Evans Training Centre & Black Lion Kennels

DOG TRAINING TIPS General Dog Training Advice Conduct short, efficient, business-like training sessions, twice a day, if possible. Before dog training sessions begin, allow your dog ample opportunity to relieve himself. Each lesson will begin with a review of the previous lessons. This will set the mood for this day’s session as this gives the dog trainer the opportunity to praise the dog for performing the correct activity. All commands must be given in a clear and concise manner. There is need for firmness from the dog trainer. Impatience on the part of the dog trainer is never a part of training. The dog trainer must never get angry at the dog. Each dog training session must improve upon the previous session. If a lesson is not going well, and both the trainer and the dog are becoming stressed, switch to a review lesson so that the trainer has the opportunity to praise the dog for performing well. Then continue with training of the new activity. When training the dog in a new activity always end the training session on a positive note. Even if the dog has not mastered all of the activity perfectly, end with praise. You will build upon today's lesson tomorrow. Conduct all new training activities where there are minimal distractions. This helps the dog to focus on the trainer and the lesson that is being taught. As the dog continues to gain strength in obedience then that is the time that the dog trainer will search out distractions in order to “proof” the dog. Never let your trained dog get away with a mistake. The dog must always complete to the fullest extent the command that you have given. If you allow the dog to get away with a mistake, the dog will feel that he can do it again, making it more difficult the next time. The goal of dog training is to ensure that the dog always completes the training command that you have given.

Evans Training Question & Answer Hi there! Just wanted to make sure you received our deposit cheque for **** training due to begin on March 3rd.  As discussed we will fly him up on Friday - I'll call with the flight time and waybill number etc. as soon as they give it to me.  We switched **** onto a readily available food so that you can buy it locally for him as you mentioned. We are really looking forward to seeing the results of your work with ****- he is a really nice fellow and I'm sure you'll enjoy him.  We will certainly miss him.  We will come and pick him up from you on Saturday, March 17th - you can let us know what time is best.  I know you want us to spend several hours there learning how to be good parents and we will look forward to meeting you. I will make copies of **** vaccination records for you and he was neutered at 6 months.  Please let us know if there is anything further we need to do. Best regards, **** and **** Dear **** I did receive your deposit cheque - thank you. I will purchase the described food prior to receiving ****. On Saturday, March 17 let's set the time at 1100 hrs.  This should give you sufficient time to arrive without having to awake too early.  Do you have directions? Cheers, Don Don Saturday at 11:00 sounds perfect, but no we do not have directions - if you could provide them it would be great.  Glad to hear you are expecting our boy - I'll double check the airlines tomorrow to pick a flight time and let you know right away. Thanks **** Hi Don **** is flying up today on Pacific Coastal's flight leaving Vancouver at 12:10.  I'll call with the arrival time and waybill number as soon as I have it in hand. Take good care of my baby! Thanks **** Dear **** **** has safely arrived. See you on the 17th. Cheers, Don Hi Don We are just wondering if ****has settled in alright?  Is he being a good boy for you?  Anyway, we have been thinking of him and just wanted to check that he is OK. Thanks **** **** Every thing is fine.  **** is eating well and his bowel movements are perfect. Don Hi Don We are just wondering how **** is doing.  Is he taking to the training well and being a good student?  We are sure looking forward to having him home, even the cat misses him! **** Dear **** **** is right on schedule. Because we have never met we don't know each other and you are the one taking the greatest "risk" by sending your dog to an "unknown" entity.  I appreciate and understand your concern and worry.  However, for ****'s sake, you are going to have to be prepared for a very large learning curve in the understanding of dogs and their perception of the world.  Every dog wants to "work".  Whether it is a Pomeranian or a police service dog, their greatest joy in life is to please their handler by performing.  Our task as caring handlers/trainers is to give these animals in our care the very best opportunity to feel good and confident in their assigned tasks.  The very worst thing that we can do is to try and "humanize" our dogs.  If a human has a dog because that dog fulfills an emotional need for the human I can understand.  If a human has a dog and treats that dog as a surrogate child I can understand.  However, a dog belonging to such an owner will never been trained to any high level.  There is too much "neediness" on the part of the owner to establish the necessary challenges which every dog thrives upon. **** is not a Maltese.  He is a "working" dog with very high potential.  He takes great pride in his work as you will see when I demonstrate him for you. Every dog, regardless of any anthropomorphic views held by the owner, is a carnivore, predator and pack animal.  As such, if the dog views the owner as friend, peer, playmate, chewtoy, etc. any relationship is one-sided, as evidenced by your request to have a "re-call" placed on Flynn.  If a dog views the handler as "alpha" it will do anything the "alpha" member of its pack requests.  Much of training a dog is psychological.  It is the need to understand how a dog thinks and how a dog perceives the world.  If an owner attempts to patronize a dog in order to get the dog to obey basic commands the owner has fallen into an abyss that dog will not help to extricate you from.  An example:  I and my family have moved into your neighbourhood. You, as a kind and thoughtful person, invite us to your house for dinner. We have a nice time and are very thankful to you.  You invite us again because we appear to be very busy getting our household in order.  Sometime passes and you invite us yet again.  Social mores state that it is now our turn to reciprocate and no doubt we will.  A dog, on the other hand, will come to your house for the 20th and 25th time without any thought or conscience.  It is not in their psychological profile to feel or act upon the falsely created social niceties of human society. If I train **** to Level ll and he is 80m away from me and I give him instructions to down and then immediately come to me and down again in front why is it that he does those things?  If he sees and chases a deer why does he stop and return when I command him?  Most people would say because he is "trained".  This is only partially true.  The greater truth is that "uncle Don" said so and "uncle Don" is so important in Flynn's life that he will overcome any and all genetic predispositions to do what the person he "loves" (not my choice of concept) commanded.  Why does he respond (love) so strongly?  Because he is frightened of me?  Of course not - a fearful dog will always go the other way away from the source of his fear.  He responds because I have enabled him to be what he is - a dog. I apologize if I have offended.  This has been necessary so that you can in some small measure be prepared for your lesson on the 17th.  My greatest desire is to have **** work for you as well as he does for me. Don Don, I just wanted to thank you for your candour. I almost invested the equivalent of a down payment on a new vehicle and risked losing my dog altogether. I learned more in our short conversation than I have spending hundreds on books and local "trainers". I appreciate how busy you are, but I was hoping that you could recommend a good dog behaviour book or two that I might read while I am scouring the earth for a competent trainer. I would also like to discuss coming over to BC, possibly in July, for some training.   Again, thank you;   **** I responded to this persons request by telephone. There are only a few good dog behaviour books and they are entwined with human psychology and behaviour. The relationship between human and dog cannot be separated into separate and distinct entities. Regarding “working dogs” – a poor dog with an excellent handler becomes a mediocre dog. An excellent dog with a poor handler becomes a mediocre dog. An excellent dog with an excellent handler remains an excellent dog. Hello, I'm looking for some more information regarding your services.  We have an 8 year old fixed female mixed breed (large dog).  She has been with us for 8 years and has always been very gentle around us and our 5 year-old daughter.  We also have 2 cats (currently we also have my mil small breed dog staying with us) we had a second dog (he passed away 2 years after we got him) and they all get along well.  She is very protective and territorial and has always had a dislike for men, we got her when she was 7 weeks old, but never violent.  She has always been a barker and wants people to know that she is there, even when she's inside she will sit in the window and bark at passers by.  Lately she has been more aggressive, not towards us or our animals but towards outsiders and passers by.  Is this aggression something that we can 'fix' with your program? What would it involve? and what are the costs?  I want to be comfortable knowing that we can take her for walks and have her around us if we are in a group of people. Thank you so much for your time and any insight you can offer.  **** Hello **** It is always difficult for me to respond to letters such as yours because of the semantics involved. People's "realities" are so different for each of us.  Your words "protective", "territorial", "aggression", "barker" are quite probably different to you than what they are to me.  Nevertheless I think I understand and, for what it is worth, here is my theory and suggestions. Many dogs are myopic to varying degrees - in German Shepherds, for example, 40% are near-sighted.  Such dogs tend to be barkers.  A dog views 80% of its world through its nose.  What it senses through its olfactory is then confirmed by vision.  If your dog has been a consistent barker from youth and then progresses to intensifying its barking as age progresses you might now understand why.  As in humans our eyesight tends to diminish as we age. Also the sense of smell begins to diminish with age and this compounded with diminishing eye sight will trigger behavioural changes.  This type of behaviour is not temperament related. What your dog needs, particularly around groups of strangers, is confidence in you.  What I mean by this is that your dog must trust that you will not let any harm come to her.  We accomplish this with strong obedience.  When your dog is on-leash and is in proper obedience profile she cannot be barking, lunging, etc., at people.  When she is heeling, sitting, staying, downing, etc. she knows that you are in control and the myriad of partial smells and partial sights that she is probably now experiencing is controlled by you and that, again, no harm is going to come to her.  This is trust and obedience is trust traveling a 2 way street. Hope this helps.  Should you require further clarification a phone conversation would be best. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Hey Don, Hope things are going well, I know you are busy.  **** is doing well and is molting like you wouldn't believe.  I brushed a full green garbage bag-full off of her the other day.  I'm pretty sure she feels better now.  I just have a question that is probably a common issue.  I take **** up to my friend's ranch and all was going well until she met the wrong horse.  She is good with two of the horses, they have tuned her in, but the third horse takes a stance with her, gets mad and then the chase is on...horse chasing dog.  **** now thinks this is a game, but the horse is mad.  I really don't want something to happen.  I really don't get why she is okay with two of them and not the third.  When she is on her collar everything is all okay, but I would like to be able to smooth things over between them.  She can hang out around the other two, wander around them and interact with them...  Do you have any ideas of how to stop the war? Cheers ****  Hi **** Good to hear from you. What is the gender of the horses and do you know their ages? Don   Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. **** gets along with the 2 geldings ages 11 and 23.  She doesn't get along with **** she's 5 yrs old.  **** the mare.  All 3 are draft crosses.  **** is serious about getting the dog away, but like I said, **** thinks its a game.  She barks and lunges at the horse.  **** Everything is natural and normal.  The geldings are usually non-entities in the herd order.  The mare is responding as she should.  In the natural state it is always a mare that leads the herd and consequently looks after the welfare of the herd members.  ****’s chasing away of the predator is a good thing. ****, on the other hand, will require control - for her safety.  Do not think that it is a requirement for your dog to be "friends" with the horses.  