A selection of testimonials from clients and readers of my book "Dump Dog"

Below are a testimonials from clients and readers.



Hello Silvia

Thank-you for the comprehensive, thoughtful and informative summary you sent. I forwarded it to everyone in the family including our eldest, Martin, who was visiting us the week we got Ace and who will see him at Christmas. Thanks also for the kind words about Ace; I won't tell him, though, as his self-esteem is already strong enough! I have implemented the soft-mouth, leave, food dish space and loose leash ideas and am surprised how quickly I see results. Ace is of course happier as he gets more one on one time, disguised as "training". Catherine did the soft mouth for food this am sitting about 40cm from Ace's dish and he was happy just to get the rest of his breakfast. No freezing, etc. I'm working a lot on walking on a loose leash and distracting Ace from passing vehicles using your idea that I should be the focus of his attention...he's catching on. I've read all the material once; it's well explained and suits our needs. I will be referring to it often.

We all really enjoyed your visit and we loved your approach. The children were especially happy with your ideas as they felt I was "over reacting" to Ace's behaviour and always believed he is a good dog. I did, too but was feeling overwhelmed. We also saw right away that you liked Ace for the dog he is and can be. We are working hard to make a good home for him and your guidance and support are now part of this.

Thanks again for everything. Great to have met you. I'll keep in touch.

Cheers,

Sharon



We have started right away on incorporating your advice - controlling space in particular, which will take a while to undo Ben's pushiness, but already it feels different - doable. We are better managing feeding time. Kaia's anxiety during food preparation has already improved tremendously. This morning as I prepared breakfast she actually went to her pillow on her own, laid down on her side and gave a heavy sigh. I brought Ben over, put him on his pillow beside hers, and once he was settled I gave them each a treat. No anxiety on either part.

Ellen MacIntyre - Halifax



Hi Silvia,

I just wanted to update you and send you a big 'ole thank you!! I followed your tips with the help of a friend and we made "meet sister day" a special (boundaried) carnival for Sullie. By the time we were settling in Sunday night Sullie was convinced that having a baby sister is the best thing ever! Their meeting was perfect, noses rubbing and tails wagging brieflly and then a drive (puppy in crate) with Sullie checking her out and Mom praising and treating the whole time. Got home, went for walk and entered the home, no muss no fuss and two very happy dogs. Little Agnes worships her big bro and Sullie adores his baby sis, he lets her climb him, eat from his mouth, trade in toys, give mama kisses too and she runs under him at the dog park if she is spooked (although not much spooks her!) and he protects her without getting agitated or defensive, just confident.

Puppy Agnes is a dream. Seriously, she has all the strengths of your typical cairn (curious, confident, smart, playful, and loving/friendly to all) and none of the more 'terrier' qualities in abundance. She is not vocal at all...yet(YEAH!), great with cats, kids and other dogs, is already ringing the bell for housetraining. My more dog savvy friends have joked that she is the sweetest, best behaved Cairn they have ever met and that maybe it is my karmic 'due' because let's face it, my dear Sullie has a great heart and soul but he is lots and lots of work, that I really don't mind but it would be hard to keep track of 2. He is 'teaching' her recall and pee and poop outside cause she follows him and he is great with these issues so it was nice on this rainy morning to watch from the window as Sullie took his sister out and she did her business just like bro and trotted back into the house.

So all in all, getting the puppy is one of the best decisions I have ever made and I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Without your skill and redirection my Sullie may never have been ready for a sister and I wouldn't have been able to intro them so skillfully that we now have such harmony.

Shauna, Sullie and little Agnes

Shauna Melanson - Halifax



I want to thank you for visiting us and for your assessment of Miss Taffy (aka BLB - Bossy Little Bitch). I can't tell you how relieved I am to have an assessment that I feel is accurate and fair. I have tried several other trainers in the past, but their assessments and recommendations seemed to fall short and did not feel right in my gut, so I was hesitant to fully implement them. However, the information you have provided feels very comfortable, sound, kind, manageable and relevant to Taffy's needs.

Marjorie MacKay - Halifax



So far, (in my dog learning) you are the only person I have found who focuses your theory and practice from the perspective of the quality of the relationship between the human and the dog. This positive bonding perspective I have learned over the years from personal improvement work but was always focused on human-to-human interaction. To view the dog-human relationship from this perspective in your teaching is (I think) the most powerful perspective of all the variables available. My observations show me, over and over, that it is only by the strength of the trust and bonding within relationship by which we move forward in any lasting fashion.

Nadine Owen, Calgary AB



Hi Silvia, I just want to thank you for a fun and interesting day on Sat at your seminar. I am devouring your book and beginning to change the way I see my dogs. I am trying to be mindful and calm. So far I have already had success with my feisty little red headed poodle Pixel; that is fearful of other dogs.

The other night on our walk we ran into a gorgeous Shepherd that looked more like a Belgian Tervuren. Initially Pixel was going to "take her on" (all 110lbs of her!) but we ended up going for a walk with her and by the end of the walk they wanted to play. I'm not sure I would have even expected that outcome before taking your seminar. I know a lot of it had to do with your training information, how I approached the other dog owner (and dog) and seized up the situation. I calmly told Pixel I would protect him (like you said to do) and I stayed calm. It worked!

