This is Lorenzo. He is a Pomeranian/Chihuahua mix and the sweetest, cutest, and most docile dog you will ever meet.
Lorenzo, however, struggled with quite a few insecurities, which prompted him to put on a loud and seemingly aggressive display of barking when approaching other dogs and, sometimes, children. To Lorenzo, dogs and children likely looked threatening, but to the objects of his reactions, he was the one who looked like an aggressor.
The little guy improved dramatically after the six-week group obedience course. He can heel past other dogs now without showing anything but attentiveness to his owner. He can keep his “sit” in the middle of a circle, surrounded by ten other dogs with their humans. He has learned recall and goes nicely into a basic “heel” position.
Of course, not everything was always smooth—there were ups, downs, and stalls in Lorenzo’s training journey, and there will be many more. It is a natural part of a life with a dog.
With that being said, we are very proud of where Lorenzo is now and hope that his owner will continue the good work with him. Most importantly, let Lorenzo be an excellent example to everyone who thinks that small dogs cannot or should not pursue training ambitions.
To rephrase Dr.Seuss: a dog's a dog, no matter how small.