Face to face consultation - Debbie and Bubble
Our lovely Irish Terrier Bubble was the quietest of her litter, she became a happy, sociable 4 year old, who fitted beautifully into our outdoor loving family.
A significant build was about to take place very close to our home, it required a construction site access which was laid within 12ft of our front door.
Overnight everything changed, both in and immediately outside of our home, smells, noise, vibration. The construction of the site access followed by the relentless convoy of numerous construction vehicles starting at 0730 every morning affected us as a family, but poor Bubble immediately showed signs of stress, panting, shaking. Things worsened quickly as she refused to go out, even into our back garden. It rapidly got to a point where we were unable to get her to leave the house, I resorted to carrying her across the road so that she could do her business and then she would pull and scramble back to the house as quickly as she could.
We tried everything we could think of, trying to encourage her out with treats; pulling her; taking her out in the car, but she was terrified and becoming more fearful and withdrawn.
The beautiful dog that had walked up and down Snowdonia in a day now wouldn't even walk down the road. We were struggling and heartbroken, she was becoming more stressed and her quality of life was diminishing, she was showing anxiety in the home and we were unable to get her out for walks, we were at a point of thinking, can she really live like this for another 2 years during the construction.
Sue Holloway has quite simply saved Bubbles life. She observed and read Bubbles body language suggesting we get some possible medical issues excluded and whilst acknowledging that we couldn't change Bubbles noisy environment, Sue gave us numerous suggestions to help change the behaviour Bubble was exhibiting as a result of it; an important aspect of this was suggesting ways to help her cope at home whilst also resetting our behaviour and the way we as a family, started her walks.
I immediately felt comfortable and confident with Sue's calm nature, knowledge and reassurance that this could be fixed and that we would get our Bubble back. Sue's suggestions of games, training, desensitisation, commands and tactics to distract has been immense. She supported us through setbacks, always explaining the behaviour and helping us to move forward. It took a year to be able to walk a mile from home, it was momentous, now another year on, although some noises can still be an issue, Bubble is pretty much back to herself. Employing the tactics we have learned from Sue has changed everything for Bubble and us as a family, she is happy again, keen to get out and growing in confidence, I would wholeheartedly recommend Sue as a behaviourist.
and comprehensive worksheets to support the modification plan, as well as her online support was amazing and I felt completely supported by her throughout.
Testimonials
Remote Consultation – Jess and Trixie
I’ve learned so much over the last 6 months or so regarding Trixie’s fear of people. With the help of Sue, I’ve been encouraged with a plan of action to help Trixie with her anxiety by using easy-to-implement stress reducing games and daily structure changes. While I know that Trixie will continue to need slow, positive steps towards reducing her fear, this picture tells just how far she’s come. My son wasn’t able to come home for 3 years due to Covid restrictions and other commitments. Trixie is only 2 and had never met him. After only 3 days, she was comfortable enough to lean against him for head pats. Such a big accomplishment!
Living in America, I was unable to see Sue in person but her clear advice and comprehensive worksheets to support the modification plan, as well as her online support was amazing and I felt completely supported by her throughout.
