Building a Relationship in Training – Murrow Day 1

Murrow and Debra came to me because Murrow was acting up around other dogs. We did three sessions together to address this. I will post all three in a short series so you get a picture of what the issue was. It was so simple, in fact, it was so simple that it was hard to pinpoint.

So often, the best intentions from humans leave the dog feeling confused. This was the case with Murrow. Debra over analyzed the behaviors and didn’t break it down and make it as simple as it should be. When things are complicated, it’s my job to advocate for the dog and make it as simple as possible for the dog to understand. Sometimes this means trying to wrap the owner’s head around a much different concept than what they are seeing.

You’ll see that Debra had purchased just about every tool for training: prong collar, ecollar, harness and more. When in fact, almost all of the problems were able to be solved with a slip lead, treats and clear communication. I never used the ecollar because I didn’t think it was necessary. I did introduce the prong/ pinch collar because of a concern that the dog had not been introduced to the tool properly – so this is a valuable piece for may of you to watch.

Murrow is a very nice dog: great nerves and good genetics. More than likely he was confused through some behaviors that weren’t channeled properly as a young pup and this drove the behavior. So, resetting it in this lesson(s) may be all he needs. The basics can be set with me, but the follow through is critical for the owner and dog to continue.