Izzy was such a great cuddler that we started letting her get on the couch as soon as we got her at 8 weeks old. By the time she was 30 lbs heavier and able to launch herself like a rocket, it was too late. Izzy flew onto the couch at our house — or others’ — when it was empty or full of people.
As far as the cats were concerned, Izzy is a born pointer/retriever, so how could she NOT be fascinated by them? But she policed those poor cats so badly that they started living upstairs in our guestroom like second-class citizens.
Then there’s Chicago. When Izzy was 6 months old, we relocated there from Detroit. Once, she got off of her leash while leaving the dog park. I was horrified as she ran around happily ignoring my calls and darting between parked cars, just feet from the busy traffic. And when we had her off her leash in our parents’ backyard in MI, she saw a squirrel and took off. Luckily we found her about 6 houses down, unharmed.
Thinking about the next 10-15 years, we couldn’t imagine living the way we had been. To have our cats holed up in a spare room? To never allow her off the leash? To be terrified of her running away, getting hit by a car? That’s no way to live — not for us and not for Izzy.
Sending Izzy to the Canine Academy has been life changing for all of us. Not until you have a well-trained dog do you realize just how bad it was before. You begin to notice that many dog owners have to cross the street and hold on for dear life if they see another dog heading their way. You become all too aware that most dog owners do nothing but make excuses and apologize for their dog rather than engaging in pleasant conversation.
Here are some highlights of our life, post-training:
- Every time we take her out, at least 2 people stop us to rave about what a well-behaved dog she is, especially considering her age and breed.
- She is one of the most well behaved patrons of various neighborhood bars/restaurants
- At street fairs and festivals, she calmly heels and patiently inches her way through crowds without stress
- She is sooooo fast and often outruns other dogs chasing after a ball. In the event that she grabs another dogs ball, we need only tell her to drop it and she lets go of it so that the other dog can pick it up
- When the parks are full of sunbathers and readers some (very odd) people clearly do not want to be bothered by a very social dog stopping by to say hello. In those instances, we simply call out for Izzy to "leave it" and she will leave the person alone to meet and greet a friendlier park-goer.
- We've been able to take her up north, where she walks off leash in the country, woods, and on the beaches of the Great Lakes
The real gift, however, is that her training allows Izzy to lead a more natural and energetic life. Even though we live in a city, she spends the majority of her time outside, off of the leash. SHE IS A VERY HAPPY, LOVING DOG.
Infinite thanks to Lisa and the caring staff at the Canine Academy!
