Dakota is a 9 1/2 yr old golden retriever, chow mix of things. She came to us at 6 months old from a shelter that she had been in and out of a few times. Each time she was admitted she was given a rabies shot. We estimate that she had 3 rabies vax in the first 6 months of her life.
Needless to say, she was a mess! She could not sleep more than 2 hours in any given night when we first got her. She cried, wined, paced, etc. After 3 weeks of exhaustion we took her for accupuncture which helped tremendously. After we got that under control, her personality of self destruction showed up very quick. She would destroy things right in your face and then wait for you to yell at her. She would have mood swings, she would growl and bite at us and she was exceptionally agressive with other dogs. We had a puppy at the same time and she dominated him to the point he would not move without her approval.
We tried behavorists, training classes, everything we could think of. Nothing helped. We moved to the mountains to help get her away from numerous dogs and constant stimulation. That helped a little bit. We then changed her diet to raw when she was 7 and that helped her mood swings some. It did help her become happier and less anxious and her mood swings would have longer lapses in between. She was still highly agressive.
After she attacked a neighbor's dog, I decided it was time to do more. I contacted Magda and we began working on Dakota in February. It's been 6 months and I can say without a doubt, Dakota is a new dog! It's as if I have brought home a new dog and I am learning about her quirks and personality all over again. She now likes to be with us, gives us kisses and has learned how to be loved. Her agression is gone and she is actually able to go to social class and has learned to play with other dogs. She plays with our other two dogs and is no longer agressive with them and she also runs around and plays with the cat. She sits on my console when I take her to get the mail and she wants me to hold her head, pet and kiss her while we drive. The most amazing part is that she has learned to play. She never liked toys or games whatsoever. Now, she learned to play fetch, she likes to play with her toy in the water and retrieve it and she enjoys playing games with my husband and I and the other dogs in the back yard.
It's amazing to watch her enjoy playing, learn to love and know that it's okay to be loved and most of all she is loving life as she should!
I'm very glad I chose to contact Magda and I really appreciate all of her help!
Felicia