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Latest Update:
Meet my most difficult student to date.
"Vinny" is a 6 mo old, intact, male Standard Poodle from Naples, FL.
I never, in a million years, thought that I'd face such a challenge with a) such a young dog and b) a Poodle (right?).
He came to me when he was just a baby and me and his mom went over all of the important factors in raising a puppy correctly. Fast forward 4 months and Vinny's mom had lost the battle. Vinny had learned to regularly disobey humans. Having his way worked for him and he grew dominant but insecure. He was far from confident, social or even interested in changing.
During Boot Camp he refused to eat for several days and he refused to learn any commands. He threw many temper tantrums, creatively disguised in confusion and passive aggressive behaviors. I underestimated his intelligence and dominance. The hardest fact to swallow was that he had zero willingness and I had nothing I could "pay him with" that he wanted (affection, food, toys). He just wanted to win, at all cost. Well he didn't.
I extended his Boot Camp to a 10 day stay. He learned all 5 basic commands and today he performs them with a wagging tail. The same wagging tail he had when he fought tooth and nail to not walk on leash or learn the 'sit' and 'down' commands.
Vinny is a new dog today and his mom has been scared straight of what she created. Everyone is on board (but the husband) and with the excellent support system Vinny and his mom will receive from me, he should never ever get back to the way he was. All for his own good.
Dogs like Vinny often go unnoticed, they don't create much fuss, they're cute so people let them get away with more. But unless you step on their toes, you'll never realize that you've worked for them all along and that they loved the good job you did, they didn't love you.
I'm happy with Vinny today. He's made a complete turnaround but I'm more grateful of the dedication his mom has shown. He graduated with flying colors today and his mom did great on their first lesson. I have high expectations from these two.
Attention Owners!
If you are the owner of this dog and have any updates on how they are doing, we'd love to hear from you! Please email us at info@CompleteK9Academy.com and we'll put your updates and comments on your dog's graduate page.
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