Charlie “The Insomniac” If I can’t sleep you sure is heck are not going to.

When we first called Cindy Gehring, we were at the end of our ropes! For the previous 8 months, our dear 14 year old rat terrier, Charlie, just would not sleep at night. He would go into anxiety attacks, roam around aimlessly, refuse to be confined to a kennel (that he used to love), act out in very bizarre ways, and basically keep us up all night long. We spent thousands of dollars on medical tests to rule out any medical problems and had tried everything: tranquilizers, psychotropic drugs like Prozac and Anapryl, acupuncture, homeopathic remedies, behavioral techniques, and consulted with an integrative medical veterinarian. Nothing, absolutely nothing was working. We were all sleep deprived for 8 months, exhausted, frustrated, and facing the possibility of having to euthanize our beloved Charlie if we couldn’t find an answer soon.

Cindy was amazing. She patiently observed Charlie in his own environment and the interactions of rest of the family. She also asked tons of questions before deciding on a course of action. This was a great relief to us because many others we consulted with were quick to jump to conclusions and take us down the wrong path, or they just threw up their hands and let us make the decisions because they didn’t know what to do. After a couple of weeks of thorough evaluation, Cindy presented a plan to us. She worked with all of us patiently and compassionately. I was amazed at her expertise not only with dogs, but with humans. She knew how to apply practical techniques to our situation, lifestyle, and personalities instead of asking us to fit her mold. It was also clear that she was thinking about us outside of the training time, because she would research other options, consult with other trainers, and come back the next week with even more recommendations for us.

After a couple of months of training, it became clear that Charlie needed some “advanced tools”, so Cindy recommended the e-collar. At first we were a bit hesitant, but we trusted her completely and she took the time to answer all of our questions. Cindy took over as “pack leader” for a long weekend while my husband and I went away for a much needed time of relaxation. She stayed at our home and trained Charlie using the e-collar. We came home to a different dog! Charlie now sleeps in his kennel all night – well at least until 5am – after all he is an old dog! We are all more rested now and the pack is back in order. Charlie is so much happier! He even has his old feisty and funny personality back! It warms my heart to see him running and playing again, and we owe it all to Cindy. Thanks to her, we have our beloved Charlie back and can enjoy him, hopefully for several more years. THANK YOU CINDY! You saved his life and our little family.

– Cynthia & Claude