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Tailored Training : Boxers, Huskies, and the Art of Real-Life Dogs
34 Plays6 months ago
Join GLDT's Katie Lemasters and Abbey David with Host Jacob Pape discussing Boxers, Huskies and the Art of Real-Life Dogs.
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Transcript
Comparing Dogs to Babies and Safe Spaces
00:00:00
Speaker
People hate the crate. They like to compare their dogs to their babies. So I'll compare their babies right back to their dogs and say, where do you put your baby when they need to go take a nap? In a safe, enclosed bassinet.
00:00:12
Speaker
Can't roll off, can't get hurt, can't get into anything. All four of my dogs would have ate something that would have killed them. Like everyone wants to treat their dog like it's their kid. You correct your kid too. It's not in the same way. Yeah. But you're teaching your kid the same, like, and you're teaching your dog. There's rights and there's wrongs.
00:00:30
Speaker
They would rather just say, kill your dog because what I can do can't help you instead of referring to someone who who can help.
00:00:42
Speaker
Hey guys, how you guys doing? I'm just ducky. Just ducky. Quack, quack. That's how this is gonna go today. Cool, cool, cool. Doing swell. Doing swell?
00:00:53
Speaker
Thanks for coming and driving all the way to Bertrand. Of course. um costume How was the drive? um Not great. Yeah, it's kind of sucked. Is it two hours and an hour? Two hours, yeah It was like an hour, 20 hours.
00:01:05
Speaker
Hour and 20? What weight did you take? 75. So like an hour from Roilog. Well, it's at an hour 20. So um he, he just took your time. Someone's lying here. just took her time. That's all.
Training Preferences for Dog Breeds
00:01:18
Speaker
Um, so I wanted to bring you guys here because you guys both own breeds that I don't like. i Katie Huskies, like as a trainer, and you know this, but I think we've all talked like, like Abby, you said that you don't like working with boxers either, but you love owning a boxer.
00:01:40
Speaker
Absolutely. i would rather take any other dog, honestly, than take on a boxer to train because they're just goofy and hardheaded and stubborn. Yeah.
00:01:52
Speaker
But I love owning boxers and I train them to how I would want them to be in my own life. So are they like perfect demo dogs? No, but they're exactly how they fit my style of life.
00:02:05
Speaker
Yeah. And you would love Kelso. I mean, he's like the unicorn of dogs. So I think you just haven't met the perfect boxer. And and now that you'll meet Kelso, you're going to love him. Well, you know, like, I've met a lot of rescue boxers, which I feel like isn't a good representation of the breed, which is not super fair. It's like they're already a little bit broken because of what humans have done with them.
00:02:27
Speaker
So, like, maybe it's fair, like, but even even the puppy... Katie, even the puppies we've met? Super rough. Like, if I could just ixnay a breed that we'll do a puppy boarding train with, it would be a boxer. Like, I don't want anything to do with it from 12 to 20 weeks.
00:02:47
Speaker
Crazy. To correct them, they don't care about nothing. yeah Like, they don't care about treats at a certain point. Like, they just want to run around and be goofy. Well, and it cracks me up to think that back in the day they were bred for what, like, war. war What?
00:03:04
Speaker
And I look at my Kelso and I'm like, like he, he wouldn't kill a bunny. Like he shares the backyard with all the bunnies in our backyard. He's just like nothing like that.
00:03:16
Speaker
He probably like misses on purpose when he tries to eat a fly. He can't catch a
Managing Expectations in Dog Training
00:03:21
Speaker
frisbee for shit. I mean. it's either like war dogs. Yeah. And then Katie, you have huskies.
00:03:29
Speaker
I have three. Three Huskies, which are notoriously one of the hardest breeds to train. I guess i hate myself a little bit. But you had a unicorn first, right? did. And I adopted her shoot when I was 18. She was my first dog. um And I got her a little bit older. So she was already past that craziness. And she was a unicorn. She really didn't do any of the husky-like things that they're known for.
00:03:57
Speaker
um and then after she passed, I decided to get a puppy. And yeah, it ruined my life for a little bit. I always laugh like as um three people who got dogs that they probably weren't ready for like, you know, I'm sure everyone at this point knows mine and Liz's story about Bones and like how he like forced us to become dog trainers because yeah he literally ruined our lives.
00:04:22
Speaker
Your story is almost identical. Yeah, absolutely. So I got Piper, my oldest now, and she was a terror. I mean, I managed a doggy daycare. I thought I knew quite a bit about dogs. And this dog just gave me a run from my money. I mean, she was biting me. She was resource guarding from a young age, you know, just so defiant, did not give a crap about anything that I wanted. and It just made it really difficult. So I reached out to a trainer. um She went through a board and train and it completely changed my life. So I ended up working for that company and that's kind of how I got into training to begin with.
00:05:02
Speaker
So, um yeah, it's they're tough. They're a tough breed. They're not not for the weak. That's for sure. And then when you got your boxers, were you already at Dogtopia?
00:05:13
Speaker
Yeah, and my first boxer was like already eight years old, and I came from a family where we were like, let dogs be dogs. um So my first boxer would like jump the fence, the neighbor next door would bring her back to us.
00:05:26
Speaker
um There was no come or sit or anything. It was us shaking a bag of treats out the back door and hoping to God that she comes in um and just letting her kind of run the house.
00:05:37
Speaker
And so... um That's why I kind of felt like with training my boxer that I have now, I got him when he was just eight weeks old. I've come to learn that training doesn't necessarily mean you have to train your dog to be like this most amazing dog. That's this demo dog. It's just whatever fits your lifestyle.
00:05:56
Speaker
And so people will come over and be like, you're You're a dog trainer. But I love and I'm happy with how Kelso has turned out. He walks beautifully on a leash.
00:06:08
Speaker
He sits before door thresholds. He will come when called. And that's all I really care
Realistic Training Environments
00:06:13
Speaker
about. Yeah, I'm very big on like double down on what you care about. Yeah. yeah like Like um you guys have met all of my dogs.
