The six-week training that I received from Ingrid was a lifesaver, probably two lives, in fact.
Having had dogs all my life, including six boxers, I thought I knew how to train them. But, I hadn’t then met Daisy.
She arrived as an eight week old puppy and took to living with me quite easily for the next two months. By the time she was seven months old I could not control her at all. She pulled, she lunged, she was a maniac with people and other gigs, distracted by anything and everything, so she was never off the lead. On many occasions she pulled me over and owning her was no pleasure for either of us.
One day a man helped me to get to my feet after a fall caused by her excitement, and he said ‘you need Ingrid Grayling to work with you and that dog’ How right he was!
When I arrived at Ingrid’s place and opened the back of the car, Daisy would not be still as I battled to unfasten her harness. She then proceeded to leap and spin around. Well, that’s going to stop said Ingrid, and I just looked embarrassed.
The training is hard work, repetitive and, initially, very limited in scope, so the dog is not able to interact with any distractions. Daisy objected to the restrictions placed upon her and I was sceptical that she would ever respond to me. I realised that I had been too soft with her and began to toughen up. Ingrid was supportive and encouraging through this difficult time. On the last session of training I anticipated failure on a monumental scale, but I left with a quiet, responsive dog that showed what she had learnt from all the boot camp basic drills. Best of all, she was willing to accept me as being in charge.
We still have work to do, but I am not fearful about the future. The two of us enjoy walks and I know that she is safe by my side on roads and can be trusted with livestock. For a nine month old boxer, Daisy is doing well.
Thank you Ingrid,
Heather, and Daisy
