Here is a selection of testimonials that Ali has received from her clients.
Buffy - rescued Jack Russell. Problem: Aggression towards other dogs and certain people.
"We had always believed that you couldn't teach an old dog new tricks, especially a rescued Jack Russell!
The prospect of training a poorly socialised, aggressive dog was daunting to say the least, but with skilled guidance and support Buffy has become much more confident and is now a pleasure to take out in public. We are no longer worried by her behaviour.
This would not have been possible without the dedicated commitment from Canine Consults, who have taught us that a few changes can make a big difference to our lives and the life of our pet.
We are very grateful for all the help we have received."
Gemma and Matt, Newlyn, Cornwall
Jack - Jack Russell/Poodle. Problem: Unprovoked aggressive outbursts towards family
"We are a family who live very busy lives in Bristol, spending as much time as possible at our chalet in Cornwall with our little boy, his friends and now our new dog Jack.
Our gorgeous little pup seemed to fit right in to our household from the start, playing with my little boy, snuggling up on the sofa and thoroughly enjoying being the centre of attention. A couple of weeks of this and the problems very rapidly began to start! Seemingly out of the blue, Jack developed some very alarming behaviour; unprovoked aggressive outbursts occurred towards me, my husband and very worryingly, towards my son and his friends. On occasion he growled, stood firm and bit hard, a real Jekyll and Hyde character! This behaviour was intolerable and I contacted Ali Butler straight away for help, after overhearing the local vet recommend her to one of their clients.
Ali explained clearly, with a mixture of firmness and humour, how we could eliminate all of these problems by being consistent parents of Jack, providing him with unfailing leadership and clear boundaries effectively reinforced with treats and kindness. She gave me all the tools we needed to understand Jack’s behaviour and to learn how to control his outbursts. The change in him was staggering and pretty much immediate! Ali advised us about the best diet for Jack, the best routine for him and showed us how to fully take charge of his aggressive outbursts; within two weeks Jack’s behaviour has turned full circle and he is an absolute joy. We are now informed, effective dog owners and our little boy is Jack’s best friend!
We cannot recommend Ali Butler more highly to anyone that has a problem with their dog’s behaviour."
Becky, Philip and Tom, Bristol.
Bruno - Rescued 3 yr old Labrador. Problem: Lunging and Barking at other dogs
"Bruno is a rescue three year old, strong Labrador that has come to me with the bad habit of lunging and barking at other dogs when on his lead. The power of his lunge was such that I found it almost impossible to restrain him, and if we came across the dogs suddenly he could, and did pull me over.
Ali has been helping me with Bruno’s behaviour and the changes to him and to my interaction with him have been profound. We are both calmer and able to meet dogs without trepidation. Bruno does not lunge at them, which allows me time to keep him quiet, and to walk by them placidly.
The methods which Ali used were simple and made sense as they took into account Bruno’s state of mind. After each session, Ali called me to see how we were progressing, which I really appreciated, as I felt I had someone who encouraged and supported us. It is this personal approach, which I must commend.
Ali is an incredibly talented teacher and adviser. I would and I have, recommended her to people who, like me, have been struggling with a lovely but unruly dog. It is not too much to say that she has changed my life with Bruno, making it happier for us both."
Liz, Penzance, Cornwall.
Roxy – Collie / Lab. Problem: Aggressive towards other dogs after being attacked. Barked and lunged at lorries, buses & skateboards.
"As a puppy Roxy loved everyone and everything! She really enjoyed playing with other dogs and wouldn’t dream of fighting with them. Then one day whilst out on a walk she was attacked by another dog. The dog came out of nowhere and grabbed her round the neck. Roxy was on her lead and could not get away. Since then Roxy began to be wary of other dogs, especially when on a lead. At first she would just act nervous and would shy away, but this soon developed into her becoming nervous of all dogs. She would approach dogs nervously, and often growl or snarl at them to scare them away. She never actually bit another dog, but it was upsetting to see her act like this, and other owners would often give us dirty looks!
