Bouvier, Petra Grace – A Swimming Success!
I am writing this testimonial firstly to thank Duke for his kindness and generosity during my dog’s recovery from two TPLO operations. Today Petra is a bouncy, active, and curious 4 year-old Bouvier, but last year it was a very different story. First diagnosed with immune-mediated poly-arthritis, she needed two knee surgeries during the winter of 2010.
It was a very difficult time for us. Previously we spent our time exploring along the beach, attending training classes and playing with other friends at the dog park. Bouviers love being active and Petra was no exception . . . she thought everyday was a great day to chase leaves and frisbees! After her second knee went, we had to make due with a playpen measuring 6′ by 3′ during her recovery time. She wasn’t allowed to put a lot of weight on her back legs and after 8 months of inactivity, muscle atrophy set in. She was now a Bouv with skinny pencil legs!
When our vet finally gave the all-clear to begin the rehabilitation process, the first person I called was Duke. He was so kind to us – he knew the Petra would need to be mentally stimulated and exercised, but that she would slowly have to be brought back to the physical level she was before. Duke suggested swimming in his pool to begin her journey back to wellness.
I have to admit, the first swim day I was pretty nervous. Petra had never been in water over her head before and I was worried that she would go all crazy, and either try to climb out or slowly sink. Of course, I shouldn’t have worried at all! Duke was in the pool beside her the whole time, and before I knew it, she was turned into a little dogfish! The pool is set up perfectly for injured or recovering dogs – there are three steps they walk down, and a larger step that they rest on during the swim so they try to overdo it and pull any muscles.
After two assisted swims, I was allowed to take her into the pool myself. We have a ball! Literally. Petra now loves swimming so much that she leaps ahead before I have even thrown the ball into the water. She turns around as if to ask “Well?? Why are you being so slow human?”. The swimming has helped her regain her back leg muscles also increased her joint mobility. She’ll always have problems with arthritis due to the extent of her injuries, but I have noticed that on the days after she has swum, she is much more bouncy and mobile.
I am very thankful that we have a pool available here on PEI. Yes, we are surrounded by water on our beautiful Island, but I don’t plan on swimming in the ocean during the stormy, cold winter months! Petra loves it, and I highly recommend that you give it a try!
- Petra Grace and Owner, M.
Well, it’s hard to believe that Flint is now two years old. Time sure flies when you are having fun, and we are definitely having fun with Flint, thanks to Duke. Flint is a local dog, a Border Collie who was born and bred in Lot 16 and our daughter Maia was lucky enough to get first choice (the veritable pick of the litter) when the puppies were born. We were well warned in advance that Border Collies are very energetic and would demand a lot of training and attention, but this was not our first dog and we thought we were more than ready to face the challenge. I guess we were wrong. Flint’s herding instincts and strong personality soon had everyone on edge. His constant heel nipping, chewing and what seemed like bullying behavior were intimidating our 8 year old, not to mention the adults. There was no quit in him, and just when you thought he would be down for the night he would start up again. Finally we placed a call to Duke, and the next day had our first consult. Amazing… is the word to describe the change in Flint after applying the training techniques shown to us by Duke. Puppy Management was the answer we had been looking for. Almost immediately the heel nipping and aggressive behavior ceased, and soon after that there wasn’t even a hint of leash pull during our walks. For our family, the natural progression from Puppy Management was to Ultimate Obedience Training. Once again we learned skills that have made our relationship with Flint outstanding. We can take Flint anywhere and know that he will always be the best behaved dog. And it is pretty awesome for Flint too. He enjoys his morning walk unencumbered by his leash, and almost every day strangers take the time to tell us that he is the best behaved dog they have ever seen. He also enjoys fly fishing and although his technique isn’t very good he more than makes up for it with his enthusiasm. See picture of Flint fishing
Rob, Mo, Maia and Flint
Stratford, PEI
We adopted our adorable border collie Strider at 8 weeks old. We came home proud and excited with the belief that we would be able to train this dog as we had our last dog. However something went terribly wrong, and instead of having a dog who brought happiness and comfort to our family, we were stressed out and began to hate this adorable puppy. It became almost impossible to leave the house because Strider would get into the garbage, eat the carpet, eat the walls, eat beds, eat rocking chairs, etc. Talking him outside was even worse, to the point that upon seeing other people we would run in the opposite direction, sometimes into peoples yards. We got to the point that we thought we had tried everything; puppy obedience school; training books; training videos; various collars; private trainers, and we were considering putting Strider up for adoption. And then we found Ted. Within an hour of Ted being in our home working with Strider we saw a huge change. Now, several months later I can walk around my neighboured without a leash and without fear. We can go to the park, be relaxed and have other dog owners remark on how ‘perfect’ Strider is. Strider still has potential to learn more, and now that we are more confident in our methods, we can teach him more. Without Ted and his training I would still be lost. To anyone considering this method of training my family, Strider and I recommend it 100%.
Emmaline Boutilier, Halifax N.S.
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