Revlon

Not Just Another Dog-Training Story

My name is Bill Janson. My wife is Charlotte. Our first German Shepherd, Delsea, was so hyper and protective we couldn’t let anyone into the house without first locking her up in a bedroom. No ifs-ands-or-buts no one could come near her in the house.

Our second Shepherd, Shelby, was a total opposite. She had been returned to the breeder because she was too big. The owner was getting her knees hurt just by her wagging tail. She ended up having several of the common Shepherd problems including Epilepsy. I could only control her to a small extent with a choker collar and a lot of brute strength. I think this method was a contributing factor in herniating my colon cancer incision. When Charlotte took Shelby for a walk it was a straight-arm walk. Shelby went where she wanted at her speed. Charlotte did teach her to shake paws she would say, “give me five”. Shelby would lift her front paw.

In March 2006 we bought our third Shepherd “Revlon”. She was 2½ months old. We were shopping for dog things at Pet Smart one day. Just by happenstance there was a young lady there also shopping who had a young shepherd with her. The dog didn’t have a leash. This caught our attention. We inquired about the dog. She said that she rescued the dog and the dog was trained with a remote collar.

We decided this was the way we wanted to go. We inquired and found out that a new company was formed called Absolute Control Dog Training. We went for a demonstration and then signed up. Just as the name implies there is a guarantee that comes with the course that says you will end up with absolute control of your dog. No pressure, you can take as long as you want or need to achieve this end.

You can even go back later for a tune up if needed. We use the remote collar to stimulate Revlon when I give her commands. She is doing really well. We have been training for a couple of weeks now without a leash. We are closer to the end of training than the beginning. It is so much more fun having a dog that will do what you want.

If this sounds like any other typical training story it isn’t. Let me explain, I’m 61 years old. I survived a massive cerebral hemorrhage secondary to AV Malformation. I had a craniotomy, (e.g. brain surgery) to remove this malformation twenty years ago. I have brain damage as a result that has left me with, among other things, almost no short-term memory and it is very difficult for me to multi-task. These are two of the things that help you learn, train and carry out the dog training. How am I able to train with these cognitive shortcomings? Only with the help of the trainers. I have never been shy when talking about my problems. I made it clear to the trainers what is or isn’t going on inside my brain. They understood and go that extra mile to help me. It is and has been a very rewarding experience. It is once again fun and pleasurable having a dog. It’s exciting watching her work under my commands. It gives me great pride when I take her anyplace where there is another dog and I can show off her training. People who are like I was before the training are amazed by her training and obedience. I can be smug about it but the truth is, it’s all made possible by the collar and the ability of the trainers that trained my dog and me. I always had the ability but these guys showed me the training process. This is one family with a dog that will be forever grateful to this method of training.

William F. Janson