Molly’s problems – that she is a very insecure and frightened little dog that needs a structured and calm life. While we had already provided much of that, Hanne was able to absolutely drill down and get to all the little details that would make a difference to Molly.
Within a week we noticed that Molly was much calmer. Within two weeks my clients were commenting on how much she had improved and within three weeks almost every aspect of Molly’s behaviour that we were working with had turned around.
Now, almost a month later, Molly has changed into a much more calm and relaxed dog. She walks to heel like a champion – even when we go out the front door and have to pass the cars – , she looks to us for directions on what to do and she is much happier for strangers to stroke her and talk to her. We have already achieved far more than we thought was possible, and Hanne continues to support us with advice, practical exercises and positive feedback!
I have found Hanne Grice to be professional, knowledgeable and expert at what she does. She has impressed me with her keen insight and observations as well as with her ability to explain complex concepts in a straightforward manner. She has demonstrated a strong analytical bend, fitting together problems with solutions in a comprehensive and creative manner, and I can only give her my complete recommendation. She has been a delight to work with and the results have been even better than we had hoped for.
Thank you, Hanne – from Molly and the rest of us with all our hearts…
Best wishes,
A-M, August 2010
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Playing With Your Dog will help any dog owner work out the games that are best suited for their pet to play throughout his life, from puppyhood to old age. The book also shares some tricks for all ages, group activities, and recommended toys that dogs will enjoy.
