Making Friends
Chapter One
Good Relationships Are
Built on Good Training
As a dog obedience instructor, I see many dog owners who are having problems
with their dogs. Their dogs won't come when called, they drag their
owners down the street when walked on leash, they jump up on company,
they chew on furniture, and they urinate on the carpets. These owners are
frustrated and confused by their dogs. Some are very angry. Even though the
owners and dogs love each other, they do not understand each other. Both
are unhappy.
At least the owners and dogs I see as an obedience instructor are getting
help. As a volunteer worker at an SPCA shelter, I have seen the dissolution
of many poor dog-owner relationships-death for the dog. Millions of dogs
are euthanized every year in the United States. While overpopulation is a
part of the problem, many dogs are disposed of by their owners because of
behavior problems that could have been solved with good training. I hope
through this book to prevent some of these deaths.
I have been teaching dog obedience for 28 years. I got started by taking
my first dog, Shauna, an Irish Setter, to a dog obedience class. We weren't
having any problems; ... read full excerpt from Making Friends: Training Your Dog Positively, Updated Edition ebook
