Penny Johnson

I have been involved in the animal industry, one way or another, for over sixty years.  During this time I have come across a great deal of “dog trainers”, and I use the term loosely. Over the years I have seen “trainers”. with their new or so- called kind methods, come and go.

I have also seen a few “true” dog trainers. I was very fortunate to train under the late , great William Koehler, (trainer of dogs for Disney movies). of whom I based all my dog training and I have had great success on very hard dogs. Then years later while I was a Refuge Manager for the RSPCA, I first heard of Ross Allan. I was told he was an ex RAAF.  Dog Handler and, as I knew that the RAAF program those days was based on the Keohler method,  I was very keen to meet him.

Over the years I have been more than impressed with the method Ross employs. While still with the RSPCA I referred a lot of people to Ross.  These people had brought dogs in because they couldn’t handle them for one reason or another.  After training with other trainers, these people had been told their dogs were untrainable or just dangerous and nothing could be done.  With all of the dogs I referred to Ross, he was able to help everyone.  Many of the owners brought their dogs back to show  me and they had changed remarkably. These dogs, if they had been surrendered to the RSPCA, would have been euthanized.

Later, while I was working for a large Pet Shop in Brisbane. I was still referring dogs to Ross.  One of the most memorable examples was a very nice lady with two beautiful Staffies. The dogs were litter mates (dog and bitch), around the year old mark.  The problem was the dogs were fighting.  they were tearing each other to pieces and not only each other. but any other dog they could get close to. The poor lady was at her wits end.  I suggested she take her dogs to obedience training but she told me she already had them in training for quite sometime.  In light of this I suggested she take these two dogs to Ross. Two weeks later the lady came into the shop with both dogs walking calmly on their choke chains, side by side and ignoring any other dogs in the area.  She had come back to thank me for referring her to Ross. She just couldn’t believe that anyone could teach her to control these dogs so easily and quickly, and she had even rang the Animal Welfare Organisation that she had been training with to tell them.

Ross’s training is based on pack structure and I have never seen anything work as well on all kinds of dogs, from the very aggressive to the most timid.  I have always held William Koehler in the utmost esteem but Ross Allan has surpassed that.

Penny Johnson

SPCA Inspector, New Zealand

RSPCA, Noosa, Qld, Refuge Manager.

(Competed at my first Dog Obedience Trials at 15 years with a German Shepherd named Kola)

Bred, trained and competed with Dobermanns, German Shepherds and Rottweilers. (Plus conformation showing)

Trained working dogs. (For cattle and sheep)