Anyway, I know each little paw print of success, is a dog step, in the right direction. I am going to finish reading your book before I send it to my sister in Houston,for her and her Golden Retriever Covey.

Thank you again, for your gentle, mindful, calm (and funny) approach todealing with dogs and humans! I hope our paths will cross again and that I will have more successful dog stories to share with you.

Sincerely, Annaleah Knickle and Koda and Pixel (my two miniature poodles) Woof! Woof!



After adopting my Pomeranian I immediately realized something was wrong and that I needed a professional. He was terrified and aggressive with everything but me. I'm so thankful I found Silvia! She taught me how to deal with my reactive (but cute) little guy in a way I could implement on my own and feel good about. I stuck with her plan and decided to stop looking on the internet. Within 2 months I saw a significant positive change in him -and the improvement hasn't stopped! I now feel in control and certain I'm on the right track.

Thanks so much Silvia- Your great:)

Nina Haynes, Halifax



Hi Silvia,

I just wanted to send you a big thank you from all of us for all your insight into Brandi. Not only have you helped our family feel very comfortable with Brandi, you gave Eric a lot more confidence with her as well. Ted was very impressed with your skills and he enjoyed watching Eric work so well with Brandi. We plan on continuing the socialization with her and hopefully she will continue to be good with other dogs and a great family dog.

Sincerely

Jana Hart – Redwood Meadows AB



Article in the Gagetown (New Brunswick) Village Voice

by Dr. Sarah-Jane Corke

On Saturday, June 20 (2009) Silvia Jay, one of the leading experts in dog behavior, will be in Gagetown to give a one-day seminar on how to improve your relationship with your dog(s). Author of the book Dump Dog, Jay's training technique, "Mindful Leadership" is designed to put dogs first. Her approach is fundamentally different from those who advocate harsh control or "coercive alpha-ism", which she believes instills fear and thereby intensifies and even creates behavior problems. Instead, she encourages voluntary compliance and the result is reliable, consistent good behavior on the part of the animals she works with. Her methods are ultra gentle; yet amazingly effective. I can testify from personal experience that the work.

I first met Jay after adopting my third dog, a pure bred German Shepherd we named Finn. Over the course of the first six months of life I made sure that Finn was well socialized. I thought I was doing everything right. To my surprise, however, shortly after turning seven months, Finn was bitten by other dogs, five times within a two-week period. By the third week I noticed that his behavior was starting to change. He began to growl and snap at other dogs. At the time we were attending obedience classes so I talked to our instructor about it. She immediately recommended Jay. I contacted her, we set up a time, and she came to the dog park to meet us. Over the course of the two hours she spent with us, she watched Finn engage with other dogs, diagnosed the problem and provided me with the necessary skills to resolve the issue. Needless to say the changes in Finn were amazing. He was never bitten again and today he remains a well-socialized dog who is comfortable in any situation.



When I started to read the articles on Silvia's website, I thought to myself - can this lady be for real? Her techniques seem so ultra positive, so loving, so committed to the whole dog and their human family, that I asked another ultra positive trainer friend of mine to have a look at her website - which she did, who then contacted Silvia because she was so impressed - and when she got back to me, she said that Silvia was "the real deal". I have been continually amazed at the depth of Silvia's dog knowledge and her capacity for figuring out what is making not only mine - but my friend's dogs (who I've been referring to Silvia because she's so good) - go from being afraid, reactive, and dysfunctional - to happy, well-mannered, and fully functioning members of their canine and human families. We are so lucky to have Silvia Jay here in Nova Scotia. And the dogs are especially lucky!

Joan Sinden, Halifax



I am the Feral K9 coordinator with Animal Rescue New Orleans (ARNO). We have rescued and placed over 5000 animals since Hurricane Katrina and because so many come from the streets we began really working with feral dogs since early 2007 and it is truly where my heart is. I recently came across your book (Dump Dog). I am so happy to know that so many things we do and advocate with our ferals I found taking place just in the first six chapters of your book. Your book, I have to say, will not collect dust on a shelf as I have already pulled out the yellow highlighter, sticky tabs and already earmarked numerous pages.

Thank you for having the patience and love to see it through with Will and better yet, to share it with the rest of us!

Lise McComiskey, ARNO Feral K9 Coordinator

Find more info about ARNO



I absolutely love this book .... so much that I have already purchased 6 copies to give to my dog loving friends. It is a wonderful "love" story; and in my opinion exemplifies how hard work and lots of love and caring can restore the abused spirit and heart to place of trust and confidence in those who are suppose to care for us. I see many parallels with abused children who are adopted by hard working, committed parents...

...Dump Dog is very "reader friendly" in that it is easy to read, easy to understand and hard to put down. You take the reader to a place where we must consider our relationships at a deeper level than just the caretakers of these pets, which leads the reader into "reflection of self", which isn't always easy to do, and usually easier to avoid. I loved this book and it will become one of the "gifts" I will pass along to the people in my life, and for more reasons than just a good read.

Yvonne Doolan, Calgary



This is just a small selection of my client and readers' comments. For many more testimonials including a review by Modern Dog Magazine and the Cochrane Humane Society, visit the dog owners' testimonials, and the Dump Dog readers' page.