Winston’s Success Story —

I recognized in April of last year that Winston had separation anxiety. I tried looking into trainers in my area who had expertise in this and found no one, so I spent the rest of the year managing it and trying to find resources online to help him myself. 

We were doing an alright job, doing a similar method to what's in the RRP but since I hardly knew what I was doing I had so many questions that no one could answer and although we made it to 45 mins of alone time, it was shaky. And then I found you! I saw so much value in someone who specialized specifically in separation anxiety and who really put an emphasis on a dog's mental health. I liked that your approach was a journey and not a "try this and in 3 days your dog will be cured!" because we all know that doesn't work. Your views aligned with mine and that's why I decided to join RRP. 

Working with Jenna in the RRP has been a breath of fresh air. Having a dog with SA can be a very isolating experience, with feeling like you can't leave your house to having no one really understand what you're going through. Having a trainer that understands that what your dog is going through isn't a 5 minute fix, and isn't because your dog is being a "bad dog" but because it's their mental health.

Honestly, it seems so simple, but my biggest takeaway was realizing that everything can and should be broken down in smaller steps. I think it really clicked when I was struggling with Winston getting upset if someone was walking in front of him and you said try walking in front of him in small gaps and varying the distance and I just had this moment of OHHHH yup that makes so much sense, instead of just trying to get him happy with the big gap right away. It's so applicable in so many instances. 

I really have a better understanding of my dog and his body language. I feel like I have a much better understanding of both of my dogs. Approaching them in ways that works for them and in their terms, not mine. I can communicate so much better with them knowing the right moment for praise to set them up for success. This boosts their confidence and in turn boosts mine knowing I'm really listening to them.

What I really enjoyed about the coaching calls is listening in on everyone else's progress and hearing their questions as well. Maybe they were asking something I hadn't even thought about but it gave great insight. I love the sense of community feeling like I'm not the only one going through this journey. I also super loved the format. I loved that we had to record and look back to see the stuff that a) maybe you missed watching it as it was happening and b) going through it with you and you seeing stuff that maybe I had missed. Really led to a better understanding of Winston's body language. 

I also loved that you empowered us to be able to train our dogs. Instead of just showing and leaving it at that, really breaking it down and getting us to think about the next step and guiding rather than telling and that's that.

Did you enjoy the training logs?

Totally! It's great to have a reference to look back on and be able to re-examine behaviours or look back and see "oh yeah, we really are making progress!" I'll definitely be continuing to use the logs to track Winstons progress

Would you recommend the RRP to friends?

100%! The RRP is already all I talk about haha. What I would and what I already say is that I love that the RRP is specialized and that it's accessible from anywhere in the world. It's science-based and really narrows in on the longevity of the training and not a quick bandaid.  

The way Jenna teaches gives me the confidence to move forward and continue making progress in my training outside of the program. I am so thankful I found the RRP!