Complaint Review: Rocky Mountain gsd

We find it amazing and very unfair that we find ourselves having to respond to such vicious slander.
There once was a day that if someone had a problem with a service or product they would first contact the business and not abuse social media.
                                                                                                                         
Mr. Rodriquez brought his GSD named Boss to us on 10/18/2012 for training services. As with all clients we first do a thorough consultation with the client and evaluation of the animal. When Mr. Rodriquez approached us with his dog it was clear the dog was terrified. He hid behind Mr. Rodriquez with hackles up, tail between his legs, and teeth barred.We continued to observe Boss while interviewing Mr. Rodriquez to find out what his goals where for his dog. He stated that he wanted the dog trained in German, to obtain a Canine Good Citizen certification and to do full protection training as his ultimate goal. He said the dog had already been aggressively biting people, children and family members.
It was very clear by the animals demeanor that he lacked confidence and proper socialization.
 
Now came the task of informing Mr. Rodriquez that his dog was not truly confident in his aggression as he had hoped, but instead he was fearful, very fearful. We told him that the best thing for the dog was complete obedience this is the best way for insecure dogs to gain confidence. We also discussed with him the genetic limitations of his dog concerning safe protection training. We do not know where the dog was obtained from but could easily evaluate his disposition based on his behavior.
 
Mr. Rodriquez left his dog in our care. We socialized him daily with other dogs, people and environments. It was quite the challenge in the beginning but we were very patient with him and gained his trust. We worked him teaching him obedience and the dog did in fact find confidence in leadership.
 
The dog made a huge turn around and became a social and obedient puppy. He was willing to comfortably meet new people and socialize without the fear he showed when he was brought to us.
We have trainers and kennel help that can attest to this transformation as well as his treatment.
 
When it came time for Boss to be picked up 5 weeks later on 11/26/2012, Mr. Rodriquez was first well over an hour late for his appointment. We did have another appointment following his as well. He smelled strongly of marijuana when he approached. He was asked at this time if he would like to reschedule due to the conflict of the next appointment, he said no.
 
We brought Boss down the sidewalk from the kennels to meet Mr. Rodriquez, who not once even tried to pet him. So, we began the training demonstration. Mr. Rodriquez was shown that his dog clearly understood, and willingly complied with, all of the commands. As we do with all of our clients he was asked to take the leash and handle the dog as we had just shown him so we could make sure he could pronounce the German commands correctly and give effective corrections if needed.

He refused to work his dog in front of us. We demonstrated the dog another time and encouraged him to take the lead in which he again refused. So we then discussed with him the genetic threshold of his dog in respect of his goals for future protection service. Some dogs just are not cut out for that type of defensive training.
At this point we had nothing else to discuss as Mr. Rodriquez hardly uttered a word the entire time.
He would not pet the dog or work the dog so we requested the payment balance. Again we suggested he return for a lesson when he felt more comfortable handling the dog in front of us.
 
When Boss was dropped off Mr. Rodriquez gave us some ear wash to use on his dog. We diligently cleaned his dogs ears until the cleaner was gone. When we handed the dog over to him he was told that his dog may have ear mites and that would explain why they continue to produce dirt like matter, cleaning does not fix ear mites. We suggested a vet exam.
 
Boss was not trained with a pinch collar; we used a nylon slip lead.  We did not cause any harm to his dogs neck or affect his bark in any manner.
 
Mr. Rodriquez has NEVER tried to call us, we have not heard from him in over 5 months since the transfer lesson. He never complained about anything to us. We are baffled as to what is really going on here.
 
Once Boss settled in and learned to play well with others he was rough and rowdy in the play yards and had a young yellow lab as a friend. The two played very actively together. We think Boss received a small nick from his friend, it was a scab less than the size of 1/8th  inch, and nothing we felt was worth mentioning.
 
We helped this pup gain confidence and he was outgoing and socially playful when he left here.
The dog was not in the least bit afraid of us but now we must question if he is actually terrified of Mr. Rodriquez.
We just hope that Mr. Rodriquez understands and graciously accepts the limitations of his dog and does not try to force him into something he is not genetically equipped for. We would suggest Mr. Rodriquez take the time to learn animal body language and proper and humane canine leadership.

We encourage Mr. Rodriquez to call us directly if he has any issues with our services. 
Good Day,
Jayne Holmes