Flora’s Success Story —

I had a lot of trouble bonding with Flora as a young puppy. I know this is not uncommon, especially for a new puppy owner, but I was surprised at how disconnected I felt from her. At our lowest points, I wished I hadn't gotten her.

To put this into context, I had wanted a dog since I was six years old. I was never allowed to get one (fair enough...), but I don't remember any point in my life that I didn't want a dog. Six years before I got Flora is when I decided that I will 100% be getting a dog when the time is right. That is when I started casually watching training videos (thankfully stumbled upon positive reinforcement/intimidation free training from the get go). I also started researching different breeds and decided on the vizsla then. Fast forward, I spent a year choosing a breeder, then put my deposit down a year before just to make sure the timing was right (even though I could have gotten a puppy from an earlier litter). In that last year, I was in full preparation mode. Especially the months leading up to getting her, all I did was watch videos, read blogs, read (parts of) books (that I still need to finish). All I could talk about was dogs.

Having prepared a lot, I think I really set myself up for disappointment when things weren't quite going as I'd planned. I was also hesitant to reach out for help, in part because I didn't know what I didn't know and in part because I was picky about whose help I would accept. But I found myself getting annoyed with Flora and at times responding to her in ways that I knew were counter-productive. I envied my friend's "easy puppies". I felt stressed taking her out on walks. The timing of the Webinar on Leash Reactivity was serendipitous, and the presentation really resonated with me. I wanted to have this great relationship with Flora, and I wanted to be the one to train her. What I was missing was a coach, and here was this amazing opportunity to work with someone I already trusted, having already watched all their YouTube videos :D.

Signing up for the RRP has been the best money I spent on Flora. Our relationship and communication have improved so much. I've learned to be more effective in my training, I've learned to understand her better, and to communicate more clearly with her. At the risk of sounding crazy, I am actually grateful that my puppy is leash reactive just because it led me to the RRP and working with Jenna. The things I have learned through the RRP go way beyond reactivity. I truly believe that my connection with Flora is stronger now than it would have been if she were one of those "easy puppies" that I used to envy, because we are working through this together, as a team, and with the help of an amazing coach!

I highly recommend working with Jenna, if you have the opportunity! 

To answer the question, my relationship and communication with Flora have improved so much. Our relationship improved as soon as I signed up, frankly. I suddenly felt optimistic and hopeful, knowing that I would have support and guidance. Just my psychological shift made a big difference. Throughout the program, our relationship continued to improve as I learned how to be more effective in my training, how to understand her better, and how to communicate more clearly with her. I have literally said to people that, at the risk of sounding crazy, I am grateful that my puppy is leash reactive, because otherwise I would have never signed up for this program and I would have not learned all the things I learned. I now felt like Flora and I are a team, working through her reactivity together. But the things I learned in this program go way beyond reactivity. We'll never know how my relationship would have been with her had she not been leash reactive, but I imagine it would not be as deep a connection because there would be a lot that I wouldn't have known.

I need an awesome training coach! Like you said, it's the missing piece. I don't regret preparing as much as I did. Thankfully, all my preparation did in fact allow me to recognize that I needed help. I knew that her leash reactivity would get worse, and that it could even turn to fear or aggression if not carefully addressed. I knew that I was fumbling and unsure how to help her. But it took me a couple months to get there. Now that I know more than I did before, I have a better understanding and appreciation of how much more there is that I don't know. And how no matter how many videos I watch, it just doesn't give me the knowledge and experience of a professional. It seems really obvious to say, almost silly. But I definitely have a better understanding now of how much goes into training a dog. I now 100% without hesitation know that the best, most effective, and least frustrating way to train a dog is with guidance.