Rudy is a 10-month-old Rottweiler who’s here for boarding & training while his owner has surgery. He’s learning to focus on me, walk nicely on leash, stay on the place bed and come when called off leash. Rudy is a quick learner and is doing great with the prong collar paired with the e-collar between levels 3-6 (on the Mini Educator). Here’s Rudy’s story…

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Rudy’s owner previously attended training with a Pure Positive trainer (who doesn’t believe in telling dogs No or giving them corrections). This trainer believes that love, treats and kindness alone can train dogs. Her training focuses on treats and praise. 

When my client asked the trainer how to stop him from pulling on the leash, she was told to “just stop walking and wait until he stops pulling.”

When my client asked what to do about (80+ lb) Rudy jumping on her, she was told to ignore him. 

When my client asked what to do about Rudy getting food off the counter when she wasn’t looking, the trainer told her “There’s nothing you can do about that.”

When my client told her that Rudy mostly listens for treats but won’t listen without treats, the trainer told her to always use treats. 

Using this Pure Positive system, Rudy grew up to be a pushy, disrespectful, dominant dog who couldn’t be controlled. His owner felt defeated. The dog was ruling her house and she felt like there was nothing she could do about it. She was afraid to tell him No or use a training collar because doing so was shunned by the trainer and she didn’t want her dog to be ‘afraid’ of her. To make matters worse, Rudy was starting to show aggression towards her and her other dog. 

Her cute little puppy was growing up to be an out-of-control powerhouse of a dog – and he wasn’t even a year old yet. 

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When Rudy’s owner reached out to me, she signed up immediately for private lessons and 3 days of boarding with add-on training. 

Rudy’s learning boundaries, rules and limitations. He’s working for his food and learning all about motivation, relationship and communication. He and his owner are learning to work with each other, not against each other. Balanced training is making a world of difference for Rudy. 

This is the beginning of a whole new owner-dog relationship. Hooray!!!!

Amy Pishner is the owner of Valor K9 Academy, LLC, and the head trainer of Valor K9 Academy – Spokane. She specializes in puppy training, basic obedience and behavior rehabilitation training.