00:06:20
Speaker
like the transformation on bones and baby is like it's just insane like baby used try to try eat everyone she met i'm sure she she like tried to attack you i think at doctopia and if you walked in my house right she'd be like hey what's up i'm gonna hey bestie i'm gonna go okay um but so like they have to be good because like they're when they're bad like they can do like so much damage but my labs like battle i got him like right before the pandemic right so that poor dog like he he did he didn't know what he was getting into and he got me as his owner um but we went from like he came to some field trips like working to he's the only thing i had to do so he is like demo dog but he also his personality like i i try and say this all time
00:07:11
Speaker
If someone who doesn't know him tries to take him, they're going to think he sucks. Like if you don't know how to control a dog, yeah he would be he's just so much dog.
00:07:23
Speaker
Like I would like I can't have anyone that's not a professional watch him yeah because he would end up in a sink, turning the faucet on and flooding their house. Right. Like like he would pee everywhere, like like just uncontrollable stuff.
00:07:39
Speaker
So like what we did with battle, we're like, we don't want this high of a drive dog. So our next dog busted. We like purposely like were mellow. Like, like our whole goal was like just to be like, be a mama, you know, like let's, let's train you to be soft and soft.
00:07:55
Speaker
So we trained her to be soft and then she got adolescence and she was a big jerk. And we had to like, we had to go through like, you know, like e-collar training and doing all this stuff that we weren't planning on doing with her because she kind of forced our hands.
00:08:08
Speaker
So now we have a soft dog. who kind of grew into being kind of a jerk. Yeah. Right. i don't know if you, when you were ever at Ferndale, did you ever like take them out as a group? No. No. I don't even think I would want to.
00:08:23
Speaker
She is so much. So like, i she has to be the last out, right? So like, we'll let all the dogs out of their kennels. um She tries to chase them down. I'm like... Or like if if someone lets her out first, she'll stand by the door and bark at each one as they pass. Like you're like, come on, Boston, just chill.
00:08:43
Speaker
And it's like someone would see that and be like, man, this guy's a dog trainer. It's like, you don't get it. Like, yeah. And I try and like I even try and tell like our trainers and like you guys like.
00:08:55
Speaker
Our dogs are going to go home that we train and they're going to struggle because we didn't. They look so good with us yeah and we can do things that their owners can't. And that's why I like even as a company, we don't do as crazy of things with the dogs.
00:09:09
Speaker
Right. Like I don't believe in taking dogs off leash in public. Right. So we don't do it. Have i Yeah. Did it make my stomach turn every single time? Absolutely. i didn't even care how good they were, but my stomach would like be in knots that film day.
00:09:25
Speaker
Yeah. bra And so like going backwards and like, hey, let's just follow the law and like, let's do what's possible for this client. And now like, we don't even promise like,
00:09:37
Speaker
You know like if they have a bite history, like they might leave the facility like in the neighborhood. Yeah. yeah But they're not going to go to downtown Ferndale. Well, because we're setting the first example. And so if we're taking a dog off leash or taking them after having a huge bite history into Home Depot and walking in those tight aisles, we're setting the owner up to believe that they can also do the same. Yeah. and honestly, it's not something that I want to...
00:10:03
Speaker
show people because then it kind of comes back onto us. Yeah, like, well, my trainer did it. And then, oh, well I got my dog trained through these people who made me think that I could. there And at the end of the day, if you want to try that hard, sure.
00:10:17
Speaker
But do you really need to, like, go into Home Depot with your dog? It's not necessary. yeah People just want their dogs to not bite people. Yeah, if you host a little girls' night, just hope that your dog doesn't bite anybody like when that happens. But you don't have to be going all around having all these field trips that aren't really realistic.
00:10:34
Speaker
Like, even our facility, like, you guys know this, like, we try and make it feel like a house. Yeah. Like, no matter where we are, because where do people struggle? Like, guys, I struggled at home with my dog. Yep.
00:10:45
Speaker
Right? Like, they would they would, like, tear up the house. They would freak at any noises of neighbors walking by. Like, that's why I love, like, I, like, you know, like, people always, like, kind of hate on our Ferndale spot.
00:10:59
Speaker
they're like, yeah. but it's like, dude, it feels like, where are you going to get that feel? Yeah. Right. how like Unless we're going to go get a mansion somewhere. like How are we going to get that same feel? It doesn't feel like a facility. It's more like a home environment. So we're able to set up those situations like it would be at home. yeah I think, you know, like, big hand, we're going to sneak this in the middle here and see if people listen. But, like, you know, we got that.
00:11:22
Speaker
We're signing the lease for West Bloomfield. And even then we're going to make the rooms as close to this feel like open concept house. yeah Like that is our goal always. Because if it if it's just this like turfed arena that we have here, dogs typically behave in those situations.
00:11:42
Speaker
Right. Like more more controlled and sterile. Yeah, I don't want, I want you guys to eat. or You know, like how many times have I encouraged you guys to eat in front of your dog so they can, they can like get that practice? Because where do people struggle? Yeah.
00:11:56
Speaker
They struggle making their dinner. They struggle. Cooking, cleaning. Yeah. I mean, that's where I struggled, right? like I would remember like trying to cook and my pit bulls would be like right behind me and then they would fight because something fell.
00:12:09
Speaker
right Yeah, right. Right. And I was still losing my mind. You know, like, because, and what are you told? Let's go grab a treat. You know, like, you know like, before you, like, meet a real trainer, we're all told just to, like.
00:12:22
Speaker
Bribe them. Bribe them. Or, ah keep them separated always. It's like, that's not realistic. Realistic. Not fun either. That's not the life you wanted to live in the first place. Yeah. No. Yeah. And now, like, and then now people will hate on us because we make our dogs place. It's like, okay, but they're safer.
00:12:40
Speaker
Yeah. Right? Like, and my dogs, they don't even place. Like, two years ago, I would say they place, like, if they're out of their kennels, like, 85% of the time. Right now, with our kid, as long as they're not, like, actively eating her socks, they're, like, they're doing whatever they want. Like, and my older, you know, like, the older dogs...
00:13:01
Speaker
but Baby wants to hide under a blanket and cuddle. Yeah. Bones wants to sit somewhere and fart and then stretch. And the labs want to stare at the kid. Like, so I just let them.
