I highly recommend the program at Shellys School for Dogs. Last year I adopted a 5 yr old small rescue dog. She is shy, gentle, well behaved, and without a mischievous bone in her body. Perfect for a first time dog owner like myselfr so I thought. Within a few weeks of bringing her home she started showing a different side. She became obsessed with and began attacking any reflective surface in the house and outside (like clean shiny dark cars), and finally she became aggressive to every single dog we passed while walking and often seemed frenzied and compulsive. I spent the first 5 months of dog ownership trying to manage her with a barrage of trainers. Each trainer applied a different training technique but none were able to get all of her negative behaviors fully under control. Just as I was running out of options I randomly met somebody who said she had a rescue pit bull that was very aggressive and came home a completely different dog after going through Shellys program. I called the school that day to enroll my dog.
I did experience a few of the schools criticisms found in reviews. I was not given any details on my dogs progress while she was completing her day school. I was totally frustrated by this at first but eventually gave in to it. I had no reason to think anything was wrong. She was always happy when I picked her up at the end of the day and she seemed to like her trainer. I also noticed several on the staff taking care of the training dogs that were very kind to my dog. I figured I didnt need to know more than my dog was well cared for and happy.
Also common to other reviews is that our training together took longer than I expected. I suppose this was in part due to the disposition of my dog but also due to my own ability. It took a while for me to develop my own skills in controlling her but over time I got better at it and eventually it all started coming together. The long training time and travel back and forth to the school did place a significant burden on me but I was always encouraged by the small improvements my dog continually made.
Today, 6 months from starting her training in Shellys school, I couldnt be more proud of my dog when were on a walk and shes calmly and happily prancing at my side as we pass other dogs, half of them pulling 10 ft ahead of their owners on a retractable leash. Everybody in my neighborhood comments on the huge change in my dog. It was a small price in dollars and time to pay for the wonderful companion I will have for years to come. This program definitely works if you are willing to put in the effort!