The Dedicated Dog Owner

I have been thinking of our clients and students and how far they have come from our initial meeting.  To see any type progress is always rewarding; today’s training class was a prime example.

Dog training has as much to do with the dogs as it does the dog owners and families that live with them.   One of our students, a 2 year old yellow Labrador Retriever named “Sam”, and her handler Amy come to mind.  I remember when we first met Sam, she was a wild child.  Extreme hyperactivity, little social skills with other dogs, and not a clue as to what was expected of her.  Sam was challenging and got off to a rough start, but I could see this dog had great potential and so did Amy.

I could see from our first meeting that Amy was committed, she was willing to do what it takes.  I know many people that would have given up and she may have been close.  But after several home lessons, and some set backs along the way, it was coming along; Amy was starting to see some real progress.

Today was Amy and Sam’s first lesson in a group setting.  I remember running a training exercise with 5 other dogs and looking up and seeing Sam, calm and relaxed walking with Amy (whom by the way had a great big smile on her face) towards our class area, and she had every right!!  There was a complete turn around in Sam’s behavior and it was due to Amy’s dedication to her dog and her commitment to follow through and to put the work in and not to give up.

Unleashed Unlimited teaches people how to interact with their dogs; we can instruct them as to what to do and why but cannot make them do it.  Dog training is about building a relationship through communication with your dog, committment, patience and follow through and all of these things lie with the owners.  It is easy to quit but more rewarding to see the progress; Rome was not built in a day.