There is no "good" horse, "bad" horse nor is there a "good" dog, "bad" dog in this scenario.  Actually in the long term it is good that you have experienced the individual differences in horses.  If **** had experienced only the two geldings and you, the handler, assumed that your dog's relationship with all horses would be consistent in this way, **** could potentially be placed in harm's way.  She could be seriously injured or even killed. A number of years ago we had a Briard that thought she was pretty tough.  She was able to move the geldings around but then she encountered my mare.  My mare had a great deal of experience around dogs and waited till the Briard was in range and let her have a kick.  The dog was knocked out and bleeding from the mouth.  When I check her mouth for missing teeth I found that she had piece of tongue, the size of a tooney, missing.  The Briard recovered from the blow but never again went any closer than ten feet to any horse.  The Briard was lucky to be alive and I was lucky to still have a good dog.  And of course, I thought no less of my horse for her behaviour. Hope this helps.  Cheers, Don Greetings, Hope this note finds you well.  Just thought that I would drop you a line and let you know how the big suck is doing.   She has her off leash stuff down pat, except I do have one question.   Sometimes when I leave her and wander off to do a recall or a down, or whatever, she is staring at the sky and watching the flowers instead of paying attention to me.  What should I do in this case, as I am 20 yards or more away?  Other than that, things are good.  Her first night home she got to chase some teenage boys out of the back yard that thought they were going for a swim in our pool at midnight.  Ended up being the neighbour's boy and his friends...they won't be doing that again.  **** just about got one of them as they went back over the fence.  I put the video of her onto DVD, so that is real cool.  She does bark a little bit more now, but we are getting used to it.  Thanks again Cheers **** Dear **** Good to hear from you - glad things are going well. Re:**** and attention.  She has got you "psyched"!!!  Reverse the process.  There are a number of ways to do this only your imagination is the limit.  When you put her on a stay and walk away start looking for 4 leaf clovers or cigarette butts or dog pooh - anything that transmits to **** that she is NOT #1.  Use a ball, kong, stick, etc and, initially let her know you have it and play with her.  Then go into obedience mode.  When you get as far away as you choose start playing with the item and make it as sincere as possible that the item is the greatest thing on earth.  Then call her.  When she completes the exercise let her have the object but for no more than 30 seconds.  Put the item into your jacket and transfer through body language that the item is way more fun and valuable than any stupid dog.  Continue with the heel and any other exercises that you choose.  Upon proper, and ONLY PROPER, completion of the exercise does she get the item to play with and again for no more than 30 seconds. Remember that the difference between a "working" dog and a "pet" dog (irrespective of genetics) is that in a working dog the handler leads and in a pet dog the handler follows. Hope this helps. Cheers, Don Hi there, I actually saw an ad on a car the other day at Mcdonalds (silver matrix if I remember right) but the car was gone by the time I got out with my lunch, looked in the phone book & I'm pretty sure it was your name that I recognized; looked you up on the internet because most places are closed by the time I get out of work and to my luck you have an e-mail address. My name is****, dogs name is ****(purebred German Sheppard) and she's a pain in the neck. She's actually a pretty good dog, very smart but also very stubborn; she's come a long way since we got her (she's now 13 months old) but she still doesn't listen to all commands, constantly bugs our cat and most frustrating is always jumping up on people. (the breeder we got her from encourages jumping up, says its how they know who to trust; I don't really agree) We did have her at an obedience class when she was 4 months old, but that didn't go so well; in our defense the trainer did say she was too young at the time but brought her in because she wanted to fill the class.? My questions to you are: where are your classes located? when are your classes? how much do you charge? Is**** too old for training now? I would appreciate some info when you get a chance, you can reach me at **** Thank you in advance, looking forward to hearing from you.    **** Hello **** Thanks for your inquiry. In response to your questions:     - A dog is never too old to train.     - I do not hold "classes" (they do not make any sense to me).  All dogs stay at the training facilities for the duration of training. I train each dog individually and then I train the handler.     - My obedience rate is $****/day and the time duration is 14 days.     - You supply your dog's regular food and I require verification of vaccinations.     - As of this writing my next available opening is November 22. There is no obligation on your part to come and visit. I can show you video tape of other people’s dogs that I have trained so that you can have a clear understanding of my obedience and whether it fits your purpose.  It is vastly different from that accomplished in group classes.  If you have any specific questions regarding training or your dog's behaviour I would be pleased to speak with you on the phone. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Hello,  One of our dogs, **** an unknown breed from the SPCA (we also have ****a purebred golden retriever) seems un-trainable, we were told she was a lab/border collie cross, which she isn't, and she was older than what we were told when we brought her home.  My husband brought her home , promised to train, then left town for work reasons, and while she is very gentle with kids (we have two older and a three year old)  she does not come ever when called, and runs out the door if she possibly can, coming home when she is done.  My neighbours are understandably very annoyed, and while I don't want to send her back to the pound, I am running out of options.  I don't want her attacking another dog(my worst fear when she is tearing around the block) or being hit by a car. We have had her for over a year, I am wondering if there is hope, and how much it costs!  Any info you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, **** Hello **** Please understand that the information I am giving you is based only upon the information that you have given. Firstly, dogs bond more strongly and quickly with their own species than they do with humans.  If **** is the second dog you can see this being true. The primary reason that a dog leaves it's home property is because the owners are doing nothing with the dog.  A dog that is worked (trained on a regular basis) has a reason to stay home.  Because the dog's source of pleasure is in the work provided by its care givers it stays on the premises. I would encourage you to phone and have a conversation with me so that I can clarify the above. My training costs for Level 1 training is $****/day.  Level 1 is completed in 14 days.  The guarantee that I give is that my 6 year old daughter will be able to work your dog in Disneyland.  However, if you do not have the time to continue with the training that I will have instilled into your dog, it would be a waste of your money. The other problem for you is that my next available openings are not until the beginning of November. Hope this is of some help. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Hi Don, I feel like I know you as I am a youth care worker in alternate for the school district and remember your program, as well three of my friends, (****, ****, and ****), have taken their dogs to you and have been highly pleased. My previous dog was 16 when she died and was quite well behaved. I got a puppy from the SPCA at the end of November and he has quite a mind of his own. He is a Corgi/Australian Shepherd cross everyone thinks. We are currently going to dog obedience through the Kennel Club and he can do most things in the house — especially for wieners — but outside is a different story. He was a wanderer when I got him — had been seen and picked up several times. He takes off and will not come back. Doesn’t matter if it is a person, dog or blowing leaf — he is just gone. He only comes when called in the house when he really wants to as well. He knows sit, down, shake a paw, etc. really well. Stay is good when we are practicing as well. We are working on Quiet for all the whining and barking. As soon as I am on the phone or computer he is either whining or barking. We need to start working on OFF. He can dig a huge hole in no time flat and eats all my flower bulbs. He eats everything — he is going to cost me a fortune in stomach surgery. He has eaten rugs, all soft toys, hard plastic from the boot tray. He swallows it all. He also has a huge need to lick everything and everyone. He is so friendly and wants to play but a lot of other dogs immediately growl or nip at him. He does not give up and actually licks my friend’s dog’s teeth when he is snarling at him. He is so silly. He tries to jump on everyone we pass on our walks — he heels okay but not great. He is good till something distracts him and then it is like he is on another planet. I used to be able to let my other dog out and not worry that she would take off and that is what I would with ****. Is that possible? I have even tried having squeak toys outside with him as he loves them, but he took off. At what age do you like them to be — is it easier younger or a bit older? He is about 6½ - 7 months now. What all could you miraculously do with him and how long would it take? How much is your fee? Not sure what else to ask you at this point. I would like to finish off our obedience training and see how he does, but I just haven’t seen a huge improvement in the coming when called and staying home and I hate having him tied up whenever he is outside, so I think I will have to send him to you. Do I come everyday as well? If so, maybe over Spring Break would be a good time. Thanks Don **** Thank you for your inquiry. My rate is $****/day and I require to have your dog for 14 days. At the end of 14 days I guarantee that my 6 year old daughter will be able to work your dog in Disneyland. All dogs stay at the training centre for the duration of their training. At the end of training I spend approx. 3 hrs. with the owner to transfer commands and show corrections etc. You are more than welcome to come and visit so that we can discuss your dog and you can view video tape of other dogs that have been trained. This will give you a clear understanding of what to expect from your dog upon completion. I suggest that you re-read your letter. Place yourself in the position of an outsider reading this letter and knowing neither the dog nor the owner. If you are honest and critical you will notice that the owner makes really “stupid” excuses. The owner anthropomorphizes. “He is so friendly and wants to play but….He is so silly.” This is very unhealthy in the dog/human relationship. “He tries to jump on everyone we pass on our walks – he heels okay but not great”. What is this sentence? Two statements in one sentence which are the exact opposite of each other. “He knows sit, down, shake a paw, etc. really well. Stay is good when we are practicing as well.” – this sounds like a trained dog but then I read…”He takes off and will not come back.” How can a dog take off when he is commanded to sit? How can a dog be jumping on people when it is in heel? Do you see what I mean ****? A dog is trained or not trained. It is black and white. The proof of a dog’s training is around distractions. Most dogs will perform in the living room of their house – a trained dog will perform regardless of the environment or the distractions of chickens, dogs, kids on roller blades, or a herd of elephants and without the use of food. Excessive licking from a dog beyond 6 weeks of age is abnormal. The descriptions of your dog’s licking behaviour would indicate to me that he was not weaned properly. He is not indicating proper dog behaviour as evidenced by the reaction of other dogs. If I haven’t insulted you too much and turned you off I suggest you call me. You need to see first hand what a well trained dog looks like and how a human properly handles such a dog. Cheers, Don Evans Hi there, I came across your site while searching for training help. I have 2 male Saint Bernards (ages 7 months and 19 months) and I am having trouble with them. They are not mean at all, but they do not listen. I swear I have tried everything (except of course what works!!) They have both gone to obedience classes, and still they do not listen. The older one does not come when called, the younger one does about 1/2 the time and most of all...they love to wreck things. I know dogs become destructive when they are bored....but those dogs have more toys than most kids, a huge yard and I walk and play with them everyday. I'm convinced that they just like to destroy things. The main problem with both of them is digging. Digging in the yard, and most recently....digging in the house. Yes, the house....they have started to dig holes in my walls. Anyway, sorry to ramble, but I was wondering if you think they can be helped? Could you send me some info on your courses (length and cost)? Thank you very much, *** Dear **** Thank you for your inquiry. There is one fundamental aspect about dogs that is not known by many people and your dogs are a good example of this. Dogs bond more quickly and strongly with other dogs than they do with humans. I believe it is evident from your description that the older dog has not been trained to any strong extent and thus the bond (a result of training) is missing. A young dog, when introduced to a pack (family) with an already established dog will never meet its full genetic potential, unless, the younger dog is separated from the older dog. The established dog will always keep the younger dog in a submissive role. This is the “pack” system and does not indicate “good dog/bad dog”. Your two dogs are getting all of their psychological and emotional needs met through each other and the human is only incidental. You will see that the times when they are responsive to you is during feeding. The acts of destruction are play games between the two dogs. They are also dominant enhancing activities. What is meant by this is… I can dig faster than you can, I can create a bigger hole than you can, I can create a new activity before you can. The dogs are not doing this to spite you. They are competing with each other. When you walk with the dogs they are probably both ahead of you in proximity. They are leading. When you play with them you always stop playing first – therefore, in the mind of the dog they won the game. These well meaning activities, initiated by the human, result in sub-dominance status. Train the dogs to heel properly. Stop playing with the dogs. Separate and train the dogs properly. Once you have established the proper hierarchy your domestic life will become joyful. Hope this helps. