Sunday, April 20, 2008

A New Start

The old training blog I started has been down for almost a year... so I figured I'd start fresh. I use the training blog as a way to track the progress I make with my dogs, as well as my growth as a trainer. In no way will it be a step by step, completely detailed report of everything we do. I'm just not that good. -grin- However, I intend this blog to show the basics... how we're improving, the highlights of our training, whatever discoveries I make along the way and who knows, maybe a 'how to' post every now and then.

To start, I'm a 20 year old novice trainer. I've always loved animals, dog especially, but it wasn't until I got Toby almost five years ago that I really got into dog training. I've made a lot of mistakes. A ton. And Toby hasn't been an easy 'first dog' for me. Nor was my family cut out to raise a big dog. But I've learned a lot and Toby's forced me to become a better trainer and, I hope, a better person. He forces me to re-look at every situation and reevaluate my motives constantly. I'm still living at home so I do share my life with the family's 8 year old Shih Tzu, Reba as well.

Toby will probably be the majority of this blog. He'll be five in a few months. He was rescued as a pup from the local Humane Society here and is a boxer/Labrador retriever mix. Shortly after bringing him home we discovered he had parvo and I thought for sure that I would lose him. It turned out to be a blessing in the terms of his bonding with my mother (who was/is terrified of big dogs) and yet... not so much so for himself. He missed out on puppy class, and in combination with my family never having seen a need for basic obedience classes he had the first few years of his life undersocialized and inconsistent training. As much as I love this dog, the issues he's developed over the years have made me step up to the plate and really get into dog training. This same dog completely changed my view on the dog training world, and after the past 3 years of research and stumbling along I'm fully hooked on clicker training - or well the principle of using mainly positive reinforcement. If it weren't for Toby, I don't know where I'd be.


I can't even count how many times each day I think to myself, "I love this dog." He makes me smile so much...



Reba, our 8 year old Shih Tzu is a special dog. And I don't mean that in a bad or frivolous way. She came into my life when I needed a dog and didn't believe I ever wanted another one. The last dog I'd fallen head over heels with, who was darned close to being my 'heart dog' had attacked my brother. I didn't want another one. Reba really didn't care. She's always been persistent in her love for me... something that's just humbling every time I think about it. I love Toby, but I work every day for a chance at seeing his love in return for me to be even half of what Reba shows me. She doesn't even begin to question how much she trusts me. She's losing her sight badly now, but she'll follow my voice even way past her comfort zone. She tries the stairs - something that terrify her - just for the chance to come up in my room. She's got her issues, believe me, but she's my girl.


It blows my mind to see just how much faith this little dog is willing to put in me.


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