00:13:12
Speaker
Well, and I earned it too. Yeah. Because of the hard work you put in in the beginning. Yeah, I think, you know, like our last podcast I talked about, like me and Liz were like, it's crazy how much work we did for Ruth that we didn't know was for Ruth. Yeah, yeah, exactly. You don't sell the fuck to succeed. You don't know what you're doing now in the hard work. Like, I think one of our trainers that we follow, Sean, posted like, like that hard work. It seems so crazy that you're doing all this hard work right now.
00:13:44
Speaker
But like in eight to 10 years of not having to do hard work, like what is what is two to three months? like yeah Right. And that's what's crazy to me is like, and you know like I love like Katie and Liz, they sell for us any and Aaron now, and they push it back like, hey, like you're not going to get a robot.
00:14:04
Speaker
Yeah. Like if you if you say like the worst thing that we get on a lead form that like we probably sometimes don't even call is I need this fixed. That's not real. Right.
00:14:16
Speaker
Nothing's going to be fixed. No. Yeah. Baby's aggression's still in her. Yeah. Yeah. Right? It's managed. It's managed in, like, there's... She's kind of... She's got consequences in the back of her head, finally. Yeah.
Training Tools and Techniques
00:14:29
Speaker
Right? Like, the consequence finally was like, well, I could go bite Abby, but... i know what would happen i know that that dad or mom is going to correct me in the moment so why even and you can see it working through their brains right like yeah you know like let's say you knock on my door whoa and then be like baby and she's like fine and you're like yes like and i think people always miss those opportunities like well and i think people get so nervous that they're gonna like hurt their dogs traumatize them but after all of that your bond is so much stronger because in that moment like you're advocating for them and they can see that so their trust in you is so much more than before when they were just like i don't know what to do i'm freaking out the mom and dad aren't doing anything to help me so i'm just gonna go bite somebody because i think that's the right decision i need to make
00:15:25
Speaker
Yeah, i I fully understand. Like, like looking back over the years, like, i keep saying this quote and i'm gonna say it like almost every time we talk guys is like freedom is slavery like if you give your dog ultimate freedom you are a slave to that dog yeah over and over and over again because you have to watch it like a hawk you have to like you you can't let it have too much freedom because or be away from you or be independent because you don't know what it's going to do my dogs like even when this place was full had free reign
00:16:01
Speaker
Right. Because I knew exactly what was going to happen. Like, let's say a client was walking their dog out here and I was taking my dogs out. I say come. They're going come. Yeah. Right. So, like, I felt like Trump there. like yeah i But you guys know what I mean. Like, you know, like you just lived at a house without ah fence with three huskies.
00:16:24
Speaker
Yeah. How'd you do it? ah Yeah, it's a lot of hard work put in before that. If I wouldn't have done all this training beforehand, it would be a complete shit show. There'd be no way I'd be chasing them down the road every single time they got outside. and But e-collar training, I mean, it's been essential for us.
00:16:42
Speaker
I mean, having three Huskies to begin with is difficult because I'm going out with three leashes, then they're stuck on a leash. so They can't get out all this crazy energy. So, mean, the e-collar, it's been a game changer. I mean, even if you didn't, like, even if you did have a fence, I feel like... Yeah.
00:16:59
Speaker
For Vika's huskies are prone to jumping fences and running away. Or digging under them. Before Piper went through training, when I, she ran away 30 times in the first 30 days. I had her, like, no exaggeration. Like, I was crying. Like, i'm chasing her down the street, like, 3 a.m. m in my underwear. Yeah.
00:17:15
Speaker
Still do this... Still to this day, if the wrong person watches them, they would do it. Oh, for sure. Yeah. I had a dog sitter. My pit bull watched by my sister and I get a call and she's like, she ran a chasing buddy down the road and I'm in my robe. I just got out of the shower I'm in somebody's backyard trying to get her. I'm like, oh my gosh. Like e-collar training has been the best thing that's ever happened to any of my dogs.
00:17:40
Speaker
Yeah. Like, and I, I hate the stigma. Like, cause we're, we're here as people who are like, I love the tool. It's not, but the tool isn't everything, right? Like we have to do the reps. We have to do the practice. Like why we as a company use e-collars is not because we need to.
00:17:58
Speaker
It's because it's so much easier to hand this to you and say, hey, do this system. Because what I love about e-collar is a two is a two.
00:18:09
Speaker
A four is a four. Yeah. A high is a high. Right. No matter whose hand it's in, it's the same. It's the same. Right. Where even like this is where like prongs don't make sense for every client. Right. Like if we have a really weak client, does that prong make sense for a big, powerful dog? Because it's going to be like, yeah, heal or like, you know, like we even see like when we train new people and they're like,
00:18:33
Speaker
heal you're like no no no heal like like snap because it doesn't mean anything if it doesn't mean anything or like we see people who like bring their dogs in on prongs full pulling yeah because they're too big and they just let the dogs there's like 10 extra links on it and they're just like they're hanging like a necklace even with the prong my dog pulls through it yeah because you're not using it right yeah so like show them what it means actually but if they had trained with an e-collar they wouldn't have that same issue because e-collar consistent every single time and you know there are better ones like we're big components all here of e-collar technologies yeah um i know a lot of people with dog trucks those are cool i think just the usability of the e-collar technology ones is just so much different yeah like
00:19:21
Speaker
It fits in your hand. it fits in your pocket. It doesn't look military. And I think like that is their like that's their benefit. Like I think dog dress sometimes like you look like you're a cop. You look like you're military.
00:19:33
Speaker
And like I don't love that stigma because I think e-collar should be everyday people. Yes. And like, I love that, like, they come and keep colors. I like love, yeah yeah like, you know, like, i think my dogs have teal, purple, pink, yeah blue, and black. And like, they look cool.
00:19:50
Speaker
yeah Right. And i think. I think if we can get it more mainstream, we have less dog incidences at the park. We have less dogs running away.
00:20:03
Speaker
But
Socializing and Dog Breed Needs
00:20:04
Speaker
like everyone wants to put band-aids on those situations, right? Like you like talk to anybody in the restaurant rescue world and you know, like she talks to them every day.
