Phoebe’s Success Story —

“When we first joined the RRP, Phoebe had been through a major regression and had started to bark and lunge and just about everyone and everything in NYC. Anxiety about her behavior and taking her outside was becoming so time consuming and difficult for me personally that I had to change my whole schedule to be able to take her out, which led to very early mornings and very late nights to avoid triggers. Phoebe would bark/lunge at dogs 50 + feet away even if they weren’t approaching us, and would bark and lunge at people as well. Even when the park was empty, she would hyper-scan constantly for triggers and become trigger stacked almost immediately. It was hard for me to go outside and see friends, and I was constantly down on myself and blaming myself for Phoebe’s reactivity. Tiffany and I wanted Phoebe to feel safe, but we sacrificed our own wellbeing to do so. 

Life has gotten SO. MUCH. BETTER. We have been able to pass people and dogs on the street and have even done training in the farmer’s market and town hall. Phoebe doesn’t get trigger stacked as quickly and is engaged with her environment when we go outside, so she isn’t hyper vigilant. She spends a lot of her time rolling in the grass, zooming in the sand, and observing the world from a calm perspective. I can now walk around the house without her following me, take meetings without her barking, and trust my family members to walk her. Phoebe is beginning to understand that she can make choices for herself and can opt in and out of interactions. Even our neighbors notice the progress she’s making. We’re getting ready to embark on our cross country road trip and move to California. At the height of Phoebe’s reactivity, we wouldn’t have thought this trip was even possible. Phoebe’s reactivity hasn’t disappeared and we know the move will be challenging, but we now know that she can recover and thrive.

Phoebe’s favorite thing is to roll around in the grass, and she does this on almost every walk now. She has even done this at the farmer’s market multiple times with dogs and people around. She has started to explore the lake after being afraid of the water too. Ever since RRP/ starting medication, Phoebe doesn’t need 3+ hours of exercise to be fulfilled, and actually settles/sleeps for a couple of periods throughout the day, when prior to the RRP she would either sleep all day, or not at all. She also said hi to a stranger for the first time in over a year, which I didn’t think was possible.

Phoebe is still reactive to dogs and people, especially when they’re approaching us, but I feel like I have the skills to be able to work through this criteria.  Seeing Phoebe have positive responses (especially to people) has given me new hope, and I’m hoping this translates to adding more people to her inner circle when we move to LA. For now, my main focus is making sure the skills we have built up and worked on throughout RRP translate when we are in LA, and I will definitely be prioritizing enrichment (for myself AND Phoebe) during this stressful time. The one goal I feel a bit hesitant about is having people in the house, but I already know techniques like LGOH and BAD are going to be helpful here.

In all honesty, I used to think a lot about how Phoebe was going to “take away” years of my life. I got Phoebe when I was 22, and her reactivity and separation anxiety prevented me from spending time with friends and prevented Tiffany and I from enjoying our first apartment together. While there are still days that are hard, I can’t imagine my life without Phoebe now. She gives me a look, and I instantly know what she’s thinking, when before she would stare at me and all I could think was, “what do you want?”. While moving is definitely stressful with Phoebe, part of me is excited because I finally feel prepared to both meet her needs and my own.

Phoebe’s reactivity is not my fault. This is something I had tried to tell myself before RRP, but I never truly believed it because I felt so alone. The RRP community has helped me heal in so many ways just by hearing everyone’s stories and feeling like we aren’t so alone anymore. 

Being in the RRP was an amazing experience. I feel supported, cared for, and understood, and that support has made it easier to get through Phoebe’s tough days. I never felt judgment from other teams when I was struggling, and towards the end of our time in the program, it has felt so nice to provide that same support and expertise for other teams. The RRP really helped us  to keep track of our goals and training so we have a clear understanding of how far we’ve come.

Jenna is such a kind, wonderful coach! I have had 2 dog trainers prior to working with Jenna, and while I remain friends with one of them, they simply do not compare. Jenna’s ability to guide you to the answer and let you figure out complex problems in real time makes for a true learning experience. Prior to working with Jenna, other trainers would just give me a protocol to use without trusting what I knew about Phoebe, which often led to Phoebe going over threshold and me feeling helpless. Jenna encourages you to lean into what you know to be true about your dog, and has made me feel confidence that I never had before as a guardian. Her unwavering support and kindness have been integral to our recovery.

Shelly has been so helpful and encouraging on FB posts and in Q&A’s! Shelly’s ability to really listen and think through a problem has helped us to troubleshoot training when we’ve felt stuck. It was Shelly’s advice that allowed us to get past steps 7 and 8 of Eleve-Eight, which we were stuck in for about a month. 

The most helpful parts of the RRP were Jenna’s presentations and other client videos. I came into the RRP understanding the science behind these methods and I had read many books about dog training, but it wasn’t until I could actually understand how to apply these methods to my dog in particular that everything clicked. The presentation and client videos helped me to put this knowledge into action instead of applying techniques without specificity to Phoebe. Of course, I have to shout out the community again, because I feel supported in a way that I didn’t think was possible.

I’ve never been a part of another program, but I have worked with other trainers who have told me my anxiety was making my dog anxious, or simply that my dog would never be able to be around other dogs/people because of her reactivity. This program gave me so much hope because of the success I’ve seen from other teams and the community aspect. When a trainer tells you your dog isn’t able to be “normal” it can make you feel alone. This program helps guardians to feel confident in their training ability and gives them the tools to thrive long term, while also allowing us to learn from each other. The RRP is unique in its ability to address the things that trigger us and our dogs, and helps guardians heal so we are fully able to be there for our dogs. 

When speaking to other teams, I have told them that it is the community that makes the biggest difference. In the beginning of this program, all I wanted was for Phoebe to stop doing undesirable behaviors so I could take her out and feel “normal”. Through the support of the RRP community, I found that I needed to heal as well in order for Phoebe to thrive, and this is a key part of the RRP. Now, I look forward to training with Phoebe and while I don’t think our journey has been typical or normal, it has been extremely rewarding because we’re both happier.”