Fortunately, our plea was answered by Sally Bushwaller, who offered to come to our house to see what could be done. By the end of the first training hour, Sally became our “Dog Whisperer”, as Scrappy began his transformation. It’s been a long, challenging road with many hours of training, but we can now leave him alone, in a crate, for several hours at a time. Sally has taught Scrappy to offer relaxing behavior in all facets of life, especially when left alone…no small feat…and has engaged him in ways we never thought possible, all while having fun.

It’s a different way of training than we’ve known from our last three dogs, but one we’ll always use in the future…we’ve shaped him to offer and get rewarded, we don’t ask for behavior! Scrappy knows what’s expected of him…or certainly works hard to figure it out. We look forward to our training sessions. We were blessed to have found Sally and recommend her as she is truly an expert in separation anxiety and cares deeply about the dogs she works with. Her work with anxious dogs sets her apart from other trainers as she teaches us to be more patient and take baby steps. Her methods are successful if you’re willing to learn and work by her. Scrappy can attest to Sally’s success in that two years later he’s still living with us and, most importantly, we can all feel safe and comfortable leaving him home alone.