I came down from Washington State with m

I came down from Washington State with my 18-month old male, Andre, with a lot of skepticism about what I’d be able to accomplish with him. He is a VERY high energy, high drive boy that has no interest in getting along with ANY other dog. He has been extremely aggresive to males, females, big, little-all kinds of dogs. He had never “played” with another dog outside of our female. Needless to say, I have just avoided places where I knew there would be other dogs and figured that was just going to be our life.

On day one, I fought with him just trying to get him to settle down. He was constantly lunging and pulling, just trying to get at any other dog he could. I flipped him on his back and made him submit probably around 40 times that first day. He didn’t care. By the end of the day, I think he was so tired that he finally decided he could be on the same field and as long as there was enough distance between others, he was okay with that. Later that night Andre got in a little scuffle with a Cocker Spaniel during which I got a decent bite while breaking it up-from Andre.

Tuesday I asked Steve how I should handle that (it was the third time I’d been “nicked” while breaking up fights) and Steve took him near one of the males, to which
Andre got aggressive, Steve corrected him, and this was the beginning of a changed dog. I finally began to gain some confidence in Andre and by the end of the day Andre just wanted to play with some of the other dogs, Bailey in particular. (a VERY playful female)

I began to learn how to speak “Doberman” and Andre began to respond very well to the games and the obedience drills we would do. I have used Andre mostly as a running partner and learned how much he loves to play, tug, and especially do the bite work. I have since ordered some new toys and tugs and a bite sleeve so that Andre can continue with the things that he loved so much. Andre’s work is not finished, but now that I’ve learned how to speak a little of his language, I know how to handle and motivate him. I’m so excited for the future and continuing to learn, grow, and work with Andre.

By the end of the week, Andre would walk right past the other males and be 93% okay with this. He wouldn’t pull or lunge to try to get to them. I had a picture taken of Andre and two other males each sitting about 5 or six feet from each other and not minding a bit. Andre actually laid down and tried to sleep for the picture. Andre passed his Good Citizenship title which was a bonus. I just wanted him to get some socialization so that we could at least be in the presence of other dogs.

On a side note-when I got home I used the simple tools that Steve showed for getting my female to walk on a loose leash. She sits, downs, and stays very well, but she has always pulled and won’t do anything that even resembles healing. I have spent an insane amount of time (and some money on collars and leads) trying to teach her this simple command. Within 20 minutes (not even kidding) she was healing and walking on a loose leash.

Thanks Steve for an absolutely incredible week. It has changed me which has in turn changed my dog’s behavior, all for the better.

Terry

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