Listen, stay calm and you’ll see the rewards

Dexter is a two year old Labrador that I recently wrote about on our sister blog (Read More). At the time of that blog post, Dexter was on his second lesson with me. He was a very defiant dog. Not only did he run off, he’d also bitten his owner whilst trying to put him in the car. At that point Caroline was emotional, doubting and worried if she’d ever have an obedient dog.

Caroline’s problems with Dexter didn’t just stem from his behaviour however. His defiance was fuelled by the total inconstancy and lack of support from her family at home. I insisted this had to change: if we were to achieve success the family had to be 100% onboard. Whilst the family are not getting involved in the training, they have agreed to stop doing the things that are affecting his behaviour and allowing him to be dominant.

Today’s lesson was a huge success. His heel work was great, off lead we sat him with distance wait and off lead recall. Whilst he’s far from perfect and did have some misdemeanours, he returned back to Caroline.

No matter what age your dog is, I can help to train and correct any behavioural problem. If we concentrate on building a bond, the rest will follow. This is what the Tessleymoor Way is all about: starting with a firm foundation of the basics and working from there. Dexter is proof this approach works, even if you have a defiant dog to start with.

Posted: November 12, 2018