Bruising Bull Terrier brought to heel

When Francis and Ria O’Brian of South Normanton adopted their Staffie cross from a local rescue centre they weren’t expecting an angel, but neither were they expecting a hyperactive devil who greeted guests so effusively that they were left battered and bruised. After over two years of hell, a call to ‘Bark Busters’ brought peace to their household.

Ria describes Suzie as ‘a very friendly dog who is eager to please’.  Indeed Suzie proved to be a very trainable dog, quickly learning to sit and obey basic commands, but sadly her trainability didn’t extend as far as remaining calm when visitors arrived. 

‘Suzie didn’t so much jump up as jump at you’ explains Ria.  ‘She would literally launch herself at anyone who came through the door and simply refused to stop no matter what we did.  I have regularly seen her land on people’s heads and she is a substantial creature’. 

Suzie’s warm, if somewhat wearing, welcome tended to extend to the entire visit. 

‘The problem was that not only did she go berserk when anyone arrived, but we couldn’t calm her down, so she just kept on jumping on top of people until they left’. 

Ria admits that friends and family were often quite badly bruised by Suzie’s shenanigans and in the end Ria and Francis were reduced to chaining Suzie to a radiator by her bed whenever people came to the house.  Even this didn’t solve the problem. 

‘Although Suzie was restrained and couldn’t jump up, she would then whine so loudly that we couldn’t hear each other speak’ laughs Ria. 

Eventually after more than two years of Suzie’s antics Ria decided to seek professional help. 

‘I really didn’t believe anyone would be able to cure Suzie but with Christmas looming and the prospect of a house full of family, my heart sank so I decided I had to give it a go’. 

Ria also knew that she and her husband were planning a month in Africa in 2007 and she was desperate for one of the family to agree to have Suzie while they were away.  She knew that without some major change in the dog’s behaviour this was little more than a pipedream. 

Lee Hardy, a canine behavioural therapist with home dog training company Bark Busters, arrived on the scene. 

‘In all my years as a dog trainer, I had never seen a dog bouncing off the walls like this one’ laughs Lee.  ‘It was totally impossible to hold a conversation with Ria and Francis when I arrived because Suzie was leaping at me continuously’. 

From this unpromising start Lee had a couple of hours to convince the couple that his techniques would work. 

‘Lee explained exactly what he wanted us to do and we then put it in to practice.  By the end of the session Francis and I were absolutely amazed – Suzie was lying quietly by Lee’s feet while he filled out the paperwork.  This was the first time this had ever happened!’ 

‘Suzie proves that even the most difficult dogs are trainable and once the owner knows how to behave with their dog, everything falls in to place’ says Lee. 

Ria and Francis continued to make good progress and Christmas proved a huge success. 

‘None of the family could believe the change in Suzie we were able to sit and chat, play party games, watch TV and generally enjoy Christmas without Suzie leaping all over everyone’ 

Lee  reports, ‘I am absolutely delighted with the progress Ria and Francis have made, it has made such a difference to their lives and more importantly Suzie is now a happy and relaxed dog, who is at ease when visitors come to the house’. 

What’s more, Ria ended up with the best Christmas present she could imagined. 

‘My son-in-law, who is not all that keen on dogs, couldn’t believe the change in Suzie.  In fact he was so impressed by her behaviour that he has volunteered to have her at their home while we are away in Africa!  Now I can look forward to our trip knowing that Suzie will be safe and well-cared for while we are away’.

Bark Busters, the world’s largest, most trusted dog training company, started in Australia in 1989 and came to the United Kingdom in 1999. Since inception, over 400,000 dogs have been trained worldwide. With more than 230 offices in eight countries, Bark Busters is continuing its mission to build a global network of dog behavioural therapists to enhance responsible dog ownership and reduce the possibility of maltreatment, abandonment, and euthanasia of companion dogs. Bark Busters is the only international dog training company that offers a lifetime guarantee. Therapists will provide future sessions free of charge if problem behaviours recur, or if any new problems develop. For more information, call 0808 100 4071 or visit www.barkbusters.co.uk, where dog owners can complete a Dog Behavioural Quiz to rate their dogs’ behaviour.