Clearwater Dog Training, Denver Colorado

Case Study

Raja is a 4 year old German shepherd female. Her current owner could no longer care for Raja as she needed to move and care for a family member. The reason Raja's mom could not take this dog was because she owned a dog that was a much higher caliber of dog than the person who owned her. Due to the time restraints, as this lady was scheduled to move in just a couple of weeks and had felt she had ran out of options, decided to make the heart breaking decision to put the dog to sleep. However, she made a few more calls and was referred to Clearwater Dog Training in Denver, Colorado

Although Raja's obedience was average, she was a well spoiled princess that really felt the world revolved around her and had little or no respect for anyone who thought they should be in charge other than herself. Raja was well loved, had many toys, various types of treats and many kinds of balls, a shock collar, and a mom with a broken heart as she felt she had provided all she could for the dog.

One thing this dog did not have was a qualified leader. Dogs thrive on structure and leadership. They want you to be the leader! Think of taking a trip on an airplane. You are only going to want to fly with a captain that is strong in his/her skill to fly that plane. Most of us would want to exit the plane if we knew this was the first time this person had served as the pilot. Basically, that pilot has control of my existence during the time I am on his plane. I need and want to feel safe in order to trust that pilot. Your dog has that very same need and want to trust your guidance. This could be your situation if your dog didn't trust your leadership skills.

Raja has spent the last several months relearning (yes, they all can learn new behaviors.) She can now interact with other dog, have her nails trimmed, and have her ears cleaned -- none of which was possible the day she arrived. Once Raja started to trust in Gina's leadership she began to allow things she would not tolerate before.