00:20:14
Speaker
And they'll say like, oh, the person that we rescued from said just to put tarp up or just to put a sound machine on and block out the windows. it's Avoid all dogs on walks. Avoid people on walks. It's like, what good is that doing you or the dog? Nothing. not It's not. It reminds me of that character from Shameless that just like hides in her house all day.
00:20:34
Speaker
You know what I mean? Or something. She just doesn't like anything social. The sign. She went out the door that one time. Yeah. Like, how is that a good life for a dog?
00:20:46
Speaker
How is that a life? Yeah. And like what people like fail to remember is that they're social beings, right? Like they interact with the world, right? Like, you know, I'm not the trainer that's going to let the dog like sniff around and pull around, but like even just walking down the street, there're they're socializing with the smells and the sounds, right? Like some of these dogs that we get aren't used to the garbage truck.
00:21:12
Speaker
Yeah, they've never left their their house and their yard. It's obvious. And these dogs weren't bred to just be our pets. They were bred for a reason. And yes, we have domesticated them. Except if they're a Cavalier.
00:21:27
Speaker
They were literally bred to be hell. But we owe it to them to still allow like their genes to be used and you know allow that freedom to still let them be a dog just in a more respectful and structured way.
00:21:41
Speaker
Yeah, we, um one of mine and Liz's best friends, Sherry and Mike, they own Sophie, who's like this cabapoo with a little bit of beagle in her. And we held a tracking seminar here.
00:21:53
Speaker
Tell me why she was the best dog at tracking. And it wasn't even. that Beagle in there. It wasn't even close. And now all the dog wants to do is track. That's awesome. And it's awesome. And like you get like she gets so tired.
00:22:06
Speaker
Right. Like when you see a dog actually fulfill like what it's supposed to Right. Like your dogs are more tired when you go hiking. Yeah. who Your dog is more tired when you tuck.
00:22:17
Speaker
Yeah. Frisbee. Yeah. Yeah. When he can like get after it. Right. Like my labs are tired if they do anything. Right. Like. That's why i love I love lads because they're versatile, right? like like They'll be couch potatoes if you want them to be couch potatoes. They therapy dogs. They can be service dogs. They can go play fetch for two hours. Hunt.
00:22:37
Speaker
They can hunt. like I love me a lab because like what's the worst it's going to do is be probably a little food aggressive. Yeah. Right. like The worst lab that we know is food aggressive.
00:22:49
Speaker
Yeah. And that's just because they're cra you happy. yeah Crazy about food. Yeah. Absolutely. So talking about like getting your guys' dogs where you wanted, like what are some advice for people with Huskies that you would say to get to where they like can be in your house and can be good members of society?
00:23:11
Speaker
So if you are a lazy person and you have no intentions of being active, don't get one. Period. But if you're up for it, then you the dogs, you have to be consistent with them.
00:23:23
Speaker
They cannot have the same type of freedoms and lack of structure that maybe like a chill, easygoing lab might do okay with. Like they have to have jobs because if we don't give them one, they're going to they're going to destroy your house.
00:23:37
Speaker
So crate time with them you know letting them get their energy out just things like that how much crate time is too much crate time so my dogs actually used to sleep in the crate overnight they don't now but i mean full work day in a crate is totally fine if and sleeping in there right like yeah i mean they're sleeping usually anyways if we're not around active like i am a big proponent of like if you're what would you rather eight hours of no one paying attention to you at all or four hours of someone paying the most attention to you possible like what's going to make you more tired right like right if we just sat in this room and didn't talk to each other we wouldn't feel engaged yeah but like after we film this podcast we're probably going to be like a little bit like talk tired yeah right so like same with your dog like if you you know like what i heard you say is attention yeah like give your dog attention
00:24:32
Speaker
Absolutely. Yeah. And they they do require a lot of attention. Huskies, they're very demanding. They're bossy. They will talk back to you. Like, they're not a dog you can just leave up to their own devices because they will get themselves into trouble.
00:24:47
Speaker
Yeah, and then talking about boxer, like how would you suggest like someone, they got an eight week old boxer? What's their next step? First, expect a lot of sass and expect a lot of drama.
00:25:03
Speaker
Like Katie said, you can't compare one breed to another. and a lot of times you can't even compare any dog in general to another dog, even if it's the same breed. ah
Understanding Dog Drives and Obedience
00:25:13
Speaker
Get to know the dog in front of you. um Yeah, reps, consistency.
00:25:18
Speaker
I mean, like I said before, you don't have to perfect every single thing, but make it adjust to your lifestyle and what you want. it doesn't have to be a sport dog. No, right. Right, like, just, but you have to fulfill it, right? Like, you can't you can't force a sport dog breed into being a bloodhound that sleeps on forts. I've wanted to sign Kelso up for frisbee competitions for the last three years.
00:25:45
Speaker
This dog has never caught a frisbee once in his life. He will sit there, wait for it to come, drop on the ground, and then he'll pick it up and run it back, and... He should do but he just can't. And so, you know, that' okay but that's okay.
00:25:58
Speaker
So you play with him the way that he wants to be played with. Yeah. And like, could we like force it? I'm sure you could, right? Like with some negative pressure, but like why? Yeah, he's happy.
00:26:08
Speaker
Right. He's happy just grabbing and running around. Getting his larry energy out. Yeah. And he sounds like he loves his life. So, like, why would we, like, force this box and, like, make something for some being that doesn't have this drive?
00:26:25
Speaker
Yeah. Right? Like, you know, like, I think we've all met someone who, like, forces drive. And you're like, ugh. Yeah. Yeah. It kind of makes you sick. Like, there's enough dogs out there that have this natural drive.
00:26:38
Speaker
Find it. And then build it upon it. But, like, if you get a dog in front you that doesn't have the drive for or something. Yeah. Don't force it. Right? Like, I have labs. They should want to jump in the water. Right? Yeah.
00:26:50
Speaker
They're little scared. They'd rather walk in. They love swimming. Yeah. But to get them to, like, dock dive, I'm not going to force it. Yeah. Yeah. You don't want to do it? Like, you don't feel comfortable?
