Pina’s Success Story —

“Pina has many triggers: cars, dogs, people, kids, noise sensitivity. She would have multiple reactions daily (sometimes up to 10) on walks- barking, lunging, and experiencing panic and barking episodes in the house. We didn’t understand why she had so many triggers prior to joining the RRP, the RRP helped us understand her anxiety disorder. 

Understanding that Pina has an anxiety disorder has helped us make sense of her “behavior quirks”. We feel much more equipped to help her in challenging and daily situations. 

We are now able to take 30-45 minute walks in the neighborhood and work through multiple triggers such as people, kids, and dogs. We also know when she needs to reset and rest days. Her barking and anxiety in the house have improved through the relaxation protocol, enrichment, and training. 

The difference we see in Pina when her anxiety is feeling better includes: wanting to engage in play, having deep and undisturbed naps, greeting us more calmly, wanting to go on longer walks, less noise sensitivity in the house, taking lots of time to sniff and explore when we are out and about, enjoying being pet, faster recovery from stressful situations. 

The RRP has given us the framework and tools to manage and train Pina. Although being her guardian can be very challenging and there is no quick fix, we think that we now have the tools to guide her through her anxiety. The RRP has helped us build trust with Pina, knowing better how to meet her needs. We know that new triggers will always come up for her, but now we know how to identify these triggers and set up a management or training plan as needed. We also feel much more knowledgeable about what environment PIna needs for success. 

I think we also better understand her now. We still find ourselves feeling frustrated, but those instances are fewer and far between. We can empathize better with her, and when we do feel frustrated, those feelings disappear much faster. There is no easy fix for a dog experiencing an anxiety disorder, and that it really requires a thorough and methodical approach that can’t be learned from a few training sessions. 

Being part of the community is really valuable to us. It has been a really good experience overall and helped us gain a deeper understanding of how to treat dog anxiety. 

Jenna is really compassionate and an excellent coach. She pushed us to really learn and become independently capable of working through challenges as they come up. We loved working with her. 

We really appreciated her teaching style of helping us work through our own questions, rather than just telling us an answer. It has helped us become more equipped to deal with surprises.

What part(s) of the RRP did you find was the most helpful in your ability to learn and implement the techniques with Rover?

The eleve-eight method. Watching the videos and coaching calls were also really helpful. 

As well, the underlying science and research that has been shared to help us better understand how a dog's mind works.

We did in-person training which is really challenging with a dog with anxiety because you never know what kind of day they will be having and have to plan in advance. Being able to work at our own pace and learning to do everything ourselves has been invaluable. 

What would you say to someone who wants to join the RRP but is on the fence at the moment?

If you have a dog that is facing multiple triggers and anxiety, you need this program. It is a big investment but access to the community, curriculum and coaches is essential if you really want to help your dog. “