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Hi There, I was wondering if you offer plain old obedience classes or at-home one on one private sessions? I have a 18 month old fantastic Golden Retriever that is incredibly smart, very social, with no problems.  As first time dog owners, however, we would love some tips though on how to keep her energy more focused on us. We have been through 2 obedience classes and she has done very well, but is very hard to keep focused as she always wants to play with the other dogs.  She is absolutely not aggressive with people or dogs in any way (actually she is very very submissive). She knows the basics (heel, sit, down, stay, come) as long as there isn't any major distractions. We are looking for ways to keep her being the best-mannered dog she can, and perhaps investigate agility or tracking to see if its something she would be good at. Thanks, **** Dear **** Thanks for your inquiry. A telephone conversation would be best in order for me to assist. If, after our discussion, you appreciate what you hear I would encourage you to come and visit so that I can show you on video tape other dogs that I have trained.  In this way you can compare my obedience training with the training your dog presently has.  The proof of the strength of training is shown around distractions. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Hi Don A question for you.**** has been training with our dog (****) locally with****. She is currently in level 2 with him and is also doing the tracking class. He is doing very well and is tracking like a begal....We had him book with you in October for your level 1 and was wondering what would make sense for us to do next ? Ultimately we want u to train for protection but can **** continue locally for the obedience? Anyway ... look forward to your email. **** Hi **** The decision is entirely up to you.  If "****" is doing well where he is and you are happy with his performance then there is no obvious reason for you to change. However, not all training is the same and not all levels coincide. You still have some time before October 18 so I would suggest that you come for a visit and I will show you dogs that have been trained and then you would be the best judge of what would be best for ****. If you wish to have protection training placed on **** it is imperative that no food be used in his obedience/tracking training. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Hello Don, **** is doing well. She does all her commands. We on the other hand have two questions for you. 1) When we have done a sit, stay. with leash on ground and walk away. When **** breaks the command and walks forward ,we have had some controversy on how to return her to the sit stay position .  Could you explain how to get her back to the left side if she is on the right. 2) Unless we missed that lesson. We still do not know how to get **** to "Come". What is the command for "Come?"  when she is off leash. We do not want to start teaching a command if it is not the one she would need for the next lesson. Regards, **** Dear **** 1) You grab the leash short with your right hand and keep the dog on your right side as you walk in a straight line back to where you gave the command.  As you arrive back at the original place of command both you and the dog are looking in the wrong direction with the dog on the incorrect side.  Standing in place, simply turn the dog counter clockwise with your right hand and with the handler turning clockwise and you will end up looking in the correct direction with the dog on the correct side.   Repeat the command. 2) You did not miss the lesson.  As you state: " What is the command for "come?" when she is off leash"  is exactly that - off leash.  Off-leash work is level 2. Reminders:  Do not give a dog a command you cannot enforce. If **** is running around off-leash be sure that her obedience collar is removed. Hope this helps. Cheers, Don Hi Don: I got your name and number from ****. I own a security agency in **** and have been handling dogs for about 7 years. I'm a former Correctional Officer and worked with a dog during my tenure there also. Currently I have two German Shepherds - one female (1.5 years ) **** who is in the middle of her SAR training and one male (6 years)**** I am writing to you about ****. I bought him from a breeder when he was about two years old. He didn't have any training at that point and I started doing Schutzhund with him. He did quite well and I was happy with his progress. When I went out on patrol he was my partner - however I do not go out on patrol very often now.  Also he has twisted his back a few times and the vet said further injuries would become progressively worse. So I haven't done any training or working with him over the last year. I'd rather have him healthy than working. I would like to completely retire him at this point **** comes from good lines (his sire has a Schutzhund 3 title and was in the Worlds several times). He was quite social when we first got him and I think he has a good temperament generally now but I have to muzzle him when we go for walks to be on the safe side. He's not good with other dogs as he is so dominant. He's very dominant but obedient with me. He's dominant with my wife and not too obedient with her. (she doesn't practise any training techniques) The major problem is that he's unpredictable. For example is someone were to come to our home and starts to play with the other dog or with me he would probably get up and go after the person.  But it's not a frenzied aggression -its more controlled -he goes for the arm (sleeve) and will out when commanded. Obviously I wouldn't let that happen and we muzzle **** when we have guests. **** thinks the issue is with his defence drive but I tend to think its prey drive issues. **** has worked with me an **** and can probably add more. I realize he needs an outlet - and I take him on a good hike every day or two. He likes chewing logs and I realize this behaviour is an outlet for him also. I also realize he is feeding off me - I've come to be overly anxious about him being close to people and he picks up on that. I think what I need is: 1. to work with a trainer to figure out why he is unpredictable 2. to work on his socialization skills 3 give him an outlet other than schutzhund 4. work on my anxiety with him ( as well as my wife's anxiety) 5. work on obedience 6. work on the dominance issue I could bring him up there for an evaluation whenever you have time, but my wife and I are expecting a baby at the end of August however. (I don't have any concerns regarding the baby and****.) Please let me know briefly what your techniques are and if you think you can help. Looking forward to hearing from you. **** Dear **** Thank you for your letter. It is always a difficult task for me when I respond to letters such as yours.  Semantics cause the difficulty.  The words that we use such as aggressive, dominance, socialization, obedience are always subjective.  What these words may mean to one person can be very different to another person - especially so when we are a looking for specific answers. Nevertheless, I will attempt to point out aspects in your letter that outlines some of these problems and in doing so, perhaps, give some insight. "He's very dominant but obedient with me."  Dominance is a hierarchical issue just as is obedience.  An obedient dog does not exhibit dominance to it's handler.  You have experience with this when you say "He's dominant with my wife and not too obedient with her. (she doesn't practice any training techniques)".  Obedience training is how we, as trainers and handlers, establish dominance over our dogs.  A good dominance relationship with your type of dog is crucial.  If you are the dominant dog, he'll feel secure when you feel secure - and won't defend territory against friendly visitors, meter readers, and letter carriers - but will still defend you and your home when the need arises. "The major problem is that he's unpredictable."  The converse of unpredictable is predictable.  When something is predictable it is consistent.  The foundation of strong obedience is consistency.  This consistency is not restricted only to positive reinforcement but to correction of inconsistency in the form of compulsion.  Dogs view the world in black and white.  When as humans we learn through our socialization behaviour to be consistently "grey" so that others might "like" us we do our canine companions a disservice by introducing this type of behaviour.  Being "grey" only serves to confuse the dog. "For example if someone were to come to our home...he would probably get up and go after the person...it's not a frenzied aggression...he goes for the arm..will out on command...I wouldn't let that happen and we muzzle Dino when we have guests."  You give what reads to be a very accurate description of a behaviour pattern but then end with not knowing whether what you have described is a fact. ****, do not take any of my comments personally.  Do not let the ego get involved because it will only interfere with possible solutions.  If someone were to have written or spoken to you about the above scenario how would you respond?  What insights would you have with regards to this person and his relationship with his dog? **** thinks the issue...defense drive but I tend to think...prey drive...."  This has nothing to do with your dog's behaviour.  An in-depth explanation would take approximately 2000 words.  But for interest sake let's take a brief look.  Many people in Schutzhund attempt to explain behaviour in terms of "drives".  This is not necessarily incorrect but it is incomplete and very elementary.  If I were to choose between ****(defense) and ****(prey) I would tend towards****.  Why?  Because a truly dominant dog does not care about other people and especially about other dogs - ""He's not good with other dogs as he is so dominant."  If **** was worked correctly in the protection phase of his training and he truly is a dominant dog, the presence of casual strangers or friends would not stimulate him to be "wired" in the way that you describe.  If he was trained to be a true "security" dog (a human hunter) and he is a dominant dog then his behaviour can be explained in this way.  **** is initiating confrontation (1).  But be careful, ****, remember the ego.  As the owner/handler of this dog it is imperative that you remain objective.  It could also be that this dog lacks nerve and like the bully in the playground he wants to scare first before being scared (2). "I don't have any concerns regarding the baby and ****".  Be very careful****.  Dog (1) will push your wife for a reaction possibly thru the baby.  Dog (2) will assert his pack position thru the baby. "I also realize...and he picks up on that."  Good.  Your honesty is important. Your list of 6 points of what you need is correct.  There are so many people who give great lip service and talk the talk and it all ends there.  Training a dog properly is no different that taking layers off of an onion.  There is so much that people do not know.  If you wish to know how to do all of the "work" correctly as outlined in your need to do list you will require more than a short letter from me. There is no "technique" for training dogs.  As a professional trainer I do not have the luxury of choosing which dogs I train.  I can get 2 dogs today.  One pees every time it sees it's own shadow.  The other wants to bite my face off.  