00:27:02
Speaker
Bro, that's fine. Like, I don't need to do it. Like, i was I thought I was doing them a favor of doing this stuff. Yeah. Right? like Because I thought they wanted to do it. Turns out, like, they'd rather just... Mosey on in? Yeah.
00:27:13
Speaker
Well, and there's a difference between that and obedience as well. Like, there's a lot of owners out there, too, that will say, like, oh, well he doesn't seem like he wants to learn this, so I'm not going to make him. That's a lot different than...
00:27:27
Speaker
I didn't want to go to school. Yeah. Right.
Safe Spaces and Crate Training Benefits
00:27:30
Speaker
I didn't want to learn math. ah Right. But I had to learn math. Like, like, that's a great point. Like school is in learning things that are fundamental is a lot different than like agility, sports. Yeah, if your parent forced you into football. Yeah. Well, and I always hear about the crate.
00:27:48
Speaker
People hate the crate for some odd reason, but they like to compare their dogs to their babies. So I'll compare their babies right back to their dogs and say, where do you put your baby when they need to go take a nap?
00:27:59
Speaker
In a safe, enclosed bassinet. Or a swing or whatever. swing or whatever that you know that they'll be safe. can't roll off, can't get hurt, can't get into anything. If my boxer didn't have a crate his entire life, he'd be dead.
00:28:14
Speaker
Because... Yep, mine too. All four of my dogs would have ate something that would have killed them. yeah right lightly I think um I worked with you at, or Liz was still with you at Doctopia when Baby broke out of her kennel and ate the entire garbage can.
00:28:30
Speaker
One $1,500 surgery later and that's a cheap one. Yeah. Right. On top of like just the the worry and the stress that that put on us like and like the stress on her body. We don't know the lasting impact that that stuff has. Right. Like.
00:28:47
Speaker
So, yeah, all of our dogs would be dead without safety. And I'm not saying like every dog needs to be put in a kennel all the time. There's a time and a place for every dog. Some dogs do do better.
00:29:00
Speaker
Like they they hurt themselves in kennels. Yeah. Get it. Probably something we did at a young age that wrong. Like, you know, like I think so many people give up so quick on a kennel and they don't do the right steps. Right. Like, yeah, even me and like our dogs, like I don't necessarily believe in cry it out for anything.
00:29:19
Speaker
Like I'm not a like um we don't let our daughter cry it out. We like we intervene. There's things that intervene, like did you even practice putting their dog in a kennel? Did you practice luring it in there, putting it it down, rewarding it for going in there?
00:29:34
Speaker
Yeah. no Then let's go back and let's this, right? small and build up instead of just putting them in there all day and closing the door and leaving for a full work day, of course they're going to freak Yeah, I'd be so confused. Somebody did that to me. Yeah, like, and like, many dogs have you talked to that like, I don't know, Katie, my dog's never the kennel.
00:29:55
Speaker
Yeah, every single day. ah Guess what? Those dogs come in and they're angels. And they do great. And it's, you know, they're able to implement that after training and it just helps them so much. Well, I'm sure there's like eight, nine-year-old dogs that have never been in a kennel. And that's one thing that is stopping them from bringing them to us. And it's totally possible.
00:30:15
Speaker
to introduce a crate at that age. it's ah It's possible to do anything. And it's way easier for us to do it than that. Yeah, well true. Like we will try and get them to do it, but they'll fail at it miserably because they're going to they're going to go pick that dog up when it cries. Yeah, the first time they they try to get out or or they seem upset. Or PE's or like, you know, like whatever it does, like these dogs at at that age usually have their owners pretty well trained. Oh, 100%. Right? Like, and they're like, those are those people that are slaves to their dogs.
00:30:43
Speaker
yeah And those are the people like I want to give hope to because we were all there. yeah yeah
Personal Journeys in Dog Training
00:30:49
Speaker
Almost everyone I know in the industry got in the industry because they were there.
00:30:54
Speaker
Outside of the military guys, like those are the only people I know that weren't probably here. Like as, you know, like me my wife, when we had got Bones, we worked 70 hours each a week.
00:31:07
Speaker
When was I having time to work with Bones? Right. No, I was, you know, like sending him to like daycare and he was getting kicked out at like 5, PetSmart. pet smart You know, like, it was just like, no, no, no. One or the other. You first do to become a trainer and learn about it.
00:31:25
Speaker
Yeah, because, you know, like, I'm a kind of person like, this is now my responsibility. Right? Like, I'm not going to be like, take this dog back because I can't handle it. It's like, no, we we made the decision to to get this dog and bring it into our family. So we're going to fix it. did Did Liz cry some nights?
00:31:42
Speaker
You know, like, because that dog, like, pulled her you know, like, just the attention that we were losing foot from each other. Because, but you know, what I don't think we even bring this up. Liz and I were, like, months together when we got bones.
00:31:57
Speaker
So it's, like, think about that as, like, a relationship. And now, like, this thing is taking up half of our free time. A big stressor, too. Like, ah and a non-obedient dog is so stressful. Yeah. And, like, I hear it in the voices of people every day when they call. They're just at their wits end.
00:32:12
Speaker
Yeah. i I mean, like training in general, like is a beautiful thing. I think there's so much bad on the internet. Like we don't even try it. Like we're not too big on like too much education because I think is there's an information overload on the internet, right? Like everyone's posting their 10 tips and this and this and then ah we're getting there. we're We're adding more to it, but there's, I just wish people wood stop looking on the internet so much than trying to do it their own yeah find people on the internet that you agree with and go towards them right whether that means you're you're you're consuming their information and who they post about or you know like following them on patreon or like you know listening their podcasts to eventually like literally calling them
00:33:04
Speaker
Right. Like I I wish people just like dealt with people that they knew had honest takes. yeah And i think we can all assume like positive only.
00:33:17
Speaker
Isn't a fair take because there's no such thing. You put a dog on a leash. There's no such thing as positive reinforcement. That is there's there's consequences. There's.
