What can better characterize someone’s training program than the progress that participants of this program are making?
He is a German Shepherd rescue who was struggling with a range of issues: from barrier aggression to dog/people reactivity. In fact, his reactivity has been so bad at times that his owner questioned whether it will inhibit them from taking a group obedience class.
Those who had trained with me in the past know that I am a firm believer in group obedience classes, so I talked Atlas’s owner into trying one, and am I extremely happy that I did.
Atlas has made a tremendous progress. A dog who struggled in the presence of other dogs and humans now can comfortably heel around all sorts of distractions, and the only thing that frustrates him these days is figuring out how to get the reward from his person fast enough.
Ultimately, the fact that he is filtering the outside world out in order to communicate with his owner means that he had gained enough confidence for dealing with pretty intense social situations. Six weeks ago, prior to taking the group obedience class, this would not have been easily achievable.
Of course, Atlas has still a way to go and perfect his obedience skills. However, the most important foundation had been laid. He feels comfortable inside his own skin, and he is curious and open to trying new things out, just like a good canine partner should.