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A Dog Life

My parents have pictures of me napping on our German Shepherd’s Dog when I was a tiny little guy. They said I would also practice standing up by pulling myself up with my tiny fingers interlaced in his fur. After he passed he away, a couple years went by before we acquired two labs, aptly named Bonny and Clyde. They were trouble makers alright and thats the reason we got them. They were so cantankerous their former owner gave them to us and threw in a 6ft privacy fence to sweeten the deal. Now if you ask my dad if it was worth it for the fence, he would really have to think about it versus the chewed up four-wheeler wiring harnesses, the trailer light harness, coming home from work and seeing the yellow and black labs sitting on the hill by the side of the house with the whole neighborhood’s newspapers at their paws, and countless other shenanigans. Yes, my dad would really have to think about it. My sister and I loved them of course. The next animal that impacted our lives was a cute ornery little Miniature Pinscher named Rusty. I took it upon myself to teach Rusty how to navigate a homebuilt obstacle course out of K’nex and by golly, I was successful. He figured out quickly that there were treats at the end.

I got my first taste of professional training with Boone, a hard-headed German Shepherd’s Dog. Luckily a friend recommended Lara’s Canine Solutions, and after a couple of lessons, Boone was a much better behaved dog. I didn’t realize at the time but now I understand that the dog is capable, it’s the handler that dictates how far they go. Goldie was a sweet little yellow lab that I had the opportunity to train for my sister. I have never met a more sweet dog. 
Then it was time for me to go off to college. I finally got my dog fix again my last year of college when my then girlfriend (now wife) brought down her exuberant golden retriever. I am not sure who adopted who but we have become very fond of each other. (The dog that is). The wife is pretty awesome as well, especially since her wedding present to me was a Dutch Shepherd. 
 
Luckily, I have had the opportunity to train with some stellar handlers within the last couple of months. I have learned so much about dogs training with them. Its always an adventure. You never know what you will see or learn, not only about the dog, but about yourself as well. 
 
So there you have it, my dog life. 
Taken after a successful tracking session with Scout, a Dutch Shepherd

Taken after a successful tracking session with Scout, a Dutch Shepherd

March 23rd, 2016 | Category: Uncategorized

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