Emma's story
A quick word about why I wrote this
I want to tell you about the worst walk of my life. It was a Tuesday in March, about three months after we brought Bailey home from a rescue in Romania. I had him on a short leash, walking down our quiet street in Vermont. A woman was approaching with a small white terrier. I crossed the road. She crossed too. Bailey saw the terrier when they were about twenty feet away. He lunged so hard he pulled me off my feet. I went down on one knee. I sat on the wet pavement with my dog still lunging and I cried in the street, in front of a stranger.
Over the next two years I spent close to $4,000 on this problem. Three trainers. Two behaviorists. Anti-anxiety medication that didn't agree with him. The behaviorist consultation eventually gave me the framework that worked. This guide is the step-by-step plan I wish someone had handed me on day one.
Bailey is nine now. Last Sunday we walked the Stowe Recreation Path and passed seven dogs without him reacting once.
— Emma Hartley, Vermont, USA


