Norman…

 

I would consider myself an animal person especially a dog person after having a childhood filled with animals including my best friend Ben, a Boxer to my adult years where I was a Veterinary Technician and was old enough to have my own dogs. I chose to share my life with Border Terriers (BTs). I had horses and being from the UK they were/are almost an accessory to owning horses as well as being almost as popular as a Labrador in the UK. The reason for sharing my life history with animals is that I thought I knew how to “train” a dog. I have seen/heard all the different methods and I knew for sure what not to do. Working in the Veterinary world I knew my dogs would never behave like a majority of the pets brought into my practice. I don’t hit, or use force/ train devices such a prong collars but I would shout, or at least raise my voice. I would handle them, touching paws, sticking my fingers in their mouths-all the vet tech stuff. I used to laugh that my dogs never wanted to sit with me as they knew I would poke and prod. I was very fortunate my first 2 BTs were wonderful little dogs, really easy to “train”. They lived a life as barn dogs, would venture out and about around the farm. I was never worried about them really, I would always find them staring at a hole. One of the two I considered my heart dog-gosh he was a special boy. The reason I mention him specifically is that I lost him in a freak accident. He was from a breeder in California although I was living in New York. Life changes brought me to California so decided to get another Border from the same breeder; my next heart dog. Oh how wrong I was. “Norman” turned everything I knew about “training” a dog up on its end. I called him Naughty Norman as he was a wild. I even sought out a personal 1:1 dog trainer. This helped a little but as he became an adult he had his moments that I just tolerated and thought It was just Norman. After losing my older rescue BT, Phoebe I decided to get yet another BT puppy from the same breeder, I thought Norman was lonely from losing Phoebe. Bearing in mind Phoebe was not nice to Norman when he was a pup but we dealt with it and she became “tolerant” of him. I bought the new pup, Edith, home and Norman attacked her. Luckily I was holding her so he was only able to grab her little nose (no injuries) but even so it scared me, Edith and Norman because I screamed at him. I was now terrified to have Norman anywhere near Edith. I never, ever had this issue with dogs I have had in the past, always having 2 dogs together. Clearly I was doing something wrong with my training methods. This is where Paula and Inspire Canine Behavior counseling and Training comes in. Myself and Norman needed behavior counseling desperately. From the initial 15 minute free phone consult I felt Norman was going to be OK and I was going to rebuild a relationship with my dog. Paula explained in detail her recommendations for Norman and I signed up for a 3mth Foundations package. It has definitely been a learning curve for me but Paula is incredibly patient and for the first month I had 1 hour virtual teaching session per week as she explains her model. Everything I described to Paula about Norman in my words, which honestly were more like complaints about how Norman didn’t do this or that, Paula would turn it around and explain why Norman would be displaying certain behaviors and of course it was inevitably my fault. Why would Norman think or behave like a human? he is a dog! He was as stressed out as I am but his answers were not to go and drown his sorrows in a glass of wine, his answers were fight or flight or bark and be reactive. Paula’s guidance on how to help my dogs feel safe with me and in their environment has been both invaluable and has made a genuine difference in Normans behavior. I am building a stronger relationship with my dogs that I absolutely love. Paula is passionate, caring, incredibly knowledgeable and always backs up her knowledge with peer reviewed publications. Paula’s methods just make sense. No more “barking” orders at my dogs.

 

Gemma Bachmann