“This past winter I relocated from New York to Los Angeles. Ten days later my 2-year-old boxer, Maggie, followed. In New York, Maggie was well trained and very obedient. She would sit, stay, lay down, come when I called and fetch with the best of them. But she had some issues I’d been unable to fix, like neurosis and leash aggression around certain dogs. I brought her to a number of competent trainers, but despite their best efforts, she continued to act very territorial in the dog runs: exhibiting ball-obsession, growling and a propensity for getting into scuffles. She was very friendly with people and kids and perfect when she was with me at home but I was embarassed by her behavior out doors. To put it bluntly, she was the “Mean Girl” in the runs. Too often I had to high-tail it out of the run under withering stares from other owners.
Given these problems, I was nervous to bring her to LA, knowing how important it would be to be able to bring her to LA’s many dog parks. I explained my situation to friends, and without hesitation they said, “Sounds like a job for Peter.” I called him the next day and he arrived with one of his dogs, Cooper. On cue, Maggie nearly bit her head off. My instinct was to put her back on her lease but Peter separated them and let Maggie know — through stern look, body language, and what I can only say was magic — that her behavior was unacceptable and within 10 minutes Maggie and Cooper were best friends. I was astonished! And after two weeks of bi-weekly afternoon play groups, she was literally a different dog. She played with the other dogs, seemed almost indifferent to balls, allowed dogs to sniff her, and all but stopped growling.
No more Mean Girl, now she’s the prom queen of the dog park minus the bad taffeta dress. I always knew she was a good dog, but she needed a strong pack leader to bring out her best qualities; now I literally have the dog I always dreamed of. She is awesome. I cannot put a price on the peace of mind that Peter has brought to my life.”
