First Dog, First

It all started with Reacher. I brought him home when he was eight weeks old, just a couple of months after my previous Boxer, Lex, lost his battle with cancer. I chose Reacher from the litter of eight because he was full of energy and showed a lot of spunk. As the saying goes, "What you see is what you get."

The innocent look will fool you every time.

And what I got was a Boxer with energy and spunk in spades. Needless to say, Reacher was a handful from the beginning. He refused to accept the word "no." It didn't matter if I squirted him with a water bottle, shook a can filled with pennies at him, popped him on the nose or gave him my best canine growl. He just barked back in his little puppy voice or tried--and often succeeded--in sinking those razor-like teeth in a finger or two.

As he got a little older he walked perfectly on a leash if he was in the mood, but might attack it on a whim, clamp it in his mouth, shake it furiously and refuse to let it go. I spent a lot of time next to the sidewalk with my foot on the leash right at his collar so he was forced to lie down and calm down--theoretically, that is. Reacher usually had other ideas. He might have been on the ground, but he was fighting frantically to get up and begin round two.

It was on one of those late fall walks that I met Evan Dunbar, a dog trainer and president of FullContact K-9, http://fullcontactk9.com/, who lives nearby. Even though Reacher happened to be on his best behavior at the time, Evan knew a potential client when he saw one. I called him a month or so later when it was clear that although I might be winning a battle now and then, Reacher was winning the war.

Reacher showed his true colors in the second training session. After a 20-minute "come to Jesus meeting" with Evan, Reacher finally saw the light. He was definitely no longer in charge. Of course, it didn't completely stop his bossy Boxer attitude with me. But as training progressed, so did Reacher. Evan's philosophy of positive reinforcement, repetition, consistency, leadership and clear communication got results.

Reacher is still full of personality (and just the right amount of spunk) but is now eager to follow commands and is willing to accept corrections. Without a doubt, Reacher is now a much more enjoyable companion.

We're still training with Evan. Reacher has graduated from basic obedience to advanced. And I've progressed in my training ability, too.

Tomorrow: Vega's story.