The owner of Hachi the Pomeranian, was referred to me because he gets quite aggressive when someone tries to brush him. He's about a year old and has a life of grooming ahead of him. So they needed a bit of help. This is his second visit. On his first visit he allowed me to pick him up and hold him but immediately became aggressive when I tried to brush him. He also hates anything like a leash or grooming noose coming at him and over his head. So you will see me put the grooming noose on from behind him with a bit of a struggle from Hachi. That was also difficult but it was doable. In this session he shows a lot more trust and I know this because there were no big blow ups. Last visit he was in FIGHT mode and this visit he was more in FLIGHT mode. I feel the change occurred because NOTHING BAD HAPPENED ON THE LAST VISIT. Even though it was stressful and he did his best to bite me, he remembered we ended on a happy note and nothing BAD happened.

Please understand that my goal is to make progress while never setting him off. (That does not usually happen with the first visit because I have to discover the triggers) However, being human, I sometimes push things along a tad bit to fast. Hachi did get irritated towards the end and I set him off when I should have quit. But overall it was a great session and a huge stride forward from his first visit.

My Table Manners sessions generally last anywhere from 15 to 30 min. I charge only $15 per session but the owners need to come once a week until I say otherwise. The first few sessions are with the owners watching and I explain to them what I am doing and why. Then after 2 to 4 sessions the owners are absent so the dog can get used to grooming without the owners present. It all depends on the dog. The dog dictates how much I do and how fast I go. Every dog is different.