A Boot Camp Story: Kane

Kane is a 3 year old American Pitbull Terrier who weighs in at over 90 pounds! Kane came to us all the way from Winter Haven, FL with a whole bundle of issues including being highly aggressive towards strangers and things with wheels or tires. His owners were obviously concerned about his aggressive tendencies and their ability to control such a large dog. Kane was a very stubborn, confused and misunderstood little guy. OK, make that big guy!

James & Sandra (Kane's owners) made the drive over from Winter Haven for Kane's evaluation. I remember Kane viciously attacking the window as I approached the car to greet them. During the evaluation I learned quite a lot about Kane. It turns out he had a real problem chasing cars, bicycles, 4 wheelers and basically anything else with a set of wheels. He had even been injured once when he got hit by a car he was trying to take on. Kane also lacked social skills and did not know how he was supposed to behave around other people, dogs or even moving objects. He was truly one frustrated and confused dog acting the only way he had ever known how.

We all decided after the evaluation that Kane definitely needed a Boot Camp program to help him with his issues. His owners signed him up for our Level I & II Boot Camp program and left Kane with me that same day.

As I began working with Kane, I saw a completely different dog beneath that aggressive exterior - a big loveable lug of a dog that wanted a strong leader. He responded very well to the training and greeted me happily every morning when I arrived to begin working with him - he was actually looking forward to working every day! Kane learned how to deal with his frustrations and how to properly socialize with other dogs and people. Once he understood the rules and what was expected of him he became a truly happy dog.

Kane became a completely different dog at the end of his training and he is definitely one of my favorite Boot Camp stories. I miss watching him and Jasper romping around the training field and lounging in the pool together (see picture below). James & Sandra are terrific owners and continue to work with him every day. They love having a dog they can keep under control and have even gotten him to sit on the 4-wheeler he used to attack all by themselves! Way to go!

Resting after work with the back pack	Cooling off in the pool with Jasper
Working on agility	Overcoming bicycle aggression
Kane sitting on the 4-wheeler he used to attack

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