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I have only owned three dogs, yet I had the chance to evaluate hundreds of dogs that came through Labrador Friends. When I first got Oliver in 1998 I knew very little about dog behavior, but I wanted a dog and I jumped in. I still remember the day when I called a friend from the top of a couch, high enough that puppy Oliver could not reach. I was crying, hands full of scratches from hism nibbling on my hands, tired of my legs being mounted on all the time. My friend had the best recommendation: the phone number of a dog trainer.

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We started with puppy classes. We worked our way to obedience and Sunday morning walking classes. I had to work through temper tantrum so bad that people thought I was crazy… you know that lady with the kids rolling on the ground screaming? Well that was me, except that mine was a dog biting his leash and refusing to move unless we went where he wanted to go.  When we failed the good canine citizen test for the third time, I gave up. Luckily he was a good dog at heart and I learned as I went. We became a good team, going on beach run, working together on my PhD thesis at coffee shops, and driving across country together.

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When I moved to Atlanta and decided it was time for him to get a friend. I adopted my first rescue and… I had to start all over. Two dogs is a different ball game. Nala was Miss Houdini: She could get out of any crate, any fence, open the microwave, and loved to eat anything I owned made of leather. We slowly bonded and she learned that I was worth sticking with. Despite my best efforts she would occasionally escape to break into the neighbor’s garbage can: I would come home to find her waiting for me by the door and I knew it was time to go clean up and apologize. I had to learn quickly and I did. She adored me and that helped me work through her issues.

As time went on, I became lazy. Two dogs keep each other company and play together so what is there to train, right? Wrong. Two dogs are a mini pack. Two dogs become protective of each other and they feed off each other. Walking became hard: They would lunge and bark at other dogs. For a while my answer was to turn around and go the other way not to deal with that… until I decided that it was time to change. By then they were both seniors. I could have ignored them and just walk in the solitude of the night. But I wanted my relaxing walks back. So I started reading, I asked for help from a dog trainer. I worked diligently every day to get them focused on me and not on other dogs until we could finally walk peacefully again.

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It is never to late to learn to train your dogs. Read, ask, pay for professional help. I have never regretted investing in dog training. My life with my dogs has been so much better because I made the choice to learn and teach myself and them. Every dog is different and every new dog will bring challenges and a new opportunity to learn at any age.

 

 

 

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