How This Trainer Turned the Dog From Hell Into a Perfect Little Angel

Remember the dog from hell? 

Earlier this year, Inside Edition introduced you to Frankie the bull terrier, a snarling terror of a dog that had bitten her owner, Adrienne Fragatos, more than 20 times. 

“I am terrified of Frankie,” Fragatos told Inside Edition at the time.

Frankie was so ferocious she even growled at Inside Edition's story about her, lunging at the television. Apparently she didn't appreciate being called out on national television for her aggressive behavior.

So Inside Edition set up an intervention with professional dog trainer Nate Schoemer, who runs his own training school.

Fragatos packed up Frankie and drove across the country to Los Angeles because she isn't allowed to fly. The trip was fraught, with Frankie even chomping down on her owner's hand at one point.

Once they got to L.A., Fragatos was nervous. "I'm worried about Frankie," she confided to Inside Edition.

But Schoemer was ready, working to build Frankie's trust.

"I want her to know right from the start I am on her team," he told Inside Edition.

Frankie's main issue? Confusion, Schoemer said. She's rewarded for bad behavior and not rewarded when she's being good, meaning reprogramming her will be an uphill battle. 

Fragatos bid farewell to Frankie and left her with Schoemer for intensive training. 

"I love you so much," she told the dog. 

Just three weeks later, Frankie was doing much better when Inside Edition checked in. At first, Schoemer explained, he let Frankie show aggression but did not counter it. 

Then as Frankie calmed down, he began rewarding each and every good behavior in what's known as "continual reinforcement."

A month after dropping the dog off, Fragatos and Frankie reunited, and Frankie showered her with licks and tail wags. 

Fragatos couldn't believe her former devil dog is now a little angel. 

"I don't know how to thank you enough. She is really a different dog," said Fragatos. 

Need help with your own dog from hell? Visit Nate Schoemer’s Dog Training School. Schoemer is the canine educational expert and board member for Cammies & Canines and one of the co-founders of On Season K9 Nutrition.

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