Understanding ends in a better relationship with your dog through Dog Training Maui

Koa shows cooperation and attention by his own. He is able to enjoy off leash walks now

Off leash with no worries. Pit Bull is always attentive and responsive.

Pit Bull stand in front of a rainbow for Dog Training Maui

Beautiful Pit Bull is standing in a flower field.

Living on a different island? No problem at all.

Dog Training Maui

Koa

From having severe meltdowns to being balanced & confident.

My dog Koa came to me as a puppy, when my other dog, Makana, was 4 years old. In the first few year we were very active and would go to the beach to swim and run on the sand. Even more did we loved our off-leash hikes in the backcountry area, and took long walks through our neighborhood.

One day, we passed a skateboarder. Out of a sudden Koa had an unexpected meltdown. Indeed his emotional reaction was very overwhelming to me and I was not sure, how to handle it properly. As a result my only solution was to get him away from the situation and to try to avoid them in the future. But with time his behavior started to get worse. After 3 years he started having meltdowns, whenever he saw people on bikes. On top of that he would take off after deers and even got tangled up with a doe! Furthermore Koa also was more aggressive about chasing cats. In fact he even had pulled me down a few times on our walks. After a while his behavior culminated in chasing swimmers, far out in the ocean. Dog Training Maui

Obviously we were lucky no one got seriously hurt. Like most dog owners, I was »treat-training« my dogs. But with time I realized that if Koa wanted to chase something, no treats in the world would prevent it. Since treating was not working, I had to do something different! Not only for the safety of my dogs, but also for the safety of mine environment.

The only training I could find on Maui, used shock collars. Certainly that was never an option for me.

During my research about shock-collars, I figured out that all the best dog experts advise not using them. In the long run they can increase aggression and decrease the bond with your dog. In addition I had also seen plenty of dog owners backcountry trying to find their dogs. Because even though they »shocked them on the highest level« they still ran off. That was why I researched dog trainers on other islands and found Mela with Sunshine Dogs Hawaii on Oahu. Everything she talked about really resonated with me. Like building a deeper bond with my dog, solving prey drive, changing behavior to decrease anxiety and being able to walk in my neighborhood without fear. The only things I would need was a rolled collar, 2 leashes and a whistle! Dog Training Maui

When we first started, my dog Makana had just passed away and we were in the middle of the pandemic. Overall I was worried how Koa and I would do. Especially since the training was just two, 20 minutes training sessions per day. Before we used to go about 45 minutes to an hour per day.

I was shocked to see that 20 minutes of training exhausted Koa as much as our long walks! The other thing that shocked me was learning that most of my behavior had been reinforcing his negative behavior!

All of those treats I had given him had actually encouraged his protest and his prey drive and destroyed any cooperation.

Now, when Mela said »No treats! No commands!«
I thought »No way!«

I was wrong. Koa has responded so well! It has increased our bond exponentially and our world is starting to open back up. He walks beautifully beside me in the neighborhood, we can have people on bikes pass right next to us without lunging at them. We spent almost 4 years creating bad habits and we can’t expect to change those behaviors overnight.

We check in with Mela any 2-3 weeks via Zoom and send regularly videos. The app has been awesome and the “homework” to read is always insightful and helpful to our progress. There have been times when I have felt discouraged and wanted to give up, but Mela has taught me to learn from those times and find the source of what’s happening. I’m so glad we’ve stayed with it!

Other dog owners, and bike riders have giving us compliments and encouragement as our training progresses.

I highly recommend Sunshine Dogs Hawaii to all dog owners. Whether your dog is older or younger, you can do this! You will learn how your actions and emotions affect your dog and you will also save hundreds of dollars on dog treats! If you want a personal recommendation, you can DM us on Instagram.

We love Sunshine Dogs Hawaii and are so thankful to have met Mela. She has changed our lives for the better.Dog Training Maui

Sarah