At the end of training both dogs work the same way.  Do I use the same "technique" for both dogs? Hope this helps. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Hi Don: Just a quick note to say thanks for meeting with me and ****.I really like your theory on training and found everything you said very interesting and informative. Sorry about getting back so late but ****and I have been busy with the baby. She was delivered on Saturday the 23rd and both **** and the baby (**** are doing great). I want to register for the January class and was wondering about how to pay the $**** non refundable retainer. Should I send a cheque or are you set up for Visa? Also, I have introduced the baby into the home and I am stressing her position in our pack to the dogs - not letting them into the baby room, letting them sniff her blanket and then commanding them to lay down, etc.. I'm wondering if I should keep the dogs outside for a while until they are more used to her and what else I can do to assert her position to the dogs. I don't want to take any chances obviously but would like any advise you can offer. Thanks again, Don. **** Regarding your dogs and ****: In the domestic environment, both dogs and children must learn how to act around each other.  All dogs must be taught how to act around children, and all children must be taught how to act around dogs. To improve children's confidence and self-esteem, it is vital their puppy and dog-training exploits succeed.  Success depends upon adult planning, participation, and direction (obviously in ****'s case not for a few years).  First, adults must teach the dog how to act in a controlled manner, and second, adults must teach children how to control the mannerly dog. All dogs must be taught to thoroughly enjoy the presence and actions of babies.  The solution is classical conditioning.  From the outset, integrate your dog(s) into all new baby moments and routines.  When feeding the baby, sit down comfortably and feed a portion of your dog's daily food at the same time.  When the baby cries and you go to settle her down feed another portion of food to your dog.  When changing the baby's diapers, do the same feeding of your dog.  In no time at all, your dog will form strong positive associations with the baby's feeding, crying, cuddling, and diaper changing.  You may find your dog adopts his/her baby-minding role with great enthusiasm.  You dog may even alert you whenever your baby cries or messes her diapers. The logistics for this requires that you have the dog's food already measured and ready to serve.  **** is going to have enough to do without having to search and place dog food into containers while soothing **** at the same time.  If **** is responding to the baby 20 times in a 24 hour period then you will divide the dogs regular daily food into 20.  This may result in only a few kibbles at a time and there is nothing wrong with this.  Baby = Food = Joy. Hope this helps. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca I saw your add in the kamloops phone book. i was wondering if you come to kamloops or close to do dog classes ? i have a standard chocolate poodle she is good but a little nervous well allot.  She is amazing with kids they can do anything to her and is great. She just has some bad habits i would like to break. i have not found any places in kamloops to be great . She would benefit from some basic. i think she would be a great agitate she jumps so high. i thought i would see if you came here ever. Thank you **** Hi **** Thank you for your inquiry. I train each dog individually and all dogs stay at my training facility for the duration of training. I receive dogs from across North America. Level 1 training is a 14 day program and the cost is $****/day.  I require verification of vaccinations and you supply your dog's regular food.  If you would like more specifics I would be pleased to speak with you on the phone. Hope this is helpful. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Don Thank you for getting back to me. Sorry for the delay on my part. i was wondering what was learned in level one? How much time would she be with people. i have never left her at a kennel. She is very spoiled sleeps on bed at the groomer's once a week all of that.  i just worried about her being lonely? or is that crazy.  Do you have pictures of were she would be staying ?  Sorry to be a bother.  Thank you. **** ****: Yes, that is crazy. Your anthropomorphizing is only going to get in the way of training. If somebody owns a dog because that dog fulfills an emotional need I understand that and there is nothing wrong with it.  If somebody owns a dog and that dog becomes a surrogate child I understand that and there is nothing wrong with it.  However, that dog is never going to be trained to any high level simply because the owner is too needy. Should you wish to contact me again please make it a phone call.   Don Hello Don, I was hoping you would be able to recommend some training books that teach your style of training, and I was also wondering if you sold training videos that teach about on and off-lease obedience and heeling? It breaks my heart knowing that when we go camping, or to the lake or evan just for walks she is going to have to be left at home or put in a boarding kennel over night, and she isn't going to understand why she is being punished and why don't take her with us. It is so frustrating that I do not have the knowledge of how to train her the way she needs to be trained. When I took **** to****, he did great, he responds awesome to the toy/treat reward method and to recall, he has gotten loose twice and both times when I realized he wasn't in the yard I only had to call his name once/twice and he was at the gate in seconds. We have never had any problems with him off leash, and evan though my puppy is only 4-5 months old, she is responding just as well to the training I learned from ****. She actually comes faster sometimes then **** does whenever I call them in from outside. She is also usually waiting by the front door, she prefers to be inside, she only likes to be outside for a short while. I could have all the treats and toys in the world, but if our neighbour's dog is in their yard I don't even exist to ****. That is the reason I phoned you, the training at **** does not work with her, and after my friend's experience with ****, I know he will not be able to help either. Before when we lived in town I felt safe walking with****, I would take her and **** out for jogs after my night classes, and I wasn't scared if there was a van by the sidewalk or a group of guys I had to go past. Before when it was just **** (he weighs 30 pounds and everyone thinks he is a puppy still) I didn't go for late night walks or jogs b/c I didn't feel safe. Our house is almost done being built, and now that we are out in the country where everyone's dogs are loose, **** is more of a danger to me than a help. If a dog is going to come running out at us she is not going to back down, and it is like trying to walk a huge block of stone, it is all I could do before to pull her away and get her to keep walking. Now with all these dogs out at our new place there is no where i can walk her where I won't possibly have a dog fight on my hands. Especially since I always see 2 or more dogs together running loose. We are going to be putting **** and **** in classes with **** come this June/July, b/c by then we will be able to leave the new baby with our parents while we go to classes. But there is no one in **** to help us with****, and she doesn't deserve to be left out. She is such an amazing sweetheart - she cleans my cat's ears, she is so gentle with my 1 1/2 yr old son, and we love her SO MUCH, I hate it that I am not able to give her the training she needs. I don't care that you think my husband and I are stupid for having 3 dogs - **** is the one who suffers, and it isn't fair b/c I don't know how to train her properly. Please please please, if there is anything you can tell me - books to buy, videos u know of online to buy or videos you sell, or if u know of someone else who could help us train her, please let me know, **** and I would be so grateful. My husband and I are really apt to get back into working with our dogs, we love doing obedience with them, especially clicker training, I taught **** how to 'say his prayers' in less than an hour, he is just awesome. And all 3 of our dogs know they are not allowed to eat their food until I say 'O.K' - I put their dishes in front of them, and make them sit and make eye contact with me, and they are great at it. we have just slacked off this last year and a half b/c my husband has been building our house all by himself, and works way too long, and is just too tired when he gets home. he is so stressed, and me with my son and being pregnant, i don't have the energy i did before, and my son takes up all my time. it is no excuse, we know that, it is just how it is. but once we are in the house and my husband can go back to working normal hours and taking weekends off again, it is going to be great to get back to working with our dogs. Thank you for taking the time to read my very long email, I promise you any help you can give me will not be in vain. **** This is the second of two e-mails. I responded to the first with a phone call from which I painfully had to remove myself after 30 minutes. This person’s perception of the dog world is all too common. The use of food reward and the methods used in group obedience classes is so divergent from my reality that there is no possibility of my helping . Hi there I have heard great stuff about you!  I am interested in getting a german shepherd and bringing it to you to be trained.  I have four children and am looking for a family dog as well as protection.  Do you have any suggestions on picking a puppy or finding a dog?  If you could get back to me that would be great  Thanks. **** I have included this short inquiry to demonstrate the naivete of many potential “working” dog owners. To fully educate this person in terms of handling, familial responsibilities and working dog psychology would require a great deal of time. The cost factor in purchasing and training such a dog would be shocking to this individual. Typically, I encourage these potential dog owners to telephone in order to better assess their needs and requirements. Hi. My names is ****I was wondering if you train small breed dogs.We have a min. dachshund he is 3 years old neutered and bad.If we try to get him to listen he bites us , he pees all over the house and pooh.We love him but cant get him to listen,he barks all the time and pulls on the leash when we try to walk him. He is beginning to drive us crazy but we wouldn't consider giving him away he is part of the family. I hope you can do something if you could email me back at **** that would be great thanks ****If you cant help us with our small breed can u suggest someone who could,we live in****. just north of ****. Hi ****  Thanks for your inquiry. I train anything with ears and a tail - actually some have had no ears or tails. Seriously, though, from your description of the behaviour of your dog - and the breed or size makes no difference - the problem is with you.  I do not intentionally mean to be insulting or glib.  But, how could anybody put up with the behaviours you have described?  The answer is someone who does not know how to establish boundaries and enforce (in a proper manner) appropriate behaviours in a dog.  There is a difference between stupidity and ignorance.  Stupidity is for life, ignorance is lack of knowledge.  I can't help with the former but I can help with the latter. The steps that need to be taken by you are as follows:     - I will rehabilitate the dog so that you can actually see that the dog is trainable.     - I will train you to continue the proper behaviour that your dog has attained.     - I will educate you in why your dog does what it does and the part you are playing in the dog's behaviour and how to change yourself and the dog. I have seen dogs break apart relationships.  All human members of the family must take part in the follow-up upon completion of the dog's training. I can't imagine you putting up with house soiling for another 10 or 12 years. Should you wish me to help, despite what I have said, a phone conversation would be best. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Hi, We lost our nine year old boxer/chou last June and I would now love to find a good dog to be part of our family once again. I'd like more information regarding the sale of a trained dog...are these puppies? What is the breed that you have and what is the cost. I look forward to hearing back from you. ****  Dear ****  Thank you for your inquiry. The breed is German Shepherd. A fully trained dog is obedience level 11 and personal protection.  Trained dogs can be purchased with a minimum level 1.  A puppy (less than 4 months) cannot be classified as a "trained" dog. My dogs are highly specialized and as such require an experienced handler.  The price on the pups is $**** and trained dogs (depending on training) begin at $****. I would, however, be more than pleased to train any dog that you might select for you and your family. Hope this helps. