Part A: In October of 2023, my husband and I decided that we needed a small dog. After searching online, I found a toy poodle that I fell in love with. We made arrangements and picked her up, naming her Zoey. From the start, I knew I wanted to train her to be obedient and well-mannered, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I looked into many different curriculums online, but none seemed right. They all appeared to follow a “one program fits all” approach, which didn’t appeal to me because I knew each dog has its own set of behavior problems, and training a small dog is different from training a large one.
One day, while driving by Roxanne’s house, I decided to give her a call. After our conversation, I felt that her approach was the right way to go. It was the best decision I’ve ever made regarding dog training. Roxanne started us immediately in the puppy course. Initially, I intended to stop after completing that course. However, when I finished, Roxanne encouraged me to continue with the follow-up course (Foundation Course), saying that Zoey had only scratched the surface of what she needed to learn. She explained that to be successful in all life situations, Zoey needed the next course.
At first, I thought Zoey was fine; she knew how to sit, lie down, place, and had a start on "stay." That seemed sufficient to me. But something inside urged me to give the follow-up course a try. It certainly couldn’t hurt. Seeing how obedient Roxanne’s dogs were, I decided to continue our training journey. This course was demanding, and some weeks I questioned what I had gotten myself into. However, I am not a quitter, so I persevered and worked hard every day to be as successful as possible.
Training Zoey became part of my daily routine: work, home, train, sleep, repeat. During any downtime, I watched Roxanne’s excellent videos on her blog. I would study, take notes, and practice diligently. The videos were a lifesaver, teaching me so much with each viewing. By week eight, I was excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel and finish the course.
Initially, when starting the foundation course, I would make a schedule for the next day. I thought, "I'll work on left and right turns tomorrow and RATT turns the following day." Boy, was I wrong. I never considered that I was working with an unknown factor—a dog—who has her own agenda, her own good and bad days, and her own threshold of what she can handle in a training session. This added to the frustration I felt in the first few weeks of the course.
I quickly had to learn that patience is essential when training. I can't schedule each training session down to the minute. Instead, I need to observe the dog and work with what she is capable of, rather than sticking rigidly to my agenda. By the end of week three, the lists and schedules went out the window. This has been a significant challenge for me. I have had to develop more patience and learn to relax. I've also had to learn to laugh at myself and understand that dog training is a process of patience and persistence, not just a list of expectations to be checked off.
I have also discovered in the foundation course that dog training is an addictive hobby—thanks, Roxanne, for that one! This has been an unexpected change in my life, one that has brought great reward and satisfaction. It has made me feel so much better about myself and much more accomplished.
I want to continue building the bond we have. I want her to continue to understand that I am her protector and leader, and that she must respond to commands without hesitation. I am also excited to continue learning about dogs and their behaviors. I have learned so much so far and am eager to continue. Best of all, I get to do it with all of you
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