Mari Wadsworth

I have easily spent 4 times the cost of the Trust Technique video course on professional trainers, group obedience classes, animal communicators, and every kind of training collar, harness, etc. to help my 90 pound American Bulldog overcome his sensitivity and reactivity. Not to mention thousands of dollars on vet bills for allergies and digestive issues aggravated (if not caused) by stress, some originating at birth. While all of those things "worked" to some extent (i.e., produced a more compliant dog), even the positive aspects were not life-changing. I turned to the Trust Technique somewhat as a "last resort" after my dog bit a jogger--something I never thought he would do, and which he did whilst walking just behind me at a perfect heel, on a loose lead, without a sound of warning. What a helpless feeling, to know your animal is suffering and feel you've tried everything to help, and they're actually getting worse! I just wanted him to be able to talk to me: to tell me what's working and not working, what hurts, what's scary, what's manageable and what's simply "too much." The Trust Technique gave me that. It revealed to me in a systematic way the natural ways of being with animals I take for granted, and stripped away all the "conventional wisdom" of my professional life with dogs. It showed me how to unlock my own creativity in service of my animal. It brought back the joy of being in the world with my dog, almost especially when things go "wrong". It's the best feeling in the world to help an animal learn something without fear, to witness that joy and gratitude when they master themselves. For both of us, it transformed "heel" into "heal." I was sceptical that anything so simple, that anyone can do, could work where all these other techniques had failed. But it's the ONLY thing that worked. It's fair to say there isn't any relationship--to a person, animal, or area of life--where applying the Trust Technique hasn't revealed a new path forward for me.