Not a walk in the park

Let me tell you about what happened to one of my clients last weekend.

I was helping a client teach their dog proper manners in a community setting.

We were enjoying the day and the beautiful weather.

The morning had been a success.

The dog was doing well.

She had been focused on her owners, ignoring temptations and distractions.

There were adults, children, and dogs all around.

We were about to wrap up.

That’s when she came by.

She was a little girl around seven or eight years old, as cute as can be.

But she was not nice.

You wouldn’t have known to look at her.

She was well-dressed, and her hair was done up.

She looked so innocent and sweet- until she thought no one was looking.

As the little girl walked by, she crouched down, snarled, and growled at my client’s dog.

When the dog didn’t respond the first time, the little girl hid behind another person and then jumped out at the dog and again snarled and growled.

This time, the dog barked at the little girl.

Of course, the girl jumped back and acted innocent.

Everyone looked at the “aggressive” dog.

Thankfully, I had seen the whole thing, and I was not about to let it go.

The mother did not look impressed when I lectured her daughter on dog safety and manners.

I didn’t mind the dirty looks she was giving me.

If my lecture stops the child from repeating that performance and saves her from getting bit, then it’s worth the mother’s anger.

If my words help someone think before scaring a dog, that well could be the saving of a dog’s life and someone’s face.

What concerns me most is that this is the third time something like this has happened to my clients’ dogs in the past month.

I’m sending this out as an important reminder: be vigilant when you have your dog out in the community.

Be watchful and advocate for your dog.

We expect our dogs to have good manners.

We need to be mindful of the situations we put them in.

It’s ok to ask people not to pet your dog.

It’s ok to ask people to keep their dog away from yours.

It’s ok to ask children to stay back.

It’s ok to speak up. It may save a life.


If your dog needs help with his manners

If you cannot take him out and enjoy a beautiful day because you are worried what he will do around others

We can help you.

Let us show you how.

The first step is to schedule your free, no obligation evaluation.

Click here to schedule your evaluation online now.

You pick a day and time that works best for you.

A trainer will meet with you and your dog (and anyone else that you would like involved in training) and go over some history, find out your training goals, and discuss training options.

We can usually provide you with some free tips to help you start seeing immediate results.

You can find out more about all our training options and get any questions you have answered.

There is no pressure or obligation to buy anything.

Here is the link to schedule your free evaluation: https://www.cleverk9mi.com/schedule-evaluation-session.html

Happy Training!