The following is an essay that I wrote for the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) Train Your Dog Month contest. My essay make the finals, now the APDT membership will vote and choose a winner from each category and an overall winner. Wish me luck!
Allison and Remy- Helping a Teenage Dog Find His Way
I met Remy, a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog when he was just a 10-week-old puppy. He was a friendly and adorable rolly polly chunk of a puppy. Allison, Remy's owner, got him as a puppy and was taking my Puppy Preschool class determined to make sure Remy grew up social and happy. She was going to do everything right with this dog. Remy breezed through class, easily picking up the behaviors we taught with clicker training. He was an eager and responsive learner. He was a fun puppy to train.Allison got Remy from a reputable breeder and intended to show Remy in conformation. So, while he didn't do my beginning classes, he did attend my conformation drop in classes. As Remy got bigger and bigger, it became apparent that he may need more basic training. In conformation class Remy seemed uninterested in Allison and instead wanted to go visit other dogs and pull her around for the ride. She was barely able to control him.
By the time Remy was about 10 months old, he was more than a challenge and Allison was at her wits end. He was easily over 100 pounds. Allison is a small woman and standing next to her, Remy looked huge. She sent me an email and laid it all out on the line. She was frustrated with him. She felt he was out of control and that she couldn't control him. Allison's first Swissy, Dexter, who had recently passed away, was very different from Remy. Dexter was shy and insecure compared to Remy and in Allison's eyes, much easier to deal with. So, this new, exuberant, active, and super outgoing dog was extremely challenging for her.
Allison said she loved my training style and methods but that other Swissy people were telling her that she needed to be "firmer" with him and "get on him" more. She said that while she thought positive methods worked for Dexter, based on what she was hearing she wasn't so sure it would work for Remy. Did she need to be tougher with him? Should she take my beginning class? Did I think it would work for Remy? She asked me to be honest. I have to say here how much I respected her for coming to me with honest and completely valid questions and concerns. She could have just walked away, but she genuinely wanted to do what was best for Remy.
She asked for my honest opinion so I gave it to her. I told her that I felt that Remy would benefit greatly from doing my beginning obedience/manners class, which is all clicker training. I told her that I could see her frustration and that I felt they were working against each other instead of with each other. I told her that Remy was just too big for her to be able to "make" him do anything anyway, so it would be best for her to try and teach him to want to do it. I also sent her an article, written by Suzanne Clothier called How Much Does Your Dogs Cooperation Weigh? I recommended she take the class and take it from there.
She read the article and decided to take the class. From the first moment that they walked into the beginning class together, I could see that things had changed. Allison had made a conscious decision to work with Remy as her partner. When she made that choice, she never looked back and neither did Remy. She worked very hard with Remy and he excelled in class. Each week they would come in and have a great time together. Allison was extremely patient with Remy and she always made sure to set him up to succeed. Every week I saw them successfully learn the behaviors we were working on. Remy no longer seemed distracted and uninterested; he watched her more and was eager and happy to work with her. When Remy did seem distracted she would simply give him more distance from the other dogs or ask for something that was easier for him to succeed at. They were no longer working against each other, they had become a team. They were partners.
Allison and Remy continue to come to my advanced class. Remy is over a year old now and is still being shown in conformation and is handled by Allison. Last week they came into class with a picture of Remy's most recent win. He was also wearing the new collar that he had won at the dog show. She mentioned to me that many of the people at the show commented to her about how great Remy was doing now and how well behaved he was in the show ring. They were all impressed. And, so am I. Allison changed her behavior so that Remy could change his.
This story is not over. Remy is still a young dog and of course Allison will have to continue to work with him so that he can continue to improve and learn more. And, I know she will because when I see her in class look down at her dog and smile, and I see him look up at her and smile, I know that they are both enjoying themselves and the training process itself. They are a team and they are in it for the long haul together.
