I had completed my dog training course and moved into a house with a secure backyard in the Geelong region. At this point, I decided it was time to get my first-ever personal dog. Every dog in my life thus far has been a family dog. I had mainly grown up with kelpie crossbreeds. My first dog was King, a Kelpie x Corgi, after whom I named my business. Then we had Kellie, a Kelpie x Whippet, and more recently, Kayla, an Amstaff x English Staffy. Kayla was my training helper while completing the National Dog Training Federation course.
That day I made three decisions. Firstly, to bring a dog into my life; secondly, no more dog names starting with the letter “K”. Finally, I have a soft spot for Kelpie-type breeds and Corgis. I loved working dogs, dogs with a high drive for work that I can teach to do stuff and cheeky monkeys with energy to burn.
Little did I know of the journey we were initiating: the highs, the lows, the friendships forms and the learning experiences.
The Game Plan
I contacted the rescue organisation – Forever Friends Animal Rescue – where I have volunteered over the years; a Kelpie cross was available for adoption. By the time I made contact, she had previously found her new home. She was one of many that came to the rescue from an animal hoarding situation. Her mother, aunty and brother were still on the property, looking for foster or adoption. With plans made, I set off on the journey to meet said dogs.
One of my prerequisites was that this dog would help me with training consults with other dogs and my demo dog in group classes at Geelong East Primary School. With this in mind, we tested them with small, medium and large dogs. Mum and her sister were not great with the giant bull Arab, whereas Jaffa, as he was named at the time, tested great with all the dogs, and he worked well with me during the testing.
A Redflag Moment
Jaffa fits my list – good with dogs. He worked well with me during the testing; he was spunky with a cheeky smile. I decided he was coming home with me!
As we said goodbyes, he nipped at my leg. I gave him a quick “don’t do that pop” on the leash, and we continued talking. He had another crack, another pop, and the moment was over.
Homecoming
On the 4-hour drive home to Geelong, I remember looking in the rear vision mirror, wondering if I could trust him and feeling the same thoughts coming back at me. When we got home, I took him into the backyard and let him off the lead. He was having the time of his life, making my heart sing. He was having the time of his life, and from that moment, we were bonded.
At this point, all the things I knew about this dog were:
- He had the name Jaffa – that had to go, I hate it, and he had no idea that this was his name.
- He was around 4.5 years young.
- He is a Kelpie x Labrador.
- He had no understanding of obedience commands or how to learn.
- He needed to learn how to walk on a lead.
- He was willing to use his teeth to communicate.
- And he needed a bath – desperately.
Where to Start
So first things first, he was this great unknown. Until I knew more, we had to set up some management strategies. That meant muzzle and crate training, and he took to both nicely. His crate became his favourite place to hang out. He understood it was his safe space with the door open or closed.
The other thing we needed was that new name; I refused to use the name Jaffa, so few the first few weeks, he was “hey boy!” Eventually, after getting to know him better, his name became Cooper.
The lessons begin.
We had a few more instances where teeth were involved. The first was with the gardener with the “he’ll be right” attitude. I was very much on the over-cautious side of things and did a test with Cooper on lead in his presence. Cooper paid him very little interest; he wouldn’t even look at him; later, I would see this for what it actually was; he was uncomfortable and displaying avoidance behaviours. As Cooper and I went to move away from him, Cooper took a potshot. We were far enough away that he didn’t connect, but now I knew things were more severe than I had banked on.
We began group training at Four Paws K9 Training on Saturdays soon after he came home with me; We needed a chance to practice his obedience while working around other dogs and people. During one session, I was working with a friend, doing some testing around people. What became apparent was that Cooper is not a confident dog; he waited until he turned his back before taking a crack.
"It takes considerable knowledge just to realise the extent of your own ignorance."
Dr Thomas Sowell.
When you think you know…
With all this information, I looked at where I was. I had completed a dog training course, and if you have heard the Dunning Kruger effect, that was me. I thought with the big, new, shiny certificate, I was prepared for rehab with a dog with aggressive tendencies towards people and that I could “fix” this by checking off boxes with the theoretical knowledge that I had at that point… boy was I clueless!
Hot tip: Seek help if you have no experience with dogs behaving aggressively. It is easy to make it worse. Which is the path we went down; more on that in Part 2, to be continued.
For dog obedience training and behaviour modification services in Geelong, the Bellarine,
Surf Coast and Golden Plains regions, contact King’s K9 Dog Training.