I stand on my soapbox and tell you how to train your dog.

And for 99% of people and dogs out there, this works a treat.

But sometimes .. just sometimes .. we seem to be dealing with another species entirely - I don’t know what, but not a dog!

And I have to confess that that’s how it is with my young Border Collie Yannick. He has a boatload of issues, and what worked with my last 11 dogs, doesn’t work with him.

Or, at least, doesn’t work with him when he’s out of the house.

At home all is sweetness and light, quick responses, fun tricks, good manners, ready understanding. But once we’re through the door, Yannick is quite overwhelmed by ‘outside’, and is hard to reach.

As Grisha Stewart says, “Every dog is a study of one”.

Things are improving

But I’m happy to say that things are gradually getting better. His confidence is growing, and along with that our connection outside is growing.

He’s able to stop panicking enough to talk to me when we’re out.

His walking on lead has grown from the lunatic frantic stage to something approaching togetherness.

His bolting has practically stopped.

His reactions to other dogs is manageable.

So I’m hopeful that, as we keep going, he’ll become the perfect dog (or at least, he’ll be just as good as all my others have been!).

A Shepherd’s Saw

There’s a great saying from the sheepdog guys: “A dog needs a year under each paw to be any good.”

… we have a couple more years to go! 😁

And a more affectionate dog you couldn’t wish for! 😍

So for all you following my training who say, “But my dog’s not like this!” I do understand.

And I sympathise.

All I can say is that whatever you achieve will be worth it, and you will never regret the time you dedicate to your “special” dog.

And for everyone, all dogs will enjoy the games I teach in this free Workshop, even if you can only play them at home!