The Association of Pet Dog Trainers' campaign to promote the benefits of training features essays about everyday dog owners overcoming challenges with their dogs through training.
A number of APDT members entered the contest to give some positive reinforcement to one of their exemplary clients. The purpose was to promote the everyday dog owners who have discovered that training should be a crucial part of their life with their dog. APDT believes the more dog owners see how successful other dog owners are using positive reinforcement training, the more they will be encouraged to do the same. The contest winners, both dog trainers and the owners they wrote about, are featured on the Web site www.trainyourdogmonth.com.
Below is an excerpt from her essay:
"Ann was feeling under attack by her 10-week-old Labrador retriever, Callie. Thanks to Callie, Ann had marks and cuts all over her forearms and legs from Callie's sharp puppy teeth, and bruises on her body from Callie body slamming her. A dog trainer had even warned Ann that Callie was not a normal puppy, but rather was on her way to becoming a dangerous adult dog. Ann was very alarmed and consulted her veterinarian, who referred her to me.
"I met with Ann, Callie and Ann's teenaged son, Brad. They explained that Callie seemed to be doing nothing but biting. When they attempted to restrain her, hold her collar, play with her or touch her anywhere on her body, she became a crocodile. When neighborhood children stopped to greet her, she leapt up to bite at their hands. None of Brad's friends wanted to be around Callie. The family wished they could just sit quietly with Callie and pet her soft puppy fur, but that always resulted in new round of biting. And Callie had boundless energy. Even though they were taking Callie on walks and letting her run around the backyard, whenever they interacted with her, she ricocheted off them, teeth flashing. No wonder Ann was concerned she had an aggressive dog on her hands.
"During our first meeting, I observed Callie carefully and then reassured Ann that, although she had her work cut out for her, I was not concerned that Callie was on her way to becoming an aggressive dog. Instead, I explained that based on Callie's breed, age, and particular personality traits, Ann needed to do three things: 1) make sure Callie was getting the right kind of touch and play to encourage good habits, 2) teach Callie how to control herself even when excited and 3) give Callie appropriate outlets for all that puppy energy so she wouldn't become so over-stimulated. I was sure Ann could get the puppy biting under control with just a few tricks of the trade."
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To read how Callie's case turned out, read the rest of Shumannfang's essay at www.your.heraldsun.com or www.trainyourdogmonth.com.
