Grendel, Terrier mix

Caitlin Wilson
Morgantown, WV 

We contacted Dr. Maxwell in the fall of 2009 for help with our one year old adopted terrier mix Grendel. Grendel is a very sweet and affectionate dog with people and cats but other dogs were a different story. If we encountered other dogs on walks or if they passed by the house Grendel would immediately start barking, howling, lunging, and if on the lead would spin around like something out of the Exorcist. The whole encounter would be terrifying for everyone involved and embarrassing for us. Everything we tired to correct his behavior on our own did not work. Getting help for Grendel was urgent because we were moving to a city in December and having no back yard, we would need to walk Grendel at least four times a day. 

Dr. Maxwell came to our house asked questions about Grendel’s daily activities and then we went for a walk to see the real problem areas. From the first session Dr. Maxwell gave us corrections and methods to use on our walks, showed us how to use a gentle lead, and Grendel’s behavior started to improve. The best part was that we had a plan when he started to act out. Over the next few sessions she observed changes in his behavior and gave us modifications. Then we ventured out for walks with other dogs and trips to the dog park.

Six months later we have moved to the city and Grendel is flourishing. It turns out this city is very dog friendly and a tourist destination so there are dogs on leashes and horse drawn carriages every where. We used the same techniques with the horses as we did when encountering other dogs and now Grendel is able to ignore both. Our walks are very pleasant and we are all getting more exercise. His affection for people has grown even more, he greets tourists on walks and likes to people watch in the park. Grendel also volunteers at a nursing home a few days a week, spending time with the residents and doing pet therapy. Grendel has really come into his own and we owe much of his success to Dr. Maxwell. We are so happy that other people can see what a kind sweet dog Grendel is.