It was so sad to see as she turned from a playful friendly dog into one that we were worried about walking as we were nervous that she would either hurt another dog, or that another dog would retaliate and attack her. Her nervous behaviour also developed into a fear of traffic. When walking along the road she would lunge towards any passing trucks or buses, which was not only embarrassing, but was also very dangerous. We tried to deal with the problem ourselves by using various training techniques we had read about, but nothing was helping and the problem was getting worse. Walking her was no longer a pleasure, and was more of a stressful experience!! We decided enough was enough and asked Ali for help as nothing we were doing was helping.
With Ali’s help and training advice we soon sorted Roxy’s problems out, and noticed a difference within days. Over the weeks Roxy became less nervous of the dogs and will now either ignore them, or will go up to them to play. It’s so nice to have our old dog back, and walking her is no longer a chore, but something that we look forward to! Not only did the training help with the problems mentioned, but her general behaviour began to change around the house. She was more relaxed and barked less, and friends and family soon began to comment on her behaviour and how well behaved she was now!!
We can’t thank Ali enough for her help and guidance, as without her we would not have our friendly, playful Roxy back!!"
Clare and Matt, Hayle. Cornwall
Ollie and Freddie – Bichon Frise and Jack Russell. Problem: Interpack fighting and separation anxiety.
"In December 2009 I rehomed an eight-month-old Bichon Frise called Ollie, who would otherwise have gone to an animal shelter. The introduction to my resident dog Freddie (fifteen years) went well initially, but as Ollie matured he gradually tried to take over and be top dog. He would try to prevent Fred from approaching me in the house and garden by blocking him, growling, barking and nipping at his legs. Bedtime became a nightmare, as Ollie wouldn't settle in his crate barking and whimpering, until I eventually allowed him to sleep in my room along with Freddie. This led to several spats between them, short lived but still quite nasty and unnerving as Fred wasn't about to be pushed aside by this young whippersnapper! This caused inevitable tension and I worried about Fred - I didn't want him to be miserable in his twilight years.
The turning point came during a visit to the vets when it was suggested I fill out some forms for a dog behaviourist called Ali Butler. Fortunately Ali contacted me and came to see us and I cannot emphasize enough how invaluable her help and advice has been.
It soon became apparent that as well as aggression issues, Ollie suffered massively from separation anxiety, culminating in him climbing onto the outside bedroom window sill upstairs to try to get to me ~ all because I was outside talking to Ali. This was a scary moment as he could easily have fallen to an uncertain fate...I had to dash back indoors before he could jump.
Thanks to Ali things have improved a great deal since then.....Ollie now sleeps happily in the crate downstairs at night and is far less anxious. I can also leave the house for short periods now without him barking, panting and pacing or showing other forms of distress. There are still occasional spats between him and Fred, but overall the atmosphere is calmer and Ali has helped me understand what is normal dog-to-dog behaviour and what is not. Obviously the training is still on going but with Ali's help and commitment I can see light at the end of the tunnel!
Not only does she 'phone regularly, she has given me written advice sheets to follow and has restored my self-confidence which was at a low ebb. At one stage I felt so overwhelmed by events that she took Ollie home with her for a week. I still don't know where she gets her energy! This gave me breathing space and fired me up to succeed and when Ali brought him back she handed me a video diary of "Ollie’s training holiday", so that I could see exactly what he had been doing while he was away!
Ali's impact on our lives cannot be underestimated, nothing is too much trouble and she is always just a 'phone call’ away. She is unstoppable in her quest to improve the lives of problematic dogs.....and their owners!! She is an absolute angel & my friend."
Jan, Freddie & Ollie.
Toby - Black Lab/Welsh Springer. Problem: Separation Anxiety with excessive drooling
"Toby came to stay in January this year. A Black Labrador crossed with a Welsh Springer; he was a beautiful pup and almost completely house trained by nine weeks. However when bedtime came it was complete mayhem and after four nights of no sleep we succumbed and let him sleep in our room, where he was absolutely fine.
After a couple of weeks we left him for a little while during the day and when we returned we could hear him howling from a few doors away and on entering the house found him saturated with his own drool, as was the kitchen floor.
Whatever we tried the problem got worse and worse to the point that we considered rehoming him as it was affecting our lives so much. We couldn’t leave him or go out together as a couple and after several months we began to feel like prisoners in our own home.
