'Dog whisperer' Lee Jones says he can transform an aggressive hound in just two hours.
Lee Jones, 42, is a qualified trainer and behaviourist at Southend Dog Training in Essex who regularly posts on TikTok.
He runs an account on the social media site where he documents his work.
One of his most impressive videos shows an aggressive dog, Teddy the black German Shepherd, who had had seven different trainers over five years.
Not one of them had been able to make a difference to the dog's behaviour - until Lee stepped in.
After just one, two-hour session, the dog was transformed - seen walking calmly alongside its owner, sitting and being petted.
Lee said: "The owner had tried seven different trainers in five years, and each trainer had not been able to stop Teddy reacting to other dogs.
"The owner could not even walk past a dog without Teddy going nuts - he even pulled the them over to the ground three times on a walk.
"They considered having Teddy put to sleep as all the previous trainers left her feeling like there was no hope to stop his reactivity.
"But, since my visit, Teddy’s owners are doing absolutely amazing and so is Teddy."
Lee, from Romford in Essex, joined Southend Dog Training in August 2020, run by his best friend, who set up the academy back in 2019.
He said: "It’s an amazing feeling to wake up everyday and not only do a job I love but to help dogs and owners that have been told repeatedly their dogs are untrained and should either be medicated or put to sleep or that they are untrainable."
Before joining Southend Dog Training, Lee was working for dog rescue where he was training dogs to be rehomed.
Lee said: "I've always had reactive dogs as pets that I would train up, it's just something I have loved doing forever.
"Even before I received training, I just had a natural way with dogs and never had any fear of dogs that bit me - stupid or not!"
Lee goes on annual tours where travels the the UK and visits these problem pooches - and their owners.
He added: "99.9 per cent of the time you are training the human who owns the dog, as well as the dog."
The dog trainer has had five near misses with aggressive dog attacks in his time - the worst being one of his German Shepherds, who left him bleeding out in a field.
Lee said: "Koda was on the verge of being put down because she was human and dog aggressive.
"I met her when she was three years old, and her previous owners used to beat her to try and make her aggressive as a guard dog.
"I remember popping the bolt on the gate where Koda was in a two and a half acre enclosure.
"She was about 15 feet away and jumped up at me - so I put my hand up - because the worst thing you could do if you're being attacked is pull away as the dog thinks its a game of tug of war.
"She took a chunk out of my hand and leg, stopped and then ran off.
"Me being stupid, I sat in the enclosure for 2 hours just bleeding.
"Koda eventually made her way over towards me, came by the side of my head and I said to her, 'You could probably rip my face off, but if you trust me, I'll give you a good life, I promise.'"
The pair have been inseparable from that moment on - and Lee even discovered the pair share the same birthday on 20 June.
"Koda had never been walked on a lead, was extremely nervous and was not toy motivated - so it was all about building a bond with her in which I became her reward", added Lee.
"I said I would train Koda and she could be rehomed.
"After a month of being apart, my wife said she's my dog and I should go and get her, and she's been with me since."
Lee's advice for dealing with an aggressive dog is to be "an advocate for your dog, be confident with your commands to your dog and don’t baby it but most of all seek professional help in order to train your dog."
You can see the dogs that Lee has turned around on his TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@leesouthenddogtraining
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea
