My best friend is incredible! She's one of those rare
types who hangs on every word you say. She's content
to be quiet when I need stillness, even though she's
one of those high-drive types. All I have to do is call
and she's there in an instant, no matter what she was
doing before. She puts me ahead of all her other friends,
never fails to make me feel special, and is a redhead
just like me.
But she's not a person, even though she's sure she
is. She is a butterfly dog; a Papillon. When I brought
this eight-week-old bundle of joy home, I didn't know
what to call her. I'm not very good at naming anything,
so I usually just observe for a couple of weeks and
let the animal name itself by its personality. This
puppy's name became evident in nothing flat: Tazzie.
She whirled around the house, jumping up on furniture
five times her size, zooming and zipping and totally
charming me. She was, indeed, a Tasmanian devil pup.
I quickly realized the athleticism of this dog and
knew I'd have to find her a "job" when she got a little
older. High-drive dogs, that don't have "jobs," will
certainly find other outlets for their energy and those
outlets aren't usually things you would enjoy! You already
have a burning love for your puppy, but what is your
relationship like? Does it come when you call it? Does
it sit or lay or stay? From your first class, at your
dog training school, your relationship with your dog
begins to change.
I will warn you, however, that anything you want to
teach your dog won't come just with a once-a-week class,
even if you have the best dog training school in the
world. You have to practice with them, just a little
bit, every day. Tazzie was a very food-motivated dog,
so the fact that she got food every time she did something
right made training a blast for her, all by itself.
And this happened every day! Bonus! She made fast friends
at her new dog training school, so going to class was
fun as well. She got to where she would whine, as soon
as we pulled in the parking lot, until I finally got
her out of that car. So now you're taking your dog to
classes in a place they love, and you're working with
them every day.
During that time, you're paying complete attention
to them, teaching them to pay complete attention to
you, and they get their favorite food as icing on the
cake. 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. They get praised and
fed, or praised and allowed to tug on a toy, whichever
motivates the dog more, so your relationship can't help
but blossom.
Ever since Tazzie and I started training together,
she has claimed me as her own. When my other two dogs
want to sit on my lap, she'll push them out of the way
to get the best spot because, I am her property, as
far as she's concerned. I do give the other dogs personal
time as well, but I have to put her in a sit/stay or
a down/stay so she'll let them come get love. She is,
by far, the one I can trust the most, not only because
of her training, but from the bond we gained through
the training.
She never takes her eyes off of me, since we began
at our dog training school, and it serves us well in
the agility ring! If you want to forever alter and solidify
the bond you share with your dog, find yourself a good
dog training school, for whatever discipline you prefer,
and go for it. With a little time, money, and patience,
your relationship will become a forever relationship.
If you do, your dog will turn out to be your best friend
too!
About the Author
Dog training has been a passion of Melissa Buhmeyer's
for the past two years and she has been competing since
last February. She is co-founder of http://www.dogtraining-school.com/,
a dog training school resource site for aspiring and
professional dog trainers.
