- We have a golden retriever puppy that is turning 1 year old in early November.
- We found them through a recommendation from our friend.
- I am also pregnant so a lot of the concerns I have were amplified by the urgency to correct them before the baby is born.
- Issues that we were concerned about, and discussed with Training for Trust LLC:
- She was very difficult to walk, kept pulling and was very inattentive to us as we were trying to guide her where to go. She was constantly distracted by other dogs, humans, squirrels, falling leaves, flies that flew around her, etc.
- No matter how long our walks were, she would always have energy after the walk
- While she didn't ruin any of our furniture, she never stopped nipping at us/jumping at us
- She was also constantly jumping on the kitchen counter to see if there was any food we left out
- She would lick the dishes as we were putting them in the dishwasher
- If we are in another room without her, she would start demand barking and crying for attention
- We managed to crate her at night, but she refused to go in during the day, and she would bark and cry until we let her out
- She a section of the couch as her own, and getting her off was invading her territory
- She displayed mild symptoms of resource guarding with specific treats that she liked - such as bone marrow
- She loves our nieces and nephews, but her energy (expressed as jumping and nipping) made it too dangerous to have her around them.
- We previously hired other (very expensive) trainers who took more of a hands-off, 'gentle' approach. They recommended we give her more freedom but this proved to worsen some of her behaviors. For example, they recommended that we let our dog lead us during walks, and sniff as much as she wants, wherever she wants.
- We left her for board-and-train for 4 weeks. After she returned the following improved (It's important to note that we were realistic with our expectations and never expected her to transform into a new puppy, but the training that they provided in just a short amount of time was beyond what we thought was possible!)
- She no longer goes on the couch
- "Leave it" Command now works! She doesn't lick dishes as we put them away
- Very minimal jumping to see what is on the kitchen counter
- She doesn't cross thresholds (from our apartment to the common hall, to the elevator, while crossing the street)
- The trainers practiced walking her alongside an empty stroller so that she will have adjusted to the changes we are going to make as a new family. Now she knows she has certain times she is allowed to sniff and explore during our walks. She walks next to us the entire way with minimal to no pulling (requires just a few corrections). Overall she is more attentive to us and our cues than to her surroundings.
- She is learning how to calm herself in the crate during the day, even when we are at home.
- We are still working on altering her diet and nutrition based on their recommendations.
- We transitioned our "yes" marker word to using a clicker, which allowed for more consistency between my husband and my behavior toward her.
- Things we have not tried yet
- We have not introduced her to family members
- We have not introduced her to new people or dogs. This hasn't been a priority as of yet.
- What I found most impressive with this board-and-train is that they adapted their training to our life circumstances and needs as well as Ollie's unique needs. Their training is very research driven, and they have kept us updated on new information that may be of use to us. read more