The Year of the Puppy

I'd like to officially rename 2009 as the Year of the Puppy. With so many puppies joining homes, I'm certainly getting my fill of them and loving every minute of their cute antics.

My current class is a nice energetic group - my favorite kind of dog. However, for some of my pet owners, this behavior may be a bit overwhelming.  My job is to help my clients move from their current challenge and transition their pups into well-behaved dog that will remain in their home forever. 

These first 6 weeks of getting a dog are the most important. For this group, I'll have to work hard to guide my clients on how to keep the results they accomplish in class and to do their homework - even if it's just a few minutes a day.

On a slightly different topic, another trend I've been noticing in the dog world is trainers who won't accept certain breeds into their classes, regardless of the individual dog's personality.

Recently I've had several clients indicate that their Pit Bull or Pit Bull-mix wasn't welcomed else where.

While I do realize that some breed tendencies are prevalent, I firmly believe that nurturing can also be a strong part of how a dog will turnout as well.  I like to take these breeds and judge them on a case by case basis. I feel that until a dog proves themselves to be 'dangerous', I accept all of them into my classes.

As a Dalmatian owner for over 13 years, I can remember being turned away from classes because "Dalmatians weren't trainable", as I was once told. Another instructor made me write an essay on why he should allow my dog into his class.

Owners need to be the ones held accountable and as trainers, we should be providing our services to all dogs & their owners unless a specific dog shows us otherwise.

But back to my puppy pictures...enjoy and isn't it great to see so many breeds in one class?