Critique of Positive-Only Training
00:33:27
Speaker
Unless you're going to sprint around with a dog and never give leash pressure or even a fence or anything, yeah there's there's negative pressure. yeah right like So to me, like that's super unfair.
00:33:41
Speaker
And how come almost every single time I see a website for positive-only person, there's a euthanasia... Yeah. console I know. Yes. They would rather just say, kill your dog because what I can do can't help you instead of referring to someone who who can help. How many dogs have you talked to?
00:34:01
Speaker
Clients are like, hey, my vet and this trainer, I'm not going to name them, but they're in Ferndale and they're very popular, told me to put this dog down. So many.
00:34:11
Speaker
and And after they talk to me, they're in tears because they actually have hope. Like, oh, wow, you don't think I should kill my dog? No, you've went through one course of classes. Like, why immediately yeah go to that instead of, you know, kind of... Have you tried to say no?
00:34:25
Speaker
Yeah, saying no in and a language that they can understand. Have you tried no? and like the like And sometimes i i remember like talking to clients when they first started, and I literally say, like, have you tried to tell them not to? Mm-hmm.
00:34:39
Speaker
no it's like you know like in nature the other dogs would yeah yeah they would correct them they would correct them harshly yeah so like and you know we just that viral video this week did you guys see it yes i did right where that like king charles the dog yeah like it is true like some dogs just need to be put into place you know like we all came from a world where that dog would have been and kicked out kicked out immediately yep because we wouldn't even have allowed that dominant dog to be there right exactly right because you know guys we all started at minimum wage yeah had no idea just we we thought we were like these dog knowledgeable people but we literally just picked up poop and like stopped fighting Yeah, ate goldfish in the corner. Threw it out at the dogs and yelled when they started getting too rowdy. And we were given like a squirt bottle for crowd control. and Like that. And whiteboards when things go down, just shove them in between the dogs. I mean, it's, yeah, it's been bit.
00:35:36
Speaker
But we thought- For minimum wage. Guys, remember though, we thought we were the sh- Yeah. And I was so confused. I couldn't train my, my new Husky, you know? So it's, yeah, it's definitely a whole different world when you get into the actual training. So like, and then like, what's, what's sadder is how many times you've been told, like, we just decided to kill the dog instead.
00:35:59
Speaker
Absolutely. that That every time. like I think it breaks us. like Those days are ruined when you get the call back, hey, like we met, we talked to our vet again, and we decided that we were just going to kill the dog.
00:36:14
Speaker
And I'm to say kill. I don't want to hop around this word euthanasia. You killed your dog because you didn't want to say no, and you didn't want to put in hard work. yeah And you were consulted with bad
00:36:29
Speaker
education like bad information right and you know like that is the whole zg i'm not even gonna say the name it could better i don't want to give him the attention yeah uh debate on like that's like ripped the dog world in half it's like why are we okay with killing a dog rather than putting it to possibly sometimes 0.3 seconds of uncomfortability right I'd much rather be uncomfortable for 0.3 seconds than die.
00:37:01
Speaker
Absolutely. Right? Like, 100%. one hundred percent Like, that is just the truth of all of this. Is like, I'd rather be uncomfortable. I'd rather my daughter be uncomfortable for 0.2 seconds than her have something that scars her for life or... Well, and that's the thing is like, everyone wants to treat their dog like it's their kid.
00:37:21
Speaker
You correct your kid too. It's not in the same way. yeah But you're teaching your kid the same, like, and you're teaching your dog. There's rights and there's wrongs. Guys, like if my daughter was walking up to the grill, let's say she's old enough to like reach the grill and it's on and she's trying to like put her hand on the grill.
00:37:40
Speaker
I might throw something at her. Yeah. Yeah. I might smack her. Because you know it's for the better yeah good for her. But I'd much rather her be mad at me for the minute or two than have 30 degree burns. Yeah.
00:37:52
Speaker
And have that for the rest of her life. Right. So like who's the bad guy here? Right. And like we are villainized. Like the comments that we get on our posts, on our ads.
00:38:05
Speaker
Yeah. Like
00:38:08
Speaker
I'll take them because I know in our hearts what we're doing is is right. But like someone's going to comment on this video and say, you guys are mean. You guys are awful. You should never put your dog in a crate. And they don't even say it that nice.
00:38:19
Speaker
yeah They swear. They call us all sorts of things and tell us and to go do something to ourselves. Right? Like... It's so funny that this world that's like positive only is so cruel and mean to us.
00:38:33
Speaker
Yep. And all we're trying to do is help people and help families. We love dogs. We love dogs. We want to help them. Love them enough to correct them. Right. Like, you know, like we all read the book, love him by leading.
00:38:46
Speaker
yeah Right. Like, and I do believe like, you know, like that man is probably sculpted all of us a lot. Absolutely. um And, and like, you know, you were going to meet him and then, you know, your family fell apart.
00:39:01
Speaker
And so love you. um um But, you know, you met him and then Anthony and Zoe. And so, but you could see after, after his influence, like how much better trainers. Oh my God. I mean, after just the one week with Sean O'Shea, I wanted to move into his house because it's like he brought back all the passion and i owe him everything. I mean, he's like the God of dog trainer. He's great.
00:39:29
Speaker
And I, what I love is that like, he's taking so much of the heat for us. Yeah.
Community Perceptions on Dog Training
00:39:34
Speaker
Right. Like I, I commend him. Like I commend Tom Davis. I commend, you know, like a dog training.
00:39:41
Speaker
Yeah. Robert. um Yeah. Cane nine. Yeah. Yeah. a and e that yeah uh they're doing the lord's work for us right because like and that's what we're stepping into we're trying to get a good name on us balance trainers and showing that like we're just humans and we're guys we're gonna make mistakes like there might be we might be out with a dog that shouldn't have been somewhere and we're we might have to correct the dog and like you know we we work in ferndale and if you know ferndale you know that people are gonna be oh my
00:40:17
Speaker
And it's like, uh, the dog's doing it one to itself and two, like I, I'm, I have to, like, I, I did fail the dog in this situation. It shouldn't be in this situation. And I know that you screaming at me is not helping the situation, but if you walk away and I walk away, the, the situation will actually end. So how about you stop putting pressure on this dog by screaming at me while I'm correcting it.
