As Max's owner and a first time dog owner I quickly became overwhelmed with my Great Dane puppy. Simple things like, taking a walk, going outside for bathroom breaks, and car rides were dreaded tasks. Max was 55lbs when we got him at 14 or so weeks, he quickly doubled in size and I at 5'5" was barely able to stop him. He pulled my mother down on her back during a walk chasing a squirrel. He has also pulled me and my father down on similar occasions. He broke a bar chair in half by running into it playing in the house. The only one who could stop him was my husband Jim; as a mixed martial arts trainer and drill instructor for the Marine Corps even he was stretched to his limit with Max's strength. Max has a wonderful temperament, but no sense of his size, no confidence, and considers himself a lap dog. 

  I was desperate to keep my "puppy" but with my 6 year old step daughter coming to live with us, as well as living in on base housing I was not hopeful that this would work out. If anyone complained about their concern for safety around my dog to the military police I would either be forced to destroy him, or give him away.....and the choice would not necessarily be up to me. 

 My mother is the one who knew about Louis, I was against the whole idea at first......shock collars and pinch collars seemed barbaric. It was only after the first lesson that my opinion changed. The fear/anti-acceptance of these training tools was due to my lack of understanding and knowledge. Even further research on my own showed how little I understood about dog training, and the assumptions I had were more than a little off. The progress Max made in our very first hour was astonishing, he learned not to pull while walking, and I learned that I really could take my dog for a walk. He learned that he really could sit down without the incentive of treats, his reward was my praise and that seemed to work even better! Everything we worked on from walking on the correct side, no jumping, not bolting out the open door, come when called, placement, walking sit, stay, distractions, etc. was wonderful! I now have a dog that I can control, without treats and without fear. Max learned to be confident in himself, and is eager to please. Louis helped me to LEARN how to train my dog, which is invaluable since he cannot be there to correct Max for me. We never broke my dog's spirit, we never abused my dog, and I finally was able to not be the "bad guy" by yelling and telling him "no" hundreds of times a day.

 The training is a lifetime commitment, not just one hour or so a week. Max has good and bad days, just like any of us. But without Louis' training, I wouldn’t still have my Dane. I will continue to work with Max on my own; thank you is not enough to cover what this has really done for me and my dog. Now over 160lbs and on his was to at least 200lbs Max is a well-controlled dog, with a confident owner.

Lisa Case