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca  Thanks for the very quick reply. I'm still looking and researching the breed that would be the best fit for us. Our dog, though very loved, was not obedient while outside and had some habits that we never managed to break and so learned to live with. I'd like to go about things differently this time around. :) Can you tell me more about your training program and how we would manage it while living in Fort St John. Do you train the dog or do you train the owner to train the dog? I suppose a bit of both is needed. I'm wondering about the distance and time factor..and once again, what is the cost? Thank you for putting up with the barrage of questions. **** Dear **** Researching for a breed of dog that might best suit your lifestyle, personal temperament etc, is very good.  I would caution you however to read between the lines when it comes to breed descriptions given by fanciers of that specific breed.  A dog is comprised entirely of it's genetic make-up and without these genes it cannot perform to its breed description regarding temperament, aptitude, or function.  90% of the Labrador Retrievers that I receive for training can no longer hunt - that specific trait has been bred out.  Why?  This is because the great majority of people in today's society do not know how to handle the special requirements of a dog with high prey drive.  The breeders realize that there is a greater market for a silly, licky, goofy dog than a serious dog with strong temperament and disposition.  We no longer need to have a dog that will help us feed our families by placing ducks, pheasants and geese on our eating tables.  For people who do require/desire a serious hunting partner excellent Labs are available through specific breeders who breed for these traits.  These breeders are small in number and serious about the source of their gene pool.  They do not advertise in the local newspaper, pet stores, or bargain hunter. In my previous correspondence I mentioned that my pups cost $****.  Lets, for the sake of discussion, say that you are looking specifically for a German Shepherd.  Why on earth would you pay $**** for a dog when you can go elsewhere and pay $150.00 for a German Shepherd?  The reason is genetics.  My dogs will do what I tell you they will do.  The lesser priced dog is reliant on the seller telling you of the strengths of the breed based on breed characteristics supplied in the CKC breed book.  Always have the seller of any pup you may wish to purchase demonstrate the sire and dam in a minimum of classic obedience.  If they tell you that the dam is just a brood bitch and so they didn't bother to have her trained - walk away.  Why on earth would you breed a dog if you don't know what is she is capable or incapable of?  The purpose of breeding is to produce better dogs than the sire and dam. I receive dogs from all over North America to train.  All dogs stay at the training facility for the duration of training.  You will have the opportunity to view video tape of other dogs that have been trained so that you will have a clear understanding of what to expect from your dog.  I will also explain and differentiate for you the facts and myths of dogs and dog training.  At the time of pick-up we will spend approximately 3 - 4 hours together so that I can transfer the commands to you.  I train the dog then the owner. Level 1 training is 14 days.  At the completion of level 1 I will guarantee that my 6 year old daughter will be able to work your dog in Disneyland.  The cost is $****/day and you supply your dog's regular food and I require verification of vaccinations. Should you require further information a telephone conversation would be best. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Uncle Don, Just a few questions . . . Upon ****'s completion of your personal protection training, is there a formal accreditation to apply to his pedigree should we choose to breed him. What is involved in us maintaining this high level of training at home with your guidance? We would be very interested in any information that you could email us covering your training program, such as what is covered in the various levels of the protection work. See you Sunday….. **** & **** Dear **** None of my dogs, past or present have had titles either in show or in competition.  They all have been registered, however, in order to prove lineage.  My present dog - ****- stands to stud at $****.00 and is bred 15 times per year and I turn away twice that many females as they do not have the necessary qualities that I look for.  (There will be a number of his off-spring being trained at the end of March). Why would an untitled, unchampioned dog be in such high demand? Here is the next layer of the onion in the world of "working" dogs: People, as they increase their knowledge pertaining to dogs, often take these steps - pet/companion dog, "working" line dog, well-bred "working" line dog, off-spring from highly titled "working" parents,  join a club and enter into "working" competitions, attain titles, breed their titled dog(s). If we divide Europe in 3 sections - North, Central, and South we find these terminologies - KNPV, Schutzhund, IPO.  Generally this indicates Holland, Germany, France.  In many instances (particularly in Germany) a GSD, for example, must have a minimum of level 1 Schutzhund in order to obtain "pink" papers which permits breeding by the parent breed club.  This is a good thing as it greatly prevents indiscriminate breeding and the breeding of inferior animals.  Any activity that can stimulate the dog's brain is beneficial and the competitions designed by the above three groups certainly encourages this.  When a dog attains a title applause should certainly be given to the dog and the trainer/handler as a lot of hard work and much sacrifice was undertaken by both. Now here is the layer that is being removed - KNPV, Schutzhund, IPO training is not real life.  With a skilled trainer a "soft" dog can become titled.  A Sch 111 FN (tracking excellent) dog is not a certified Search and Rescue dog.  A Sch 111 (score 99) in protection is not a personal protection dog (Evans standard).  I have retrained dogs from Germany valued in excess of $35,000.00 with multiple high in trial scores to do proper protection work.  Most of these dogs could not pass my Level 1V (desensitization to weapons). Whenever a sport has judges and there is competition for points a "fall down" occurs.  All dogs must perform the same routine and be judged upon that routine.  A winning dog performs the routine consistently time after time - this is habituation.  People in the sport seldom see this or, if they do, will not mention it.  A Schutzhund, KNPV, IPO, Mondio Ring or any other organized competition cannot exist without this habituation as this is what is "scored".  Along with this scoring system is born the child called "politics".  There is a great deal of money to be made by the owner of this year's Bundeseiger competition winner.  His stud value escalates and just about everyone with a breedable bitch will want his services.  Knowing this, the owner and trainer will do everything possible to set the competition in their favour.  The back room politics and financial deals are intense. Where am I going with this?  The new, keen, but naive members of the "working competition" fraternity talk a great deal about "titles" and scores in competition.  This is all false reality.  Knowledgeable people will acknowledge that when you breed Sch.111 to Sch.111 in as little as 2 generations you are inbreeding. (I wrote a paper on this topic a number of years ago).  The best breeders will always introduce either a military or police trained dog into their programs at every opportunity.  This infuses the blood of a "true" working dog that has earned his title (i.e.. personal protection dog) in real life situations.  Having stated this it is extremely difficult to have access to such a dog (police/military).  This is where the properly trained and assessed protection dog enters this conversation. In my training program if a dog cannot make the cut he is eliminated.  I can make any dog look good.  The difference is that I will always tell the owner what the dog is actually capable of.  Any dog that completes Level V1 is a "true" personal protection dog and can only benefit the breed to which he/she belongs.  Whenever I educate people on the purchase of a dog I always tell them to insist on having both parents demonstrated.  Even if it is for a companion/pet the parents should have at least perform the basics of obedience. When people pay the high dollars for a true working dog the sire and dam should both certainly demonstrate a high level of workability. There are some very definite qualities to look for and then demonstrated. I can comment on this further when we meet. Maintaining training: Personal protection training is like any other athletic activity.  The more practice, the better the practitioner.  It is no different than obedience training. I mentioned that in the group for my next protection training that there are experienced dogs and "green" dogs.  The experienced dogs are those that are continuing with their training levels or have already completed Level V1 and are coming for their regular "bites". Hope this helps. Don Hi Don! Hope all is well with you! I am looking for a German shepherd puppy as a gift for ****. I know he would prefer a female. Do you have or know of any good ones available at the moment? I will definitely send her to you for training at the appropriate time - please let me know asap if you have any suggestions as I have obviously left this very late!  Thanks - **** Ps.**** sends his love! Nice to hear from you.  Our last correspondence indicated that you guys were becoming "homeless". There was a breeding last week.  63 days gestation + 6 weeks before delivery.  That is the earliest for a "good" pup. You do not have to get a pup from me BUT be cautious ****.  Have both parents demonstrated in a minimum of basic obedience.  There should be absolutely NO timidity evident in either parent or pup - no excuses.  Remember all puppies are cute so don't let your heart guide your brain. Good luck in your search - and TAKE YOUR TIME. Cheers, Don I would rather get a pup from you even if it will be a little wait! So please put me down for one and I can give you a deposit or whatever you need. I know you won't know what you will have until the birth, but **** is partial to the girls since he had such a great one previously. Let me know what I need to do - it would be nice to meet the new arrivals and let **** pick, but I will completely trust your judgment on what to look for. We bought a new house back in May - **** officially became the million dollar dog when we had to move to a more expensive neighbourhood so he could be free and unmuzzled! We still love him though and he is still the best behaved dog anyone we know has ever met! We tell them that uncle Don did it! The new place has a great yard and a huge park up the block so the two dogs would have a blast!!! Look forward to seeing you again and to having a new addition to our family. Do you have pictures of the mom and dad? How much do you charge for a puppy?  4 males and 1 female have already been spoken for. You are ABSOLUTELY and TOTALLY AWARE of what you will be getting?  These dogs are true "working" dogs with intense drive and hardness.  I guarantee that they will be fine companions and protectors.  However, all of our former conversations and instructions will be put to the test.  These dogs will require an assertive leader - not a nanny.  The dam is in ****.  I will be going there on the pup's 3 week birthday to do my assessments.  This is the 3rd breeding of this female and I really like her offspring - have trained a number of them. The price is $****.00.  I require half down and the remainder on delivery. The mom is the dog showing her teeth in the picture section of my web page. She is also pictured two pictures to the left flying in the air.  The sire is a full brother to the dog shown across the top on my testimonial page.  I have trained both dogs to Level 11 obedience and Level V1 protection and both are excellent dogs The price may very well be more than you were expecting - I understand - and will not take any decision personally A deposit cheque of $****00 will be required. In the unlikely event that a suitable female is not available the deposit will be returned. Upon delivery of the pup the remainder of $****.00 is due. I will ensure that you receive an intelligent and responsive dog.  As the time of birthing occurs I will keep you up to date.  I will also inform you of my findings regarding assessment of the litter. Cheers, Don 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca I appreciate all the input.  Honestly the price is OK with me as I know exactly what I am getting from you and that you will be available to discuss any issues or whatever that may arise.  The dog would get a lot of attention and exercise and we would train it beyond the obedience level that **** has achieved – we will work with her and bring her to you as necessary and learn ourselves how to keep her happy and challenged.  However, if you think that this dog would be unsuitable for a family dog then please do let us know and perhaps you could recommend a breeder with a type of dog that would suit our needs.  We would love to have one of yours and would do what we need to to train and treat the dog as it should be treated.  