00:40:42
Speaker
Um, and we can, we can actually go further. Like I always find it funny, like, uh, back in the day, and like when we'd go to like crazy events with dogs and people be like, oh my God, all you're so mean. And like pointing at the e-collar, well now I have to correct it. Who's mean now?
00:40:59
Speaker
Like you forced me to correct this dog. Yeah. yeah I think that whole like mindset of we're mean, well, you just put so much extra pressure on this dog. Who's really mean here?
00:41:10
Speaker
Right. I just had a conversation with somebody two days ago on our street, and like up for for Ferndale. Yeah. She goes, can you stop taking pictures of your dogs in front of my house?
00:41:23
Speaker
I'm facing the street, by the way. Her house isn't even in the background because it's bothering my dogs and they're barking their heads off outside the window. Yeah. I'm like, oh, ah him maybe that's a good indication that maybe you should sign them up for training because you're causing so much stress on your dogs just letting them. And why is that so offensive? Right.
00:41:41
Speaker
Why is that so offensive to to tell them that their dogs need to help? Let me you. I want to help you. But she was probably so offended. that Oh, yeah. She didn't say anything. She just kind of walked away. She uttered words under her breath. And now every day I'm like, good luck.
00:41:54
Speaker
It's like, I think like if you saw someone struggling with their car and you were a mechanic, it'd be rude to not be like, you need help? Yeah, absolutely. That's all you did there.
00:42:05
Speaker
Yep. And sorry that my life just existing is causing you problems. That shouldn't be a thing. Yeah. yeah that I mean, i was on um I was on public property on a sidewalk yeah right where we walk up and down all the time and other neighbors will who are even part of us.
00:42:23
Speaker
Well, also, we're in Ferndale. Yeah. Guys, there's more dogs than kids in Ferndale. Yeah. don't want to sign up for dog training and you don't want your dogs to bark out the window anymore, it's time to move out to the country. Absolutely.
00:42:38
Speaker
There's just, there's no common denominator in that last eight mile here. yeah get Guess what? You go to the country and then there's deers, bunnies, things, and...
00:42:49
Speaker
You have to train against those. Yeah. or your dog's going get ran over because it's going to chase that bunny and get hit by a car. Or it's going to go into one of these pesticide-filled farms and eat something it shouldn't have.
00:43:00
Speaker
Or, or, or, or, or. Yeah. Right? like But that's okay. I'll just take my quiet, calm, obedient dog and I'll just go walk around another part of the neighborhood for you. Yeah, let me... Because I don't want to bother you and your dog. I'll just cross the street right before your house and you cross back.
00:43:16
Speaker
And, like, what I think is funny is, like... Thank you. I'm actually training against you right now. like you you're You're so mad at me right now, but I am so happy that this dog is home instead. You're the best distraction. Yeah, exactly. So thank you. like I'm going to turn your negative into a positive because you're negative.
00:43:36
Speaker
and And I don't care. So this is a good learning experience for my dog now. Thank you for letting your dogs bark out the window at my dog. yeah We're going to go back and forth and back and forth and back and forth until you yell at me to leave. You guys know Marty?
00:43:47
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Well, yeah everybody knows Marty. Me and his dad, you know, he was struggling with, like, dogs barking him through the fence and walking. So this one dog, I mean, we walked by their house probably 200 times.
00:44:00
Speaker
And, like, you could see the owner, like, finally came the door, like, what? I was like, we're just like, training here. And you know, Marty, you know, Max is like the nicest human. So he's just like, hey, buddy, thank you so much. You know, we're just using your house as a training exercise. And I was like, I love Like, how could you even be mad at him? It's just so nice.
00:44:21
Speaker
I mean, like, I think his, like, life is to be, like, so positive. Like, that's it. Like, he's, he is meant to do that in life. And I love that man. yeah And ah Marty will always have a place to stay because of him.
00:44:31
Speaker
uh, and ah
Health Concerns in Specific Breeds
00:44:33
Speaker
And we will forever buy our cars from you. Yeah. Yes. um And Jim Rue. And the Reels. Both. Both.
00:44:43
Speaker
We go. Me and Liz are one and then the other one and then the other. Because we love them both. Have you guys met Hutch yet? No. Remy? I believe so. yes, yes. Yeah.
00:44:54
Speaker
So there they also own car dealerships. So um we we definitely make sure that I usually, i don't know if you guys know this, I usually only work with, like if we use something, I only purchase through clients.
00:45:09
Speaker
Yeah, I've noticed that. So, like, i like whether it's gear or anything, like, you're going to find, like, they they've worked with us before. And if there's something in our facility, like a sign or something, like, it was made by a client. Like, that was made by a lessons client, um which I think is super cool. That is super cool. Yeah.
00:45:26
Speaker
So, on the topic of huskies and boxers, I've met, like, two or three of each that I've liked, guys. oh Spouts before. Yeah.
00:45:38
Speaker
but that before i mean, I like Piper, but she is like the laziest girl right now because she's always hurt. Yeah, she's hurt. She's a little disabled. But she is an anxious. She is. She is so good. And she was the worst puppy ever. Like I was crying every day and now ah you would like use her for a lesson. And you would cry if you lost her.
00:45:57
Speaker
Oh yeah, she's hurt right now and it just kills me. It just absolutely kills me. And then boxers, it's pretty rare, but there's a couple that I've really liked. I know, it's so biased of me to say, but I've owned four boxers now. And honestly, he is just cookie cutter, what you would want in a boxer, everything put together. He's it.
00:46:17
Speaker
I, my heart, I guess like the hardest thing about owning a boxer, it's like the, it's like owning a Great Dane. Like you're fearful. Yeah. Like Eddie, like, oh Hey, he's a little slow today. Like you got, you got like, is your stomach?
00:46:32
Speaker
Do we need Always stomach problems. Yeah. Like, yeah are you dying? Like, yeah. Like Frenchies, Great Danes and boxers, like they just scare me. Right. Like if any of those dogs get sick, what we do guys?
