back	Harley
	Seven months ago, I adopted a 13 month old rescue dog in the shape of a white German Shepherd called Harley. Whilst I had been told that he was very boisterous, hadn’t had any training and pulled on the lead, having previously owned German Shepherd dogs, I felt quite confident that, so long as he had a good temperament, I could handle any training issues he may have - How wrong can one be!
For the first two or three weeks, all went swimmingly. Harley was friendly, responding to the odd reprimand for jumping up to the work surfaces and, at times, even walking to heel on the lead. After his first month in my care, I was obliged by the rescue centre to have him neutered. Once he recovered, I began to notice a change in him. He became more and more agitated when out on walks, and not only pulling on the lead, but, jumping in the air when we saw a cat, dog, rabbit or even a bird. It was like having a kite on a lead (a large heavy one) and got to the stage where I dreaded taking him for a walk. The crunch came when he became over-protective of the house and would go for anyone who tried to cross the threshold. I felt completely out of my depth and either had to seek urgent help or return Harley to the rescue centre, which I certainly did not want to do. I first approached my vet who unfortunately did not know of any local dog behaviourists and I also spoke to the rescue centre who offered advice, however, nothing that I hadn’t tried myself. Then one evening, in desperation, I was searching the internet when I came across Mike Grantham’s website. I telephoned Mike the following day and after relaying my woes about my dog, he explained the probable reasons for Harley’s behaviour changing over the four months that I’d had him, to become the ‘problem dog’ that he is now. Mike kindly agreed to come all the way to Aberdeenshire to meet Harley and me He suggested I arrange for a friend to bring along her dogs, in order to show me how to introduce Harley, without confrontation, to other dogs. All through Mike’s visit, he observed the interaction between Harley and me, asked questions and took notes. Within a few days of his visit, I received a comprehensive training manual, specific to Harley’s needs. Three months have elapsed since I first met Mike and have had two further consultations with him. Harley is quite a complex character! However, he is responding quite well to the training regime. I can actually walk him to heel off lead, and when allowed to run free, he will respond to the whistle. So far, he has never refused a recall even when he had the scent of a deer. I still have to introduce him to people carefully. He looks very cute and cuddly, however, does not like people to approach him. I think that my life with Harley will be one in which I have to constantly work to retain ‘pack leader’ status, but, I am sure that thanks to Mike, he will become more relaxed and a pleasure to live with. In conclusion, I would like to thank Mike very much for his patience and kind guidance, throughout a very stressful period. It is so nice to have someone who is easy to talk to at the end of a ‘phone when problems arise. I would not hesitate to recommend Mike to anyone who is having problems with their dog, and indeed, have passed on his details to one or two people who have been impressed with my ‘obedient dog’. Grace