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I used to be afraid of my 7 month old Rottweiler, Max. Max was set to be euthanised at only 1 week old at a local shelter. I took him in, bottle feeding him for the next few months. As he physically grew, so did his "not so good" attitude. Prior to contacting Sam Ivy, Max had snapped at me three times. I was starting to question whether we had made the right decision in adopting him. However, we were not going to give up on him. Gina, our trainer, was instrumental in transforming our relationship with Max. She was realistic, straight forward and direct with what needed to take place-Max had to understand that we were the pack leaders. Period. The first few weeks were quite difficult. Max would behave but once he reached the end of his patience, he would growl and act out. Gina reminded us that things would get 'ugly' before getting better. She emphasised consistency with the obedience training and not allowing Max to "win" the battles. Gina witnessed Max' defiance yet with her supervision and guidance, we continued to persevere. Gina made us understand that we had to remain consistent with our training and that "No" meant "No." The training was a mental transformation for Max and us. Gina never made light of the training process. Being first time guardians to a Rottweiler who was deprived of the discipline and nurture from his mother, was more than a handful. Gina not only provided training instructions she provided insight to Max' behaviour. It has been a few weeks since our final session. I am no longer afraid of Max. It's hard to explain how our relationship has improved. It's night and day. Max has changed-more eager to please his human guardians, confident with walking amongst lots of people and dogs and he enjoys "Spot." He still continues to "test" us but he is quick to comply with commands. We continue our training daily with the tools Gina taught us. We know that Max has the potential to be his very best even if it means obedience training for him forever. Thank you, Gina.