00:46:44
Speaker
We send them all. Right. Like, Like ah a lab, get something. You're like, yeah, it'll be fine. Yeah. Right. A pit something. And it'll be fine. Boxer, Frenchie, Great Danes.
00:46:56
Speaker
It sneezed one single time. It needs to go home. Yeah. Uh, so like that would be my biggest fear. Like, And I was dealt with very like unfortunate circumstances too this year where my other dog, who only had 1% boxer in her, ended up with this terrible... Boxer. ah Yeah, 1% boxer in her.
00:47:18
Speaker
She had these terrible... like, blood disease that was incurable. And she had a heart murmur, which it's so common for boxers to have heart murmur and, um, or heart disease in general.
00:47:30
Speaker
And we had to deal with that for her. And so, and that was only about three months ago. So now that if Kelso throws up once, we're like, oh my God, should we go to the vet? Like, I'm freaking out. Um, so, I mean, I think that's also personal issues with us too. We were we were dealt with something very rare and unfortunate.
00:47:47
Speaker
um But with every single boxer I've had, it was ah developed heart issue or um hip dysplasia or a nerve damage causing um like the dog to be paralyzed. Yeah, and they get brain things, stomach things. Stomach things, oh my god. like They become a big scare. yeah But after owning so many, you kind of get used to it.
00:48:11
Speaker
And I'm sure like, at this point, you're going to look for the right breeder. Like, we're so much more knowledgeable, right? Like, you're not going to like, you're like, hey, like, let me meet mom and dad. Like, how long, how old are they? Like, how old were their parents lived to?
00:48:26
Speaker
like you Like, you know, it's no longer like, like a cool puppy. It's like. A sign on the side of the road. or Yeah. Like, just like you as Huskies, like, you're not going to, you know, just go grab one from the side of the road anymore. Oh no, I made that mistake once and now my, you know, we your bank account child yeah my bank account hurts. My heart hurts because she's six and has all these issues. It's yeah, no. We're a very durable breed.
00:48:50
Speaker
Yes, absolutely. You usually get a Husky because you're like, I don't really worry about health issues with a Husky. Right, yeah. I can't think of one thing that's Husky specific. That's like something I would worry about. It's all men it's all the mental. They're just little psycho. It's a range, but ah not like, you know, I don't i can't remember taking a husky to a vet.
00:49:13
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, I haven't. We've been at the vet multiple times a week for the past few months. so it's But before that. Yeah. Rare. Rare. And your other two, never. My last one, she lived to be 15. Yeah.
00:49:25
Speaker
yeah and Rarely. Got yearly vaccine. Yep. Three years, probably, at the end of it. Yep. Every three years, she would go to that. But, like, that's a very durable breed. Like, they
Engagement and Community Interaction
00:49:35
Speaker
couldn't be more different of breeds that you guys have. Yeah. And we get along so well. Looks like, I mean, they're both a little crazy, have breeds. But other than that, yeah, very, very different.
00:49:45
Speaker
I mean, I think like almost everyone that we work with has crazy dogs, right? like I think of Zoe's, Zoe's pack. Like they're motley. Can't even get near the crate in the back because there are dogs in it. It's this big. Like, girl, okay.
00:49:59
Speaker
youre okay you know like uh you know tyler with his three pack now like they're they're pretty chill like you know like he he took our b from us not like took like he was the perfect home for her and like yeah she looks so much more comfortable yeah with him like he was just they were just there right being ray yeah um and like two peas in a pod like i'm so happy that yeah I mean, like, he's the right person. He's a single male who does all this stuff with the dog. yeah Like, dude, that dude clocks out.
00:50:31
Speaker
He stops at his house. And then it's just all about his dogs for the rest of the Go hunting with the... That is the kind of person that should have these high, high drive dogs. Like, I feel sorry for whatever girlfriend he gets because I'm sure she's second fiddle to those dolls.
00:50:49
Speaker
You know, like, you know, Anthony has the perfect dogs for him. Like, Odin is perfect for Anthony. Like, he wants to do nothing. Just like Anthony. Sorry. Anthony clocks out of work is like, where can I watch a game? a couple like That's my brother. Like, so I know. um So I know Odin's perfect for him and kind of a little antisocial. You know where Anthony's like, you'd be alone. yeah You know, like that dog is like, leave us, ah leave us alone. yeah You know, like, that's that's perfect.
00:51:20
Speaker
I really, you know, like, Aaron and his dogs look so proper and, and like, put together. like and it's just, like, that is, like, yeah of course those are his dogs. Yeah, like and great, too. Yeah, of course they are, because yeah he's great. Yep.
00:51:35
Speaker
You know, like, and I just think of, like... You know, Cassie in her wildness has Axel in his wildness. Yeah. You know, like, I think they just all go together. ah And that's who I think of when I think of a husky girl, by the way. is Yeah. Cassie, like, you know, like, super, like, wolf girl.
00:51:54
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Would be a wolf if she could. Yeah. yeah ae So like I just love that like almost everyone we know like their personality is like a lot like their dog. you remember working at Dogtopia and like you'd have a dog get picked up and you're like why do you look like your owner? Kiki. Kiki. I was thinking like Kai, Kiki. No the poodle. Yeah yeah yeah. And like their hair was like perfectly curled the same and everything. Oh my gosh. Rest in peace Kiki. Princesses. Yeah.
00:52:27
Speaker
there were princesses they demanded respect like big personalities in ah like she was like what 120 pound poodle that was played in the toy box and like couldn't couldn't hang in any other room so funny to me um but on that note guys like it was great we should probably do this a lot more often yeah absolutely so we will continue these i don't know weekly You guys think we could get together weekly? Especially when once we're in West Bloomfield.
00:52:59
Speaker
Yes, for sure. Yeah, yeah. So... You guys thought about the drag? We're like... We're halfway. you get As long as we get, like, lunge every time. Must have maybe got a Frankenmoo. Seriously. All right, sweet. I'm over here.
00:53:21
Speaker
Thanks so much for watching, guys. If you like the content, feel free to like and subscribe to our page and check us out on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. YouTube.
00:53:32
Speaker
TikTok. YouTube.