

I have a fearful dog who is afraid of people. When I adopted her, I had so many expectations of what we would do and where we would go together, but she's not happy being that dog I imagined. Despite this initial disappointment, we embarked on an amazing journey and she's so much more than I could have expected. She's so loving, sensitive, and patient. Sure we have to plan our outings to parks and go on walks when the least amount of people are out, but we both enjoy these peaceful outings. We have to have plans in place to keep her comfortable when guests are over. I have to be vigilant to be her protector and her advocate, but it's a job I now gladly accept because I love seeing her happy. It's so rewarding to see how far she's come. She used to hide under the bed when anyone came over, and now she's comfortable being in the same room with guests and happily wags her tail around them. Her only request is that she doesn't want people to touch her. It took years of patience, management, and training to get her to that point, but that's who she is and I accept who she wants to be. She's 8 years old now and she's even starting to let certain people pet her. I continue working on helping her overcome her fear, but I never push her, she lets me know when she is ready to take another step. I may never get to show off her tricks in public or compete in obedience trials, but I know what she is capable of. We train behaviors in our own backyard because that's where she's most comfortable. She has taught me so much, and I would never have learned these skills or life lessons if it wasn't for her.

Happy Training!
~ Sarah Rodriguez