Russ
Russ. Behavior and temperament are complex influenced strongly by genetics and environmental factors, including the health and nutrition of the mother while pregnant. It all plays a role. This dude came to me after being rescued from a hoarding situation in Kentucky in deplorable conditions, horribly malnourished, then being pulled from a shelter by a local rescue, and being adopted out to a family. No one had this dog long enough to know who he truly was until he came here. He bit in his adoptive home and had some other warning behaviors. He's been here some months now. I had several people inquire if he was available for adoption, he wasn't, isn't, and never will be. He has had a couple of warning bite incidents here, though not directed at me personally, both were an inappropriate response to the situation he was in. So, what do we do with dogs like this? Can we fix this?!? As a professional trainer, size of the dog and damage potential is among the things I consider, as well as a host of other factors. He is an extremely large dog. He escalated quickly in both circumstances here. When people ask if we can fix things, what they're really asking is can we make sure that it never happens again. Most times we cannot. I cannot rewrite his genetic code, I cannot rewrite his critical learning and development history. I can make sure that I don't put him in situations where he might make bad decisions, and I can condition him to a muzzle to keep everyone safe, I can build confidence, desensitize, and counter condition him. All dogs have bite potential. Every. Single. One. There is a lot of pressure for people to "rescue" dogs in need. I hate this pressure. I have rescue dogs. I also have dogs that I purchased from excellent breeders. I did enough research on my breeders to know that I was not rolling the dice temperament wise. Here's the deal, there are no magic wands to wave to fix this. There are no training tools to make it go away. Biting, although not desirable is
Seriously.
Little refresher in case you've missed it before. We scoop our yards multiple times a day to keep a healthy environment for the dogs staying in our care. Dogs pooping outside our fences while in your care, it is my expectation that you will clean up after your dog as a responsible dog owner. As I've mentioned in the past, I do not have time to scour 12 acres for your dog's poop, scoop and bag it, deliver it to your front porch, and light it on fire. If the security cameras catch you leaving dog poop, you are not welcome back. It's very basic responsible dog ownership in the simplest terms.
P. S. The reason your neighbors don't like you is not because they're jealous of you. Seriously.
Birthday jumps with Howie.
Birthday jumps with Howie.
6am shenanigans.
Early morning party.
Clyde
Poor Clyde (the Glide) was not using his back legs when I found him. I wasn't sure if he had a permanent injury or something possibly temporary, so I set him up with a food/water station and have monitored him at a reasonable distance the last 2 weeks. The top video was 2 weeks ago, the middle video last week, and the bottom one this morning. He's still not fast but both back legs are working! ❤️❤️❤️
Puppy class.
Getting a solid social citizen dog doesn't just happen. You start right at the beginning. Every dog should do a R+ puppy class.
You can relax when Kitt is ready, until then, head on a swivel.
Daisy.
We started this game years ago. Daisy comes in when it's time to come in every time without fail, until it's night time and then we play hide and seek. She cracks me up.
Body awareness.
Canine for excuse me.
Martha
Martha and her babies, supervised by Frank.
Rylee and Sammy
They've been in class together, but they're not quite the same size for playgroups. Sammy got a little obsessed so we decided to try it out for a while this afternoon.
Whip
Whip still whipping it.
Whip
Good morning to all her fans. Whip is doing well, thanks for checking on her. I'm ok too. 😂
I love it when people ask me if I talk to the dogs. All day. Every day.
I love it when people ask me if I talk to the dogs. All day. Every day.
Party crew.
Let the good times roll.
Because why not...
Because why not...