ME AND LOUIE

Hello, my name is Michelle Truffaut and I live in Hollywood, CA. My Red Standard Poodle, Louie, and I have a great relationship. But it wasn’t always this way.

A BRIEF BACKSTORY…

I’ve had dogs all my life and for the most part they’ve been pretty calm and relaxed, and sort of obedient. But when I look back they were anything but that. I had a Scottish Deerhound that ate an entire pineapple upside down cake off the kitchen table and ended up at the emergency vet. Luckily she was ok.

On a drive through Golden Gate Park in San Francisco my Airedale puppy ignored my command to stop, jumped out of the car and was hit by a bus. Many thousands of dollars later, extensive surgery and a lot of emotional stress, we finally took her home from the vet. She lived to be 17 years old but suffered arthritic pain in her later years because of the accident.

I could go on but, in a nutshell, I thought my dogs were pretty well-trained and that their misbehaving was just part of being a dog. After all, I wasn’t interested in strict obedience or training them to show. I just wanted them to be part of the family.

…AND THEN CAME LOUIE

Then came Louie. I wrapped my arms around this beautiful 10 week old puppy and I was in love. That is until I started working with him using the training methods I had always used in the past to maintain some semblance of peace and quiet in the household.

Well, Louie was as sweet as they come, but he was just not a calm relaxed guy. And he wouldn’t pay the slightest attention to me. He was too busy counter-surfing, barking at other dogs, pulling me down the street on his leash, jumping up on my guests, and all the other rotten things you can think of. The only time he was a perfect angel was when he was asleep.

This went on for months, with me trying old techniques I already knew, as well as new techniques I learned from trainers and, since we’re being honest here, YouTube videos. I was beginning to think that this wonderful dog who I adored would never be a well-behaved companion, and that the household would never enjoy peace and quiet again.

Finally, my research led me to a dog behaviorist and trainer from New Zealand named Dan Abdelnoor. “Doggy Dan” has developed an approach to working with dogs that is revolutionary. It’s simple. It’s gentle. And it gets remarkable results, over and over again. As soon as I started working with Louie using Dan’s brilliantly simple “5 Golden Rules,”I saw wonderful changes in Louie’s behavior. You know why? Because I learned to change my own behavior in interacting with him.

This experience has sent me on a new path in life. I’m a part of Dan’s Dog Trainer Academy and committed to helping dog parents achieve a stress-free relationship with their beloved four-legged companions.

WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT

As humans, we expect our dogs to think like us. We assume that they interpret what we say and do exactly as humans interpret what we say and do. And we’re always mystified when repeated “timeouts” and denial of treats and affection don’t magically fix the problems that develop because of this assumption. What begins as love at first sight (or first walk) becomes a stressful, confusing and disheartening battle of wills as we fail repeatedly to help our dogs understand what we mean when we say “No!”

But the truth is much simpler, natural and more relaxed: we simply need to think like our dogs, and interact with them accordingly. I hope you’ll let me show you and your canine companion how.

HOW IT WORKS

An initial phone call to discuss your dog’s behavior at absolutely no charge.

*Then, I will come to your home (or to a place of your choosing) for approximately a 2 to 3 hour consultation where I will introduce you to the 5 Golden Rules, and work with you and your dog, or new puppy, to begin correcting unwanted behavior.

Then, it’s up to you to take charge and continue to work with the 5 Golden Rules

But, I won’t leave you hanging…

… included is free telephone and email support for 6 months.

My goal is to be sure that you and your pooch develop a happy and stress free relationship.

Total cost $300.00

* Within a thirty mile radius of West Hollywood, CA