09/01/2025
This post made me think of my girl, Abbey. I was her 4th home and I vowed we were going to make it work.
But I didn’t have a clue and had a dog that was terrified of everything, had never been walked on leash at 6 months old, and I was in my early 20’s living in the downtown core of my city.
So I hired a trainer. They taught me I had to be the boss. They gave me a collar with a chain attachment - the sound was supposed to tell her she’s pulling. And I was supposed to yank it every time she pulled and say “BAH!” in my loudest, firmest voice.
The trainer told me I was too soft. And needed to be louder. She gave me a bean bag with chains inside that I was supposed to throw in front of her every time she barked.
While I couldn’t follow through with most of what the trainer recommended, I didn’t know what else to do. So we just spent the next 12 years winging it.
I hurt every time I think of the times I yelled at my girl or yanked her collar. The guilt was and still is, at times, overwhelming.
When I learned about the world of positive reinforcement training something clicked. Sadly, by the time I completed my mentorship Abbey was being taken by cancer.
Now, I honour her - my best friend. Mabel has never known anything other than kind and gentle training methods. And I get to help clients and their dogs live better lives.
I'm sorry, Bandit.
Bandit was my first dog as an adult, long before I was trainer and I admit, I knew nothing, like most people with their first dog. I was not a trainer, was a 20-something year old kid and did all the wrong things, because I didn't know any better.
This is why I can relate to people who may have fallen victim to promises of quick fixes or using aversive tools. People just don't know better and they trust who they the professionals are. I know I did.
And, times were different then.
There was no cooperative care movement to teach animals to participate in and consent to vet and grooming procedures. Thankfully, many people have learned better now and gone (mostly) are the days of forcefully restraining animals, pinning them down thrashing, defensively trying to bite or surrendering and urinating all over themselves to "get it done."
This happened to the first dog I ever owned, 20+ years ago, Bandit. We took him to the vet to have his nails trimmed. He did not want his nails trimmed so the vet instructed five people, including myself, to hold him down while she quickly tried to clip his nails.
I didn't know any better. I didn't know to advocate for him. I didn't know there was a better way. I didn't know medication was an option or that dogs could be taught to like having their feet touched and nails done. I just didn't know, and nobody told me.
Bandit was 130 pounds, aggressive and muzzled, and after about 5 minutes of very forceful restraint on the floor, he eventually stopped snarling and struggling and just peed all over himself.
I'm still traumatized by that incident just writing this this. I can't even imagine how scared he was. He's been gone for over 15 years but I'm still so very sorry he had to experience that.
So, I'm sorry, Bandit. I know better now, so I do better. And I teach others to do better.
Read about cooperative nail trims here. With the right training, it doesn't have to be a struggle.
https://rescuedbytraining.com/2021/02/01/cooperativecarenailtrim/
