another year coming up on my dog partnership
 

last Christmas was awful. zero cheer. no Merry, no Joy. I had to pounce on my dog that was getting into a fight with other dogs. I had had a 6 month reminder until June. I limped from banging my knee hard in the tackle.

my dog is reactive to other dogs. I used to keep him in dog day care occasionally, but one day we found bite marks on him. I asked a high school kid (thru a fence) and she told me other dog ganged up on him.. I believe that was the catalyst. we were "that house down the block with that dog"

2024, I elected to make some changes. I stared at the money I put aside for a new kayak and my wife and I plopped it down to pro-dog training. we met the trainer/owner and she said my dog was super anxious. she wanted us to leave our dog with them for 4 weeks. my dog was gonna get full immersion training. they had horses, pigs, rabbits, etc..all running around with a huge pack of dogs..ZERO barking, full harmony, like I have never seen. that first day, there was barking..my dog. hahah.. my dog got full time supervision around a bunch of dogs that couldn't give an eff.

our trainer Alex said day one, my dog went into prison mode and picked a fight with the biggest baddest dog in there. hahah.. muzzles were worn, etc.

I had one wish, "I want to be able to sit down at a brewpub and enjoy a meal with my dog laying there at my feet". I went back for a week to get training myself. it was tough and humbling.

well, its been almost a year. Christmas is coming up. my dog is a new animal. I have worked all year relentlessly. keeping up with training, encouragement, accolades. he can heel without a leash..and yes we recently ate at a brewery without any excitement.

just this morning was a milestone. all the dogs he got into it with last year were out. gate was closed this time, and my dog was wearing his light muzzle. all three dogs hit the fence with rabid enthusiasm. we jogged by. my dog looked up at me the entire time in front to the house. past the house, he looked forward and we kept jogging. I wish I had it on a GoPro. I was beaming with pride. I think I jogged quicker, with my back more straight, hahhaha...

I still keep the muzzle handy. there are still people with leash-less dogs. if one came up into our face, I think all bets are off. I dont know our limits yet, but I will approach it carefully. he won't even bark at the doorbell now. he just looks at me and the look on his face says, "you gonna get that?"

Wow. Kudos to you for such a pro-active, expensive, and time-consuming approach to solving the problem. It sounds like you found the right trainer for sure. I’m impressed! What were the keys to Hank’s transformation?

It is good to hear that the training worked for you and your dog !!

I didnt really see how the sausage was made. I gave them a blank check to get it done. the alternative was I would surrender Hank.

they built up his confidence. Alex was this tiny cute young lady. but she had a presence. we I visited Hank, he would focus on her. I was chopped liver. she had his trust. it was cool. that week, she worked on transferring it to me, I think.

he would heel next to her thru a herd of donkeys. hahha..

my old kayak is fine. :D

Vash I'm surely not the first to say this but i can't think of a single thing you post that doesn't cause me to think 'man that Vash is a good dude'.

We need a Problems and Solutions sub-forum and make Vash the moderator.

What a terrific outcome. I am so happy you invested the time, effort and love to train your dog to be a great member of the family. I wish you many, many years of happiness together.

Where is this trainer located?

Tracy, CA

Yep! I'll contribute to Hank's gofundmynewkayak plan ... two biscuits :).

Thank you Cliff ... from all of us dawgs ... and Hank too :D!

I really just thru money at this problem. hahha..

last Christmas, I called my siblings in tears. I dont have kids, but I can imagine what it would feel like if a school principal called and informed me my child was beating up other kids for their lunch money. it was utter disappointment in myself. jagged effen pill.

+1
Investing in a dog is money and time well spent, owner and dog are both happier and better off in the end. Good on you for recognizing the issue and getting help!

Nice work! Not many would have taken the time to do that.

With our first GSD we did not yet have kids, and spend a lot of time training him and went to numerous levels of classes, as couples do without kids. It was great working and learning with him. He was fairly large and very well behaved, to this day I still miss him and our next GSD.

My current pup a 5 year old pug who will heel without a leash and listens to me very well. Since I am an empty nester now (kids both away in college) we spend a lot of time together. I do leave him at home when going out though, I haven't gotten that crazy yet :)

Good one Cliff.
I think my son got the wrong kind of dog for his family, but who am I to say?
Bubba is big. Lays around most of the time, according to my son. Haven't seen him in a while so can't say how well behaved he is now that he's almost or just a year old.
The twins don't like him as he pushes them around since he's 3 or 4 times their size in weight now.
I won't walk him on a leash since he'd pull my arm out of its socket I'm sure. He out weighs me too.
I wish he'd gotten a Lab but that's too 'common' for them.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1734549827.JPG
I'm glad your dog is working out for you. And you're working out for your dog too.

I do as well. he handles solo time fine.

Wow, outstanding news, Vash! It's great that you've been able to turn things around. That's a huge accomplishment for you and your pup, congrats!