It was constant training and I was exhausted.

I felt that my only real success was implementing Karen Overall’s Relaxation Protocol. I’d play recall games with her, but once we hit the woods, she would take off. I walked her past the veterinarian back and forth dozens, if not hundreds of times to teach her that walking by didn’t always mean going inside. I brought her to the cafe down the street and worked on her excitement by asking her to lie down on her bed and drop treat after treat after treat in hopes that she would ignore any passersby. I had spent months trying to teach her to loose leash walk, walking in circles on our street and stopping anytime she pulled. I implemented the techniques suggested by world renowned dog trainers and nothing worked consistently. Attempting Positive Reinforcement Onlyīefore learning about balanced training, I poured my time into learning about positive reinforcement. For the activities I do with my dogs – hiking, trail running, and backpacking, balanced training was the ideal training for us. It didn’t take long to convince me that, when used correctly, these tools correctly offered an incredibly effective method of communicating with dogs. I watched YouTube videos recommended to me by these same people. I followed balanced trainers on Instagram. Like many dog owners, I believed that using aversive tools like e-collars and prong collars was cruel and inhumane. I described our struggles with her recall and running together and many friends, whom I know loved their dogs more than anything, suggested that we try an e-collar. Once I made this post on Instagram about my struggles with Laila, I decided to learn more about balanced training. Learning about Balanced Dog Training from Friends Her outbursts, disappearing acts in the woods, propensity to chase after large animals, and inability to train using the methods I believed were the only option, introduced me to the style of training that I use today: balanced dog training. Laila, the dog I never wanted, the dog that I struggled to love, the dog I wanted nothing to do with, led me to learn more about dogs and dog training than I ever imagined I would.

7f dog trainer