Videos

This is Saul
Saul was on the euthanasia list because he was deemed un-adoptable due to severe aggression.  He was adopted from a rescue in the hopes of  being rehabilitated so he could find his forever home.  He had been to two trainers.  He bit one on them and the other deemed him too aggressive to be worked with.  After several months, they both gave up on him.  His future did not look bright.  No one wanted to work with him.

I volunteered to work with Saul.  It took me two days to be able to enter the kennel.  It took me five days to get him to respond as you see in the videos.

Saul before rehab
I don’t know what happened to this dog, but this is clearly fear-based aggression. 

Initially, I worked him for his food, not treats.  He quickly learned that all good things come from me. The only way he would get his freedom or affection was if he did what I asked him to do.  After two days he got the idea and let me in his kennel.   By the fifth day, he totally understood the program and enthusiastically complied with what I was asking.  Once I earned his trust and built up his confidence, his true personality emerged. 

Saul 5 days after training
At first, I just wanted to gain his trust. I made training fun for him. I worked him for his food. I did not care about precision, I just wanted him to learn the basic commands, gain trust and confidence, and have fun. He responded very quickly. He was an excellent student. Eager to learn.

Saul 8 days later
Although this looks more like trick training, it is so much more.  This exercise taught Saul to come close to me.  It is a confidence-building exercise.   Although I established leadership from the beginning, I made training fun for him as well to keep him interested.

Saul (Training to collar)
Although to most dogs putting a collar on is a very simple thing, in Saul’s case, it was a major trial.  In the beginning, no one could get a leash or a collar on Saul.  As a matter of fact, they had to catch him with a catch pole.   This exercise was how I got him to feel comfortable with the collar.  See the after video where he happily turns and sits to allow me to put his collar on to go for a walk.

Saul (sitting for collar)
Previously no one could get near Saul let alone put a collar on. Now he is so trusting that I can slip a collar on him with no trouble. He has finally learned to trust.

Saul Playing Ball