Welcome to my inaugural blog post, or the listing of good intentions. I hope to use this blog to answer frequently asked dog training questions, and to air my rants and raves about the state of dog training today. I welcome your comments and questions.
I started Plucky Puppy in the Bay Area in California in 2005. This April my partner Miriam and I moved to Portland, OR with our furry menagerie. Plucky Puppy continues to provide pet sitting, boarding, and dog walking services in the Bay Area.
In Portland I teach dog training classes at a local daycare, Camp Doggie Tails. Tomorrow is graduation day for our first Kinderpuppy class, and I’m very proud of all the puppies, and their owners. Check back soon for graduation pictures!
Besides teaching group dog training classes, I spend a lot of time providing personal dog training consultations in clients’ homes for both basic training issues and behavior problems. I also offer board and train services and day training when appropriate.
Marley Muffin Face
My own training joys and challenges are Marley and Stella, resident plucky trouble-makers. Stella and Marley are both rescues, and came to me with unique behavior issues. Marley was severely shy and under-socialized, and although he loves people and other dogs now, he wasn’t always such a confident and playful dog. Among his greatest training success stories is his first swim after a life long (8 years, almost!) fear of water.
Stella Bella Ding Dong
Stella’s problems run the opposite side of the spectrum. Far from shy, she can be a bit over-exuberant when she meets new canine friends. After almost three years of training, she’s nearly perfectly behaved at the dog park, but every once in a while she reverts back to her old ways and embarrasses her owners with overt displays of bullying.
My dogs keep me humble. They remind me that dog training is a life-long process, and the only way to do anything forever is to love it absolutely, and to have fun doing it every day. When I listen to frustrated dog owners talk about the slow process of training their dogs not to chew expensive Italian leather shoes or chase the cat up the curtains, I empathize. I understand, because it’s taken me this long to train Marley and Stella. And while they’re far from perfect, they fit perfectly into my life, as beloved pets and zen teachers.
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