The dog will be part of the family though and will not be out working during the day – if that would be frustrating and mean to the dog then I do not want to do that.  Otherwise please put me down for a female, tell me how much to send a cheque for and the dates I should mark on my calendar. I did a little looking locally, and you are right… I could get a PB pup for around $****, but I am leery of choosing based on a cute face and immediate availability. Thanks **** Hi Don. On December 26 **** was walking **** and did not get a full block from our house when a (free roaming) cocker spaniel  spotted **** and ****.  The spaniel started barking and running up to **** and ****.  **** immediately went into a red zone and attacked the spaniel.  **** and another fellow (who just happened to be near) managed to pull the spaniel away from ****, in the frenzy **** bit ****.  **** had to have 33 stitches to repair his ear. **** is home and doing just fine, he holds no grudge towards **** and realizes that a person is bound to get bit when trying to stop a dog fight.  ****'s reaction was to save the spaniel from injury or death. **** seems very normal in our home environment.  (no signs of aggression towards people that I can see) I on the other hand am trying not to go over and over this in my mind but that is what I do. This training could not come soon enough.  Yours truly **** The dog was trained successfully but more importantly the owners were educated on the proper handling techniques necessary to control their large dog. “Handling techniques” does not mean having a “death grip” on the leash and carrying a large walking stick to beat off stray dogs. It is the leadership role necessary on the part of the handler to indicate to the dog proper behaviour during specific stimuli. Hello, I was looking for a local trainer and came across your web site. I'm not sure if you deal with just typical obedience or not but maybe you could point me in the right direction, I just got a Brittany puppy she's 9 wks old and would like to enrol in an obedience class or puppy class. *** Hi ****: Thank you for your inquiry. Yes, I obedience train all breeds of dogs. There are many things pertaining to dogs that you should be aware of particularly in the area of group puppy classes.  I have written a booklet that will be of value to you in the raising of your puppy - there is no charge for this information.  My suggestion would be for you to come and visit and view video tape of other dogs that I have trained so that you might have a clear understanding of what good obedience training looks like.  We can discuss your relationship with your pup and any other questions that you might have.  Again, there is no charge for this information and certainly no obligation to have me train your dog. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Hello I was searching on the net and found your site. I was wondering If you have ever trained a Jack Russell? I will be looking at doing a basic puppy style first and progressing to off-leash. Also what would something like this cost? **** Hello **** Thank you for your inquiry. Yes, I have trained many JR's - actually there is one in residence right now. Level 1 training is completed in 14 days at a cost of $****/day.  All dogs stay at the training facility for the duration of their training.  I first train the dog then I train the owner. More specific information would best be described in a phone conversation. Hope this helps. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Hello again. I have a quick question. Do you train dogs for the hearing impaired? I am trying to find out about getting a dog certified. I am hearing impaired and want one to alert me to certain sounds I cant hear. **** ****: Your quick question requires a rather lengthy answer. Any type of service dog will require good, strong obedience. The degree of impairment will determine the level of training required. A certified dog will permit the dog to accompany it's handler in public places otherwise off-limits to dogs. There are agencies - primarily in the lower mainland area of B.C. - that can supply trained dogs for the hearing impaired.  I do not know whether these agencies will train dogs already owned.  Typically they are dogs sourced for their predilection to perform the service. Any training that I do with your dog cannot be certified by me.  Your dog will have to undergo certification by agencies that have been mandated to do so. I wish you success in your search. Don Evans We have a 5-month old puppy (Havanese/Yorkie-Pom cross) who will be getting fixed at the end of the month. We are wondering if you offer any obedience training and what you charge. Thanks, **** ****: Thank you for your inquiry. Obedience training is what I do.  My rate is $****/day and Level 1 training is completed in 14 days.  I have one opening left available June 7 and then no openings available until Sept. 10. I strongly recommend that you do not Neuter your dog until he is 18 months old.  I can clarify if you wish. Hope this helps. Cheers, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Great. Could you sign us up for the June 7th date? You mention not neutering our dog until 18 months. Can you expand on that? **** Dear **** I require a $**** non-refundable deposit to secure your date.  I will confirm with you receipt of the deposit and arrange drop-off and pick-up times. I would also recommend that you come and visit with me prior to June 7 so that we might view video tape of other dogs that have been trained so that you will have a clear understanding of what to expect from your dog.  This will also give me an opportunity to discuss dogs in general with you. Much of the information regarding the neutering of dogs is incomplete and often incorrect.  In most cases from well meaning but uninformed friends and veterinarians.  You, no doubt, have been led to believe that neutering fixes many behavioural difficulties and is a panacea for all the ills that your dog might encounter.  Nothing takes the place of training.  When a dog is neutered at a young age it will retain it's puppy-like behaviour for the rest of his life.  This is caused by not allowing the testosterone to perform it's designated duty.  At the age of 18 months the testosterone process has completed it's course and should you wish you can now neuter him.  Simply look at the physical and psychological difference between a bull and a steer.  If you came from another planet and were shown these two types of animals you would not even think they were of the same species. Similar examples for all of the mammalian life forms on this earth can be given. Your cheque can be mailed to the address on my web site. www.evanstraining.ca Thank you Don Evans Hello, I am writing to you in search of help for my boxer ****. I have heard things around where I live (****) that you train dogs very effectively.  My dog is extremely aggressive.  He will attack anything and anyone.  I have tried everything in town but places here resort to treats and now he won't listen at all unless he has a treat.  I fear I am approaching my last option which is to get him put down.  If you could please email me back with prices and how your business works I would greatly appreciate that. Thank you **** Hello ****: I am responding on behalf of Don Evans (trainer for Evans Training) - he does the obedience in 2-week periods, it is $****day, and for more details visit our web site. at www.evanstraining.ca. Don will be back Saturday, and happy to speak with you if you wish to phone and ask more questions (best try in evening, as daytime he is in/out). An aside: Don works well with dogs with the type of dog you have described, and assists the owner (the really important part) in working/living with their dog. cheers Marg Evans Hello and good day Mr. Evans. This is **** writing. It has been quite some time since we have been in contact. I am hoping that you and yours are doing well and have had a good past year. I am writing for a couple reasons the first reason is that I have the picture you asked for of **** pulling **** on the sled (on leash) as you will see its hard to tell who is smiling more. I didn’t get to work on it as much as I like to but we all had fun. My other reason for contacting you would be about **** her self. Being three years old she has matured well and defiantly wants to be protective. She is great at letting people know if they are welcome in our house or not. Yet she is exceptionally patient with the kids and friendly with people. Unfortunately I can not say I have held up on my end for working ****. At the end of November we found out that we were having our second baby and with **** working and my morning, afternoon and evening sickness we quickly fell out of routine. I am looking for ways to work and train her from with in my house and yard. I do take her everywhere I go, unfortunately she is not getting walked on a regular basis. I know she needs more and now that I am working again would like to develop and program for her, for us. I have been doing a lot of research about agility. I think something like this would be good for the dog and I would have no excuse because we can train in and out of the house. I could work her without going to far form the house. In the winter when its minus 35C we could even use the garage. My questions are: Do you have the time to help me develop a regular routine to work the skills she already has? Or help get me started with one?  Do you have a recommendation as to what method I should use to start Agility? There are only a couple groups around here and I did not feel overly compelled to spend time with any of them. Most of my research has told me that the target, click, treat method is very effective. I was wondering how you felt about this. I am looking to exercise my dog, not compete. Do you have a recommendation for a book or video that I might use to get started? There are so many options and I don’t have any money to spare. I would hate to waste it on a tool that does not work. All in all I am looking for ways to improve my dogs life. I am looking for a step-by-step solution to get back on track. I would also like to bring her back to you to complete her training. (summer 2010). I realize that you are very busy and appreciate any time you can spare. It is too bad that training the people is not as easy as training the dogs. Ha ha. Please feel free to contact me by email or phone. Thank-you, once again. **** I responded to this inquiry by telephone. I had already placed Level 1 & ll on this dog so the request for assistance was not viewed as parasitic. I did get into some depth with regards to the clicker training of which I am not an advocate. There is nothing stronger than the “bond” of the pack animal. The pack can viewed as a single living organism. All members of the pack – from the Alpha to the Omega – must co-operate in order for the pack (organism) to survive. Consider the coordination required by all members of the pack in order to conclude a successful hunt. The lazy and the inept quickly get weeded from the group and once this happens the outcast has exponentially decreased its ability to survive. Positive reinforcement, operant conditioning, clicker training, and other methods invariably involving some sort of psychobabble to lend credence only succeed within limits. The primary requisite is the desire for the reward (stimulus-response-reward). Example: I am a positive reinforcement trainer and today you are arriving to pick up your dog. It is Wednesday. I demonstrate your dog to validate its training. You are impressed with my work and your dog. You now consider me one of the best trainers to be found anywhere. You personally have tried positive reinforcement as instructed in a previous group obedience class but never to the efficacy just observed. Your dog ignored all the distractions of vehicles, people, other dogs, squirrels, and birds. The dog’s complete attention was on the trainer. You find it amazing. What could be the difference? It is simple…I stopped feeding your dog on Sunday! Hello Don, I'm following up on the individuals in a GSD litter I bred, born ****, **** . Some years ago, you acquired '****', from **** in****.  A b/t male by **** out of ****. I'd appreciate knowing if he's still alive?  Doing well?  If he's dead, how did he die?  Hope you can help, I have only ****, and one other male unaccounted for. Thanks, **** Hello **** **** was euthanized approximately 5 years ago. I had him for a period of time and he showed many good qualities.  He was quite responsive to obedience training and, as he accompanied me on many of my trips, was proofed in many varied environments. He was an excellent fishing buddy and would ride, sitting in the navigator's seat, for hours without complaint.  When let out to relieve himself he would, upon completion, immediately return to the deck of our house and sit at the sliding glass doors and bark to be let back in.  He had good stamina and would run with the ATV for up to 16 km without stress. If I lived in the mountains alone I couldn't have asked for a better dog. Unfortunately....**** possessed unstable aggression which was fear-based.  He was proactive rather than reactive in aggression.  This could have been turned into a positive except for his fear.  My daughters who were 7 and 11 years old at the time could not enter a room where **** was present unless he was accompanied by me.  