After several months of training our two German Shepherd puppies at home, I realized we needed professional help. We were making great progress on our own, but I wanted validation that I was on the right track, and the pups needed to enhance their social skills.

Both dogs would do just about anything I asked as long as we were in the backyard, but taking them out in public was a different story. Even with lots of walks in the neighborhood and trips to the playground I hadn’t done a good job teaching Max and Ellie that they needed to pay attention to me when there were other things (often much more fun) competing for their attention.

I was already a confirmed clicker training junkie so naturally I needed to find a class that also used clicker training. After interviewing several people by phone, I decided to register with Ultimate Dog Training with Darla Lacey. Since there is only one of me but there are two dogs, I had to chose which of my canine buddies would have the honor of spending six Sunday evenings in class. Ellie seemed to be suffering a more severe case of ADD and was the obvious contender.

It was apparent from the first two minutes of class that Ellie’s skill level was more advanced than her five classmates. She already knew all the foundation skills the other dogs were just beginning to learn…sit, come, stay, down, go to your bed, let’s go, touch, and she even knew several tricks, but the classroom environment dictated she be able to respond to cues in the company of five other dogs and their owners. I had been a slacker-pet-parent and had not ensured my dogs met at least a hundred people before they were 16-weeks-old, as all the “experts” suggest. Instead, we spent most of the summer at home with my three-year-old who spent the hottest summer on record in a full body cast with a broken leg.

Despite her lack of early social skills, Ellie is progressing quickly and just graduated from her first obedience class. It seems pretty foolish to dress a dog in cap and gown, but I was surprised at how proud I felt when we walked together to receive Ellie’s diploma.

My immediate goal is that both Max and Ellie pass the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizenship Test, a 10-component exam that “certifies” a dog is well-mannered and people-friendly. We have quite a bit of work to do before we’ll be ready to take the test, and most of the areas in which we need practice relate to a well-socialized dog. (Another great excuse to hang out at Starbucks).

The biggest surprise for me is not how quickly the dogs are learning (have you ever met a dumb German Shepherd?), it’s been how much I’m enjoying the training. Instead of this becoming another task on my never-ending-to-do-list, training the dogs has become a stress reliever, something I look forward to, and something I feel proud to accomplish. 

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