San-Marcos-Molly

Case Study – Molly

 

San-Marcos-APBTBreed: American Pit Bull Terrier

From: San Marcos

 

Molly did not have any major behavioral problems, but she did have a few minor ones. Jumping up, pulling on the leash, mouthing on hands when excited… nothing out of the ordinary. Her owner Kathy had adopted her not long before, but never having owned a dog before she needed help and advice. She wanted to make sure that Molly received an education, as well as wanting to make sure that she was on the right track as well. Living in a small house in San Marcos, she wanted to have house guests over without worrying about her dog being a nuisance.
We love getting calls like this! It is always great to help teach new owners the ins-and-outs of dog ownership.
Molly was enrolled in a basic obedience course where she learned commands such as sit and heel. We also addressed the minor behavior issues in the sessions while making sure to teach Kathy how to respond in each situation. By demonstrating what needed to be done for each behavior problem, we then let Kathy try as well. In this way we were able to coach her while addressing the specific questions that she had. Every dog is different… as is every owner… and every situation! In dog training, advice is rarely one-size-fits-all. We need to be able to observe the owner interacting with the dog in order to give adequate direction, and this is exactly what we did in Kathy’s case.
In the last session, after Molly had learned all of the obedience commands, now it was time to transfer this knowledge over to her owner. For all of our training programs, the trainer will work with the dog one-on-one, without the owner’s help. It is only once the dog understands the commands that we then teach the owner what to do. This assures a straightforward learning process for the dog. Most owners find this convenient as well!
Finally, by the end of the last session, Kathy had gained a lot more confidence in her ability to lead and Molly had a whole new set of skills. In fact, Kathy had friends over at her San Marcos house and was pleased that Molly behaved herself very well! The future was already looking brighter, but where should they go from here? The answer – they should keep practicing! Practicing the obedience commands throughout a dog’s life will strengthen the bond between them as well as continue to build respect. We wish the two of them luck as they continue to strengthen their own bond!