If they came out of the shower dressed in bathrobe and a towel on their head he would respond with forward aggression - no matter how often this occurred.  Pedestrians at a campsite, people in boats passing by, pedestrians walking along the sidewalk were all exposed to his aggression.  This, of course, sounds counter to my previous statement of "quite responsive to obedience training..." but these occurrences were always when he was not in "obedience profile".  It became evident that his confidence around stimulation was based on my presence. Training him in personal protection was unsuccessful. **** was very good at chasing the "rabbit" but when the rabbit turned into a bear he would retreat at a run.  He was unable to cope with the slightest amount of pressure. I was working in the yard when a friend arrived unannounced with his 2 year old daughter.  My friend was walking up the driveway holding his daughter by the hand.  Cedric knew of their arrival before I did and charged.  My friend was able to pick up his daughter just in time but Cedric tore away a portion of her dress.  That was the end. Sincerely, Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Thanks for taking the time for such a detailed and informative reply.  It's certainly not the info I'd hoped for, but your description is very clear and after reading it, there's no doubt about the character of the dog.  As you so correctly point out, proactive aggression is arguably not a bad thing...except in combo with fear. Thanks again, **** Hi and Happy New Year Don & Marg; We are considering giving our dog (****- Bovi-de-flandler) away to a good home due to our busy house (many teenage kids) and his instincts/traits not being a good match.  If you hear or know of someone that would give him a good home could you let us know please?  Thanks. **** Hi **** Sorry to hear that **** is not working out. Could you clarify "instincts/traits not being a good match". Also his age, neutered or not, and whether you have kept up on his training. Thanks for your time. Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Hi Don, **** was 2 years old in Nov. He was neutered when he was about 6-8 months old. We have continued using the pinch collar when we walk him on leash and make him sit, stay, etc. He does very well in those situations. The issue is he is very protective/territorial. He barks when anyone comes to the house/yard which is not an issue but we are concerned that if someone would walk into the house and we’re not in the room with him he may bite. If he’s in the house I like to lock the door so no one can walk in but the kids aren’t consistent about that. So if one of the kid’s friends walks in unannounced he could bite, if no one in the family was there to stop him. He still seems to react quite strongly to some adolescent/teenage boys and we have a 14 year old son with 14 year old friends. Ex A few weeks ago my son had some friends over,. They were upstairs and I was in the kitchen with ****. One of the boys came downstairs and around the corner into the kitchen and **** sprang up and chased him out of the room. He didn’t bite him but I not sure that he wouldn’t have if he had caught him. Normally **** is fine if a visitor is in the house when **** comes in, so I’m not sure if he thought this boy had just walked into the house. He did bite our son’s heel a few months ago …**** was loading the dishwasher and **** was licking a plate and when **** went to move him out of the way so he could close the dishwasher **** snapped at him and got his heel. I would have the same concern if someone walked into the yard and he happened to be off leash. We keep him in a kennel when we’re not home and keep him on a leash if we’re in the yard with him. But if for some reason he’s off leash and someone walked into the yard, or rode by on a bike he would bark and chase. Ex: One night I was taking him out to his kennel. I didn’t have his leash in the house but it was later in the evening and getting dark so I wasn’t concerned about people on the road so I opened the door to let him walk the few feet unleashed. As luck would have it our neighbours were out for an evening stroll with their 2 little boys and just happened to be walking by our house. **** ran out to the road barking and leaping but did nothing to the boys. Just as I was trying to grab his collar the paper boy (who is about 14) walked out of the shadows of our neighbours' garage pulling a cart. **** ran to him and of course, he got scared and was pushing his cart at ****. **** bit him in the butt. The other night we had some friends over. **** brought **** into the house and there were no issues, in fact our friend was playing around a bit with him. A little later we were sitting around and **** was laying by us with a little stuffed toy that he likes.( I didn’t realize he had the toy). Our friend went to rub ****’s ear with his foot and **** bit his foot, hard enough to puncture the skin. We could have prevented all these events by not allowing him in the house when visitors are over and always having him on a leash when in our yard but, with 5 people in the house, and lots of activity, it seems to be just a matter of time before something else happens. He is great when we’re walking him, both on and off leash. He has no aggression to anyone if we happen to meet them on a walk, it’s only around our property that the problems happen. I feel that if he was in a household with fewer people there could be more consistency in how he was handled. He responds well to “authority” but he also likes to be the boss, and I think the other problem here is that some of us are too soft with him …we humanize him, in your words. I’d appreciate any advice you may have. Thanks for your response and your time. **** ****: Thanks for your excellent explanation. A point of clarification regarding ****'s biting - though it is probably of little consolation - he has good bite inhibition.  What bite inhibition refers to is the dog's ability to control the degree of it's bite.  Dogs very seldom "miss" when it comes to biting in a serious manner.  If a dog bites someone and results in breaking of skin or bruising it is not a real bite.  Most often it is incidental contact between flesh and teeth with the flesh being the loser.  The dog has learned restraint and is not "serious" in its bite.  You can imagine what would have happened to your friend who used his foot in caressing **** if **** had been serious.  If the paper boy did not have to go to the hospital as a result of his contact with ****, then it was not a serious bite. I could go into the explanations of the relationship between your 14 year old and **** and the subsequent snap of your son's heel but I don't think that is of importance to you at this time. **** is not a Golden Retriever and as such requires a much different method of handling.  I can appreciate your perspective in all of this and the amount of energy that is already required by you so I will not be-labour you with what you should and should not do. I will let it be known in my circle of contacts that there is a Bouvier available.  I can never predict the time frame in placing a dog so if you are able to re-home **** do so but please keep me informed. Should you wish to discuss any of this further please do not hesitate to call. Don Evans 250.989.4397 www.evanstraining.ca Dear ****, Thank you for your openness - it is always a risk. In terms of business: Obedience is $****/day and both Level 1 and Level 11 is accomplished in 14 days each.  The dog must go home with the owner for a minimum of 14 days between levels. Protection is $****/day and typically a dog accomplishes 2 levels every 10 days.  There are six levels to my protection work.  Not all people require a Level V or V1 dog.  All dogs must have my Level 11 obedience before I place any protection work on the dog. I do not have fully trained dogs available on any consistent basis. The reason for this is my training schedule - I am too busy.  To give you an indication I am now receiving bookings for March/09.  I train a maximum of 6 dogs at any one time and this works out to 10 dogs per month because of the intake/out-take logistics. I do not have brochures - I don't need them.  Much of my business is based on word of mouth.  I am now working on the 4th and 5th dogs for people. I no longer breed but I do stand dogs at stud. When I receive inquiries on purchases of dogs I refer them to the breeders of my offspring.  I will also refer potential clients to breeders of dogs of which I have first hand knowledge - that is dogs that I have worked and thus know both their weaknesses and strengths. I appreciate your willingness to share information re: vet, clients, etc.  However, that information is not nearly so important to me as: "I would also like to send you a pup I pick for training to see what you can do."  I always smile at sentences of that nature.  It is similar to people who have a bitch they want to breed and they want to know all the facts pertaining to my stud.  It is fair, of course, to request that information.  The difficulty occurs when I, in turn, request answers to the questions that are important to me to help me determine whether I wish to breed to that female. "...to see what you can do."  The risk is all yours.  I am at the point in my career where I don't have to prove my abilities.  I would not have been able to put three children through university (one left to go) and established my facilities and reputation if there was any incompetence.  "the risk is all yours" because I now will have the opportunity to objectively view your breeding program.  The world of dogs is a "show me" world.  Talk is easy and, as you know, talk is cheap. Here is my gift to you - a brief ethology lesson: Sexual isolation from the greater population of dogs leads almost inevitably to dire consequences for those dogs that get trapped in a pure breed.  A severe problem with locking dogs up reproductively is the problem of inbreeding.  Once the stud book is closed on a breed, it is unbelievable how fast they become inbred.  How fast will inbreeding occur?  If you have just one founding sire then all the first generation will be siblings or half-siblings.  By the 2nd generation, all breedings are inbreedings.  If there are 2 founding sires (unrelated), then the third generation is inbred.  If I start with 500 unrelated founding males when I closed the stud book, then by the tenth generation I will start inbreeding.  That could be in as little as 15 years. If I created a breed of dogs in 1900 (that is, closed the stud book) with 500 males, currently that breed would have been inbreeding for 92 years.  They are caught in a genetic trap.  If members of a breed club begin to breed to this year's Bundeseiger champion only, then inbreeding starts next year.  If you eliminate from the breeding program all animals that exhibit, for example, retinal atrophy or hip dysplasia (which is a given) then the inbreeding coefficient increases more rapidly.  The breed is in big trouble. The old fashioned breeders who continue to create dogs by cross-breeding for specific, specialized tasks, like the lurcher breeders of Europe or the sled-dog drivers, are, by and large, disdained by pure breeders.  Improvements of plants and animals, when performance is the goal, relies on cross-breeding and hybridization.  The successful techniques of cross-breeding of working dogs are practically unheard of outside their fields.  What the purebred breeders forget is that golden retrievers and every other modern breed are products, originally, of cross-breeding.  That is why they have been good dogs.  At least in the beginning, they had the health, and energy that are known as hybrid vigour. Can you see "Ego" written in the above?  The obtuse arrogance of the pure-bred crowd will be it's own demise.  Interestingly, from my own empirical evidence, not all outstanding protection dogs have to be of the known, " preferred" breeds that we know of.  To name a few: Boxer/Rhodesian Ridgeback, Irish Wolfhound/Bouvier, GSD/Rottweiler,  Lab/Bull Mastiff - were outstanding.  That is why, on a personal note, I am interested in the Black Russian Terrier. Cheers, Don Don, Bear with my sense of humour.  The comment, "see what you can do" is a compliment to you, and me being willing to spend some money on someone I believe really does train in protection.  (due to word of mouth),  someone I can learn from.  Sorry, my humour has offended on more than one occasion.  I thought I was being cute and funny.  I guess only in my own head.  I am not asking for references for sales, just kindness and no unwarranted deceit, as so often happens with dogs!!  Or should I say people.  I have no qualms with truth or honest opinions just nastiness and dishonesty and back biting, going back to being open and putting oneself at risk.  There is no risk in what I am considering breeding wise and I fail to see what would be wrong with someone as yourself who knows more than me assessing my bloodlines and sharing what you learned in a life time about the weaknesses and the strengths that I am myself trying to recognize?????? The problems with the pure breeds is why I am closely monitoring my bloodlines.  I fully guarantee every dog and have told every dog owner that no matter how careful and ethical I try and be, there are at least 3 or 4 defective genes that are in there and hip problems are a part of the breed. I do try and educate the owners and myself as much as I can, that even breeding all excellent hips to excellent hips would not and could not weed out bad hips.  