Hayes Haus Dog Training

Cheryl and Maggie

Thank you, thank you Brandon! Your obedience classes have given ME the confidence to be a better dog owner by being able to really communicate with my dog.  Your classes have given MAGGIE the obedience experience and socialization that has made the difference in her behavior.  We both have benefitted from your knowledge, know-how and patience in teaching. Your obedience classes are informative, challenging and very instructional yet always fun, with new experiences within each session.  And... a few laughs as well! Love the variety of dogs, large & small and their owners. It all adds up to one terrific learning experience.

I am attaching a picture of Maggie & I that is proof of my new confidence in Maggie!  Never would I have attempted a trip to Boston to participate with over 1,000 other dogs in the MSPCA Walk in September if I had not felt the confidence that you have helped me to develop.  Your training allows me to take Maggie into these new situations knowing that our "communication" will allow us to enjoy the experience. 

There's a still a lot more for us to learn... So, Maggie & I will be seeing you in class again, real soon.

Sincerely,

Dixie the Bloodhound

I can't say enough good things about Olympia Kennels and Brandon. I brought our 2 year old blood hound to them for a five week train and board after a so called leading specialist in animal behavior  had given us completely inaccurate advice, the result being that her fear based aggression had worsened to the point of her being almost house bound. I had heard nightmare stories about "doggie boot camps" and I wanted to make sure that wasn't the situation there. As I was waiting to meet with Mike Pinkston I asked a woman who was there waiting for a lesson with her dog whether she could give me any information. Her reply:" Mike knows dogs better than anyone I know".

...His approach made a HUGE amount of sense:  that essentially you have to develop a relationship with the dog and THEN   your non-response to the feared object shows the dog that her trusted leader isn't afraid, so she doesn't have to be either.  In that initial contact I also took note of the fact that Mike told me many of his staff have worked for him for over twenty years; no one stays in an unpleasant situation for that long. That also told me a lot.

When I returned five weeks later I picked up a different dog: able to walk by strangers, dogs, etc .without any reaction at all, it was amazing. I had a one hour training session with Brandon before leaving. Having trained my boxer before this dog with clicker based training I was taken aback to see her with a prong collar. I had always had really negative associations to them. When Brandon explained to me their function-similar to an alpha... I was completely reassured; it made huge sense. I took her home.

This is where the story gets interesting. As Brandon had predicted, the transition home was rough and within about two days I was beginning to see the same behavior. I was totally discouraged and did not see any way we could keep this dog after everything we tried, and emailed Olympia to see if they might know anyone who would be interested in taking her. Brandon called me and basically told me he wasn't LETTING me give up; that transitions are hard, and he would help....he would come down to Newton (an hour away) the next day (a Sunday) and would stay there working with us as long as we needed....and he did.

Over the course of the next month Brandon has gone above and beyond the call of duty working with me to get things right...and I am VERY confident that we are on the right road. Brandon lets my dog know- in no uncertain terms- that he is the boss. Once upon a time I would have been startled by his quick and decisive corrections, but there is NOTHING negative or unpleasant about them, they redirect my dog's attention back to her relationship with Brandon...a relationship in which my dog feels safe and secure...and therefore doesn't have any need to react aggressively. Brandon's work with me has essentially been to support ME in developing the confidence that would allow me to take over that role with my dog-so that she can feel secure and safe with me. I have emailed him endlessly with questions and he is available to help and advise...his knowledge and understanding of dogs seems intuitive and is very thorough. He takes this very seriously... working with the dog, the family, whomever, in order to make the fit work. I am incredibly grateful to him and to Olympia Kennels for saving us from what could have been a very sad ending to this situation.

Sara Koch