EBD264 [ENCORE] Broken Family with Reactive Dogs Restores Harmony

Bettina’s life was turned upside down when they decided to adopt Murphy, a deaf dog with OCD, after seeing his handsome face on a rescue website. It quickly became apparent that Murphy had a LOT more going on than a hearing impairment…   Bettina says…”We adopted Murphy knowing his deafness meant special needs, but quickly his OCD behaviors that included tearing out drywall and resource guarding turned our life upside down. Soon it was not only affecting us, but our other dogs too. Bear started reacting to moving cars and bikes and Mary was stressed and showing signs of growing anxiety. Then Bear and Murphy started fighting, so we had to keep them separated.   We couldn’t go for walks anymore and car rides to quiet places didn’t work either because the dogs were crazy in the car now. I felt trapped and ready to rehome Murphy to get our lives back.   Then I saw Kathy’s video and I thought ‘I’ve tried everything – training classes, private behavior sessions, reactive dog classes … I have nothing to lose’. 10 months later, I could take Bear and Mary in the car again, and we can go out for walks. All three dogs could be together in the house again.   I stopped trying to fix Murphy and we have a great partnership now. He turned into a real snuggle bug and we are helping him live life to the fullest.”   Bettina’s story is truly fascinating and on this special episode of the Enlightened By Dogs podcast, you’ll hear the full story of how a distressed family with three reactive fighting dogs restored their lives back to harmony. I hope you enjoy this inspirational story, it’s one of my favorites!   In this episode:   Adopting Murphy into the family turned their life upside down. Was Murphy a lost cause? Would he need to be sent to a new home? How the family was able to come together as a unit and embrace a new way of living! Learning how to communicate with a dog who is deaf, and things that Bettina had never even considered! Quotes:  “The beauty of the Partnership Lifestyle is that it’s not just for our dogs, it’s also for us”   “The safe, calm, & happy protocol was a lifesaver… we haven’t had any family dog fights in two years”   “I think the dogs were becoming anxious and unruly because we didn’t know what to do, or how to be the loving leaders they needed.”   “Living a partnership lifestyle changed everything. We can drive them again! We can walk them again!”   “We weren’t even able to have them in the same room together, they are now lying on the couch together, they’re playing outside together”   “Our dogs don’t bark at the neighbors anymore”   “I never knew how to communicate with my dogs until I met you”   LOVE TO LEARN MORE?  Become a calm and confident Dog Mom with a cooperative, happy dog ... without obedience training, or relying on treats or arousing games, or corrections of any type.    Here are some next steps:   SUBSCRIBE to Kathy’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/DancingHeartsDogAcademy/videos   LISTEN or READ Kathy’s Podcast and Blog on her Website: https://dancingheartsdogacademy.com/   GET STARTED work with Kathy: https://dancinghearts.link/foundation   LET’S CONNECT on the socials for more partnership tips and advice: -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dancinghearts/ -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathykawalec/   LISTEN TO PODCASTS: Subscribe to the Enlightened By Dogs podcast in your favorite app! Don’t forget to leave us a rating and review – it would make Kathy very happy!   Subscribe on  Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify Connect on Facebook: facebook.com/dancinghearts/