The Germans have tried with hips, long hair and white Shepherds to no avail.  It is like gardening and weeds!!  They are in the the soil just waiting to sprout from seeds missed and little pieces of roots left behind and you can't use round up on a dog! When I was a younger woman I bred wolf and husky crosses.  I was fascinated by the mixing of dogs.  My neighbour's parents had Shepherd's. I was young and curious and had heard of the bad hips they have.  So I bred this male to my female and my male to a young stray Shepherd female I had rescued to test the theory's I had read on crossbreeding and wolves and hips.  Forgive me. I was young.   I am fascinated by cross-breeding and if I were younger and had more time and didn't care what people might think and I had your education I would play with cross-breeding for my own fascination (and more good homes for dogs)!  I understand your interest in the Black Russian have looked at him myself that and the Komondor as in our country the weather can be rough on a dog like a Mastiff if he spends time out doors.  I started out trying to buy a dog for protection when I started into this German Shepherd breeding, I would not have cared if it was pink, cross bred or even a dog!  Had I been able to find someone honest such as your self. I am trying to use this business of dogs to help make a difference in other peoples life and hopefully impact it in a positive way!  I am trying to find some help and mentoring so that I do have dogs available when someone needs one or at least be able to point people away from the crooks.  My plan is to have a couple of need a dog, dogs as I told you for woman that can't afford it.  I don't expect you to understand why I am trying to do what I am trying to do.  I have been in hiding with my kids for 12 years, two times I have been found.  Once recently.  My Daughter was also hurt by this man! I have lived everyday wondering if this is the day!  It is no way to live life.  I have spoke at memorials for 3 woman who have died, and have spoke at shelters and shared my story of survival to encourage others.  I do not think it is right that I was also victimized by ruthless protection trainers that ran off with 27,000 dollars between the 3.(**** got 10,000 of that)  I never once even got a dog!  I would have been the woman that would have gotten that money somehow and been back to get my dog from you!  I will always have a need for a dog myself and will always have to train one up with help, and I will somehow help other Women sleep at night! While you were raising your kids and building your reputation and sending them to school which I am envious of.  I was always worried my kids would get shot by the gun I slept with in the same room with them for 4 years.  I was only half there all the time as my mind was always on surviving that day!  It breaks my heart what my kids went through.  I'll be forever sorry till the day I die that my choice in a husband as a young woman has cost my loved ones so much.  But I am forever involved and passionate about being able to provide people with that peace of mind I wish I had had with a good dog!  So dear Sir any weakness you saw in my dogs would be appreciated not disdained.  My picking a pup and taking a risk is a financial one if I am wrong in the pup I pick.  It is to test me to see if I have learned anything and if the change in bloodlines that I just made looking for that little Male I have been looking for has happened or if I need to keep looking.  I am tired of all the bull shit and ego's everywhere, when I am trying to learn something that at the end of the day,that might mean something if some Mom can sleep at night or it saves a life!  My daughter will move out with a protection dog, as her testimony poses a threat to a psychopathic predator she could put away for 11 years.  I will always see him as a threat until he dies.  (I have read up on those too)  They are not nice people. My goals are to build a word of mouth reputation as well, for being honest to deal with.  I believe you have to sort through a lot of dogs to get a true protection hero.  In the mean time that leaves a lot of homes for dogs to find.  The Schutzhunds will buy if your dogs are titled, and the little prey monkey pups are what they want.  Your pet home, the best home in my opinion, gets the dog I know will bless their homes and not be too hard to handle, that's why I like to sell them obedience trained and already kid handled.  As I told you the first time I called my heart and my passion is in the protection.  The Schutzhund is trying to be business smart and diversify into all areas.  If they want them titled for their ego's I will hopefully keep a few titled dogs around.  I was excited at the prospect of getting to reap the benefits of your experience.  Your mention of the pound and three dogs made perfect sense to me! I am very sorry if I offended you.  My references were for you to see that I am honest so that maybe you would take a chance and help me achieve what I am trying to achieve.  Life is like a spider web, I thought maybe our paths crossed for a reason.  I spoke at a memorial for **** and 2 others.  Her Mother's name is****.  I have all the original pictures of **** after **** was done with her.  I sent thousands of post cards across Canada to our Government reps.  I feel I have used what I have been through and channeled it in a positive way.  I feel blessed that I made it.  I had a couple of good cops support me along the way!   I phone one of them who is now retired every few years to let him know we are ok.  I pray that God brings the right person into my life that would feel good about helping me attain these goals.  The prices and training options are handy to have, thank you I will keep this on file.  I hope someday I get to see what you can do.  Either on a dog I keep back or a dog owner of one of my dogs as I hear it is spectacular.  That my Dear Sir  is a compliment.  I contacted you through word of mouth and I always mention your name as someone I have heard is very good!  That's why we watch the Olympics is to see what someone more superior in a sport can do!  Man dog  people are tough!  There is so much suspicion and false pretences that it has made it bad for everyone!   I think I will raise Chihuahuas and go into the home alarm area instead!  Would you please if you are interested in training a dog for me when you have a spot available and I figure out the math, tell me in detail what age you need the dog sent to you at.  What you would want me to do with the dog and not do with the dog.  Outline in detail the best scenario for you the dog and myself.  I have never figured out if you have ever actually said yes to training a dog for me in all the conversations we've had.  I believe you have said no to training me, which is fine.  The fine details would also be handy to know so as I can pass them on to others.  Best Regards  **** I am sure that you are able to surmise that there have been a series of correspondences as well as phone conversations. I included this lengthy response to emphasize a particular point contained within. This person's concept of breeding and training and eventually offering “Protection Trained” dogs to victims of abuse is altruistic. It is also very naïve and obtuse. We must always consider the psycho/emotional state of the handler and their capacity to stimulate and control a dog with strong genetic predisposition.  hi, Don ........ have you worked with a breed, Cane Corso? They are ****’s vicious dog list' and our buildings Bylaw list of dogs not to be 'residents' here. I have been given another committee to chair ..... Bylaws and we have had a complaint that there is such a dog in the building.  Another Council member and I went to visit the Suite.  It turned out I had already met this 5 month smoky grey puppy when I was gardening around the building one day.  He is friendly, I thought very well trained and calm, goes to the doggy park and socializes with the other dogs.  He was happy to have visitors and eventually had a nap on the couch while we chatted with the tenants.  They are looking after this dog for their son while he is at college for the next 4 months and were not aware of the Bylaws until recently when they were mentioned in our Council Minutes.  They had just gone on the cirties web site. and couldn't believe this puppy was listed. We're probably going to have to go with the Bylaws but I am curious about the breed, especially after meeting '****’. I tried phoning the city to talk to 'someone' about the 'why on list' but no luck.  From some reading I've done it says they have an even temperament, easy to train, good with children, gentle sociable dog.  However, I also read the need to be socialized, should be aloof when meeting strangers etc. which '****’ wasn't .......... but  Bylaws don't appear to have exceptions and it will be a group decision. Don't think I'm going to enjoy this role ........ anyway, just wondered if you had any first-hand experience. **** I have trained three Cane Corsos.  Two were quivering idiots and the third was a marvellous dog. There is a breeder in **** who is breeding unstable, timid and poorly conformed dogs.  She does not realize what she is breeding and sells the lip service that you alluded to in your breed description.  Never rely on breed descriptions from fanciers of any breed.  Have you read any negatives about a breed from these informational books? It is never the breed but the breeding.  Unfortunately, I am seeing more of these "exotic" breeds arriving at the kennels for training.  I say "unfortunately" because some people have more disposable income than brains.  My experience has shown that dog ignorant people are importing these various breeds for their uniqueness and then breeding them in order to recoup some of the expenses.  Most of these people do not realize that there is more to breeding than putting a male and a female together. The Cane Corso is not a Golden Retriever or a Lab.  Therefore the training aspects are totally different than what most uneducated people realize.  The concepts of socialization, group obedience classes, off-leash parks and the other myriad anthropomorphic tendencies that people have will only explode on them.  The dog in your building, from your description, appears to have sound temperament.  However, around the 10 - 12 month age predatory drift will materialize.  Remember that at this time you are viewing a "toddler".  If the owners attempt to train this dog using the typical cookie cutter treats and praise method they will have no physical and more importantly no psychological control of this dog when an aggression stimulus occurs - and it will occur.  No one can tell you when but when it does occur that dog better "down" and "stay" immediately upon command.  Nothing takes the place of training and for the Cane Corso this means good, strong training, resulting in immediate response. Hope this helps. Don THANKS so much, Don ....... the info is just what we needed, you can put it on my tab. 'Consultant's fee ?!

A Dog's Story When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was “bad”, you’d shake your finger at me and ask “How could you?” but then you’d relent, and roll me over for a bellyrub. My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because “ice cream is bad for dogs,” you said) and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day. Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love. She, now your wife, is not a “dog person” – still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a “prisoner of love”. As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch – because your touch was now so infrequent – and I would have defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway. There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered “yes” and changed the subject. I had gone from being “your dog” to “just a dog”, and you resented every expenditure on my behalf. Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You’ve made the right decision for your “family”, but there was a time when I was your only family. I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said “I know you will find a good home for her”. They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with “papers”. You had to pry your son’s fingers loose from my collar as he screamed “No, Daddy! Please don’t let them take my dog!” And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked “How could you”? They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you – that you had changed your mind – that this was all a bad dream…or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious of their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited. I heard footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured “How could you?” Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said “I’m so sorry”. She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn’t be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself – a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my “How could you?” was not directed at her. It was you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of. I will think of you and wait for you forever. - Author unknown

 

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