Prior to training, Ranger had bitten his mother in the face and also gave her roommate stitches from a bite to the skull…. the transformation is real!!
The magic of dog training is hidden in the details – what makes these photos different?
In the first comparison, both pictures show a dog with a long bite history muzzled and not biting. In the second comparison, both pictures show a him on place and not getting off. Not biting and teaching him place were two things we were brought in to help with. Why didn’t we just send him home after the first pictures? What are the differences here?
The first muzzle picture, his ears are pinned back, his head is dropped a little low, his brow is furrowed, his face is tense. While yes, he’s not biting, his head is a mess. He’s stressed, spun up, and uncertain which works against us if we ever hoped to truly resolve the underlying reason he’s biting. In the next photo, his ears are forward, his face is loose, his body language tells us he’s free and confident! His mind is at ease and he is truly relaxed, making it 1000% easier for him to stay calm and collected when new people arrive.
The place picture is similar. First photo he is tense and stiff with worried expression while the second photo shows us a relaxed and free dog!
These photos are 6 weeks apart. Even though they show the same actual obedience behaviors, there’s a world of difference in between that is very nuanced to see but could be the difference between him in the right mindset versus lashing out and biting again. The work is in the details and we don’t settle for bandaid fixes. Our dogs deserve to have peace of mind just like us, and we are so happy to be sending Ranger home with that and feeling confident he is in the right headspace to be a solid member of the family again!