Tinker by name, Tinker by nature

An elderly couple from Four Marks had good reason to thank home dog training company Bark Busters, who came to the rescue when a new puppy proved more of a handful than anticipated.

Alan and Maureen Wilson from Four Marks, Alton who have owned well-behaved dogs all their lives were totally flawed by Tinker, a Border Collie cross rescue dog, who they adopted earlier this year.

Perhaps the name should have given something away, but when the couple set eyes on Tinker at the Pine Lodge Rescue Centre in Ascot, they couldn’t resist this gorgeous 7 month-old pup, who looked as if ‘butter wouldn’t melt’.

In reality, Tinker made their lives a total misery destroying anything he could sink his teeth in to, jumping up and all over everybody, refusing to come back when let off the lead, making conversation in the house impossible due to his attention seeking behaviour and finally becoming aggressive and biting Alan.

Maureen just couldn’t believe how bad this dog was. 

‘Tinker was a total nightmare; he would jump on the furniture, he would leap all over people if they sat down, he would run in the garden and then race in and leap up all over my husband who suffers from Emphysema and would refuse to get down.  He just ignored me if I called him when he was off the lead, he chewed everything he could get hold of including a clock, the TV remote control, my husbands new glasses, a pair of my sandals and numerous objects that he took from our desk and from the table.  On one occasion he ate Alan’s breakfast that I had put out and also polished off his tablets, which meant a trip to the vet to have his stomach pumped. 

‘Alan looked as if he had been in a war zone with bruises and bite marks all up his arms and by this point I was too frightened to let the grandchildren near the dog in case he bit them.  It was really dreadful’ says Maureen.

Tinker ended up being so naughty that he even managed to cause problems between Maureen and Alan who usually never have a cross word.

‘Tinker caused a lot of tension between Alan and myself.  Alan is an invalid and perhaps has less patience because of this, but the situation was unbearable and the stress certainly took its toll on both of us’.

Maureen knew that something had to be done or Tinker would end up back at the rescue centre, which was something she desperately wanted to avoid.  It was at this point that she decided to call Bark Busters home dog training and see if they could help.

It was Kim Lummis the Bark Buster trainer in the Alton area who came to the rescue.

‘What Kim has done is absolutely amazing’ says Maureen.  ‘Within one very long session she had Tinker behaving like an angel, it was absolutely unbelievable and what is more she taught us how to behave with him so that we could maintain this behaviour.  From the first time Kim visited Tinker hasn’t chewed anything at all, except for his toys.  He no longer jumps up, he behaves perfectly when people come to the house, he comes back when I call him and best of all he has stopped being aggressive.  The grandchildren came over the other day and Tinker was lovely with them.  It really does seem like nothing short of a miracle and I really didn’t ever think he would be as good as he is now’.

Alan is equally as delighted with the results.  ‘The difference in Tinker really is immense.  The change in him is far, far greater than I would have believed possible and if I hadn’t seen it for myself I would have thought someone had swapped the dog.  Kim certainly had her work cut out with Tinker and I thought it might take her months to make any headway, but within a few hours we saw an enormous difference in him and we simply can’t thank Kim enough for what she has done.  Tinker is 100% better and I take my hat off to her’.

Kim explains that ‘Tinker is a real character and was successfully ruling the house and making the Wilsons’ life hell in the process.  Although Maureen and Alan are very experienced owners, Tinker had managed to effectively rewrite the ground rules so that he was managing to do things that they had never allowed their other dogs to do. 

‘I worked with Maureen and Alan and showed them how to communicate with Tinker in a way he understood.  This allowed them to lay down new rules and boundaries, which Tinker respected.  He is now a lovely little dog, and I’m so pleased with the result for all concerned, particularly Tinker himself.  Mind you, they might need to change his name now!”

So finally Tinker is no longer living up to his name and any doubts Maureen had about being able to keep him have now vanished.  ‘I can assure you that Tinker won’t be going anywhere now and we hope that he will enjoy a long and happy life with us.

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.