Dogs Got Souls

08/12/2024

Update and Announcement Post!

Hello all,

I sincerely apologize for not having posted on our social media since last year. I do think I have a very good reason that, hopefully, y'all will agree with. I'll elaborate more in the announcement part.

Let us first congratulate Breeze and Coco, both service dogs in training, for passing the tests and earning their CGC, CGCA, as well as CGCU titles; and Lilith, service dog in training, Cider, therapy dog in training, as well as Takeshi who might just be a little pet dog but can do just as much as the big dogs, for earning their CGC titles! 👏🥳💯

By the way, I want to be clear that the CGC series is the BARE MINIMUM when it comes to service dog training standards. That is why you see Breeze and Lilith showing off higher skills than what was required by the tests in the videos. Note that in Lilith's recall video, a bunny 🐰 actually ran across the Plaza behind them.

Next, check out some of the dogs we worked with this year, including rescue dogs who still need furever homes (if you're interested in adopting, please visit HTX Dog Rescue 🙏), service dogs in training, and beloved pet dogs who are just as important (reminder: proceeds from pet dog services go towards helping train rescue dogs and service dogs).

Now, the announcement... *drumroll 🥁*:
Dogs Got Souls is temporarily pausing all operations until further notice (hopefully just until the end of this year or the beginning of next year 😬).

I feel very bittersweet, but also quite excited because... We are actually expecting a new family member's arrival, and it's not a new pup or cat this time! As most of you already know, I'm the only person who runs DGS full time, which has regrettably gotten a lot more difficult now that I'm in the third trimester of pregnancy on top of having Narcolepsy 😔 So we made the decision to temporarily not operate until I recover from birth and things settle down with a newborn.

It's been yet another wonderful year meeting and working with all y'all amazing people and dogs. I'm already looking forward to coming back to work 😅 Thank you all for your continuous support up to now! Take care, everyone, and see y'all again soon 🙏❤️

12/29/2023

For all our clients who need to hear this 😉

Back before I was a dog trainer…

When I had a dog that suffered from pretty much every behavioral problem in the book…

I remember feeling a little deflated when I worked with my trainer.

It seemed like every time I handed them the leash…

My dog instantly snapped to attention…

Like he’d been in obedience training his entire life.

And then the moment the leash was back in my grasp…

My dog seemed to develop selective hearing…

Pulling all over the place…

And acting like I didn’t exist.

It was frustrating.

And it made me feel like my dog had more respect for my trainer.

And I was nothing more to him than a free meal.

I mean, I paid his bills, gave him the best care, fed him the best food, and he could care less about me.

And you know what?

That hurt.

These days…

Now that I’ve learned a thing or two…

It’s rare that I take the leash from my clients.

But it’s not uncommon when I do for my students to say things like “He’s SOOOOO much better for you”…

And then make that mean the dog likes me better…

Or make it mean they are no good at this.

But the truth is…

Your dog SHOULD be better for your trainer.

They have more experience than you.

Doing this is (or at least, should be) second nature for them.

But you are just starting out…

Even if you’ve been at this a few months…or even a few years…

Your trainer has (or at leash SHOULD have) more experience than you, with more types of dogs.

I mean, personally, I’ve been doing this for almost 20 years. I’d better be a decent handler by now 😉

And just because they HANDLE your dog more effectively than you do (because that’s really what this is about)…

That doesn’t mean your dog doesn’t love you.

It doesn’t mean you won’t be good at this.

And it certainly doesn’t mean you are a bad dog owner.

It just means your trainer is a more experienced handler.

So don’t worry if your dog behaves better for your trainer.

Worry if they don’t.

(Of course, assuming your dog has a relationship with your trainer 😉)

12/26/2023

Merry Christmas everyone!! 🎄🎅