Dear reader,
My best friend is incredible! He’s one of those rare types who hangs on every word you say. He’s happy to be quiet when I need to focus, even though he’s one of those high-drive types. All I have to do is call and he’s there in an instant, no matter what he was doing before. He puts me ahead of all his other friends and is always up for an adventure. But he’s not a person, he’s my dog Batman!
When I first adopted Batman, I didn’t know what to do with him. He was what I call a “project dog”, the type of dog that takes lots of extra work and patience. He came from a reservation and my best guest is that he was used to being a lone wolf, scavenging for food and water.
His issues were many:
He was so protective I had to kennel him anytime someone came over, and it would take him an hour to calm down.
He constantly smashed into my other dog Pig (an older Pug) to steal attention and food. She hated him at first.
He hated skateboarders with a passion.
He embarrassed me regularly! Several times he ran out my front door and down the street to the taco cart on the corner to get some “free” tacos. I came running behind him with my dog trainer t-shirt on haha, not my finest moment.
He found a weakness in my fence and ran the neighborhood. To make things interesting, he entered a taped off crime scene area. I had to ask the police (who were not pleased to see me) if they’d seen my dog. They told me to go away.
There are more stories but my point is… adopting Batman has been an experience. He’s such a good boy now but we had our struggles!
Would I adopt him again if I could go back in time? Absolutely… but there were moments along the way when I seriously doubted my decision.
At each of those tough moments I knew I only had 2 choices:
Re-home my dog or…
Do what was required to help him
Living with his issues long term was not an option for me.
Full disclosure: I didn’t always help him right away like I should have.
I was a busy guy.
I was working 60 hour weeks.
I was raising 2 kids.
How was I supposed to find time to help my crazy dog too?
The answer: 2 minutes at a time
There are a lot of short yet effective training exercises we teach our customers! In fact, once you get in the habit it’ll become a part of your day you will really look forward to!
During that time, you’re paying complete attention to your dog, and teaching them to pay complete attention to you. This does incredible things for the bond between you and your dog. They learn to focus on you, no matter what, and good things will come.
Once Batman and I locked in to our consistent routine, he really turned the corner. He was finally on his way to becoming the dog he is today:
A dog I can enjoy life with anywhere I want to go
He is, by far, of all the dogs I’ve had, the one I can trust the most. Not only because of his training, but from the bond we gained through the training.
He prefers to be obedient because following my lead always leads to his favorite things. It took a while to convince him of this fact, but once it clicked in his head we made quick progress.
If you want to forever alter and solidify the bond you share with your dog, consider the best dog boot camp in Utah or a reputable dog boarding and training in Salt Lake City.
Whether you pick us or some other company… I want you to go for it!
With a little time, money, and patience, your dog will turn out to be your best friend too!
Your Friend with the treat-filled pockets,
Ryan Gwilliam
P.S. When you’re ready to take the next step, all you need to do is:
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