We took him to the vet to see if there was any physical reason for the behaviour and for their advice about what to do. The vet referred us to Ali at Canine Consults and said she would be able to help us. Ali rang and discussed the behaviour over the phone initially and then came to see us at home for a consultation. She then gave us a plan to follow that would help Toby overcome his extreme anxiety about being left alone.
After following the advice we now have a contented, sociable, fun loving and relaxed dog that we can leave for up to four hours if necessary. This was our original goal but we just didn’t imagine it would ever be possible. We know that a dog shouldn’t be left for longer than four hours routinely and we wouldn’t want to anyway! Considering we couldn’t even get to the end of the garden path before without him drooling, barking and becoming extremely anxious, we are amazed at his progress and are very proud of Toby. He has matured into the most wonderful dog and we are so glad we persevered with the recommended plan. Thank you Ali for your advice and encouragement throughout."
Sue and Ken, St Ives, Cornwall
Ben - Bernese Mountain Dog. Problem: Pulling on lead and Fear/Phobia Behaviour Problem
"I was having problems with my Bernese Mountain Dog pulling on the lead and he was pulling me along the road. Because of his size and strength I found it virtually impossible to control him. I tried everything but nothing worked until Ali came along from Canine Consults. She showed me techniques that were simple for me to implement resulting in the problem being solved very quickly.
Ben also had a fear of walking into the kitchen and eating his meals in there. He had previously gone into the kitchen and this sudden phobia happened overnight and no amount of coaxing and bribery with food would get him to go in there. Again I consulted Ali Butler and she explained what the possible triggers could have been for this behaviour and then showed me with calm perseverance and the use of safe and proven techniques that this problem could be solved. He is now back to eating in the kitchen and is constantly in and out whenever I go into the kitchen. This is amazing since I was sure after months of him not setting foot in there that he would never go back in there again. Without Ali Butler I could not have sorted this problem out and he would have continued to be anxious about this area of our home."
Emma, Hayle, Cornwall
Molly - Newfoundland. Problem: Excessive Howling and over attachment to owner
"I asked for Ali's help following a letter from my landlord, which stated that my neighbours were not happy about the excessive howling from my dog Molly. Following a discussion with my landlord he informed me that the worst-case scenario was that my dogs would have to be re homed unless I resolved the problem. As you can imagine I was desperately upset at the thought of losing my dogs.
Molly's problem was separation anxiety and over attachment to me. I thought I was doing the right things to make the problem better but I was inadvertently making it worse. Due to the pressure I was under to get this problem resolved, Ali came to see me promptly and quickly assessed the situation. She developed a program to ease Molly's problem, which was easy to implement and follow. The possibility of losing my dogs gave me the incentive I needed to change our way of life; otherwise I was faced with the unthinkable. Molly also has elbow dysplasia, making the problem slightly more complicated as we needed to establish whether pain was also a contributing factor to the problem.
After just a few days into the programme the howling, the excessive attention seeking behaviour, the barking and constant attempts to get on the sofa and sit on me started to subside and there was a noticeable change. At first I thought Molly was depressed, but following contact again with Ali I realized that in fact Molly was just calmer and more content. Her eyes had changed and were not so wide and her excessive panting had decreased significantly.
We followed the recommended program and had continued support and advice from Ali throughout. I now feel that I am more "in tune" with my dogs. The training and advice from Ali continues and will continue for the length of time I have my beloved dogs. We all enjoy it, the new adventures, the realization of how clever these animals are, teaching them new things and how to effectively communicate with them.
Many thanks to you Ali for your continued advice and support. Thank you for everything!"
Karen, Camborne, Cornwall.
Archie - Miniature Schnauzer. Problem: Excessive Barking
“Archie, our Miniature Schnauzer was eighteen months old when we got him and he came to us with the problem of excessive barking. He barked in the house, the garden and whilst out walking. He barked at people, bicycles and of course other dogs!
We were unable to stop this behaviour or bring it under control, however after seeing Ali and following her advice we now have the problem under much better control.
Taking him out for a walk is no longer an ordeal and Archie seems to be a calmer and a much happier dog. We are certainly happier with his improved behaviour and the progress that he has made. Thank you.”
Barbara, Patrick and Archie – Hayle, Cornwall.