Meet Princess, Fire and Macho
Princess was the first German shepherd puppy training that I had ever performed. She was also the first dog client I had who had a professional job to perform. After my two 3-hour visits, Princess made some real progress in protecting and not eating the chickens. This was around May 2011. Back then, Princess was a young black puppy Labrador who was eating her owners chickens out in Madera.
These were the very same chickens she was supposed to protect from being eaten by coyotes and hawks. Obviously, things had to change for Princess and her owner. The owner called me before he got rid of her. I had real success with Princess.
German Shepherd Puppy Training
MADERA DOG TRAINING
Meet Fire! Today, I’m doing some Madera Dog Training. This Belgian Malinois puppy is a new arrival here in Madera California. She is an expensive pet coming in at $2500 around 2011. (My first Belgian client in this photo). Starting as a puppy, and over the next year, this client hired me to return and work with Fire several times.
It was my job to replace Princess, my first Belgian, and it was Fire. Fire was another expensive, imported dog to Madera California. He became the chicken ranch foreman & protector. In a few visits, Fire took over the mantle of guarding the chickens from Princess. Over the next year, Fire would give birth to her first puppy named Macho. Unfortunately, guarding wasn’t engaging enough for Macho.
Macho Must Focus to Stop Sit & Wait
This was my first day with Macho, and he was already the biter. His favorite target was my clients young son.
As a puppy, it was imperative that this “Ferrari” of a dog, didn’t end up like Fire. Macho had to learn to be less active and less aggressive around the son and be more like a typical house pet. This is almost a laughable prospect because of the high-end training history of his mother, Fire. In the end, Macho grew to be a wonderful family pet, who happened to also guard the family and the family of chickens.
The Genes win over the chickens
The owner and I both realized that it was an uphill battle to try and contain Fire as a simple chicken ranch protector. That task was too simple and unengaging for the High Performance dog. Fire had a distinct canine family history of having fine-tuned bomb sniffers, Police K9’s, and Secret Service work. She was bred to be an active and driven working professional. Watching a lazy chicken ranch wasn’t in the cards for Fire. She was sold, but it became Macho’s turn at taking care of protecting the chickens and not eating them.
Meet Macho When He’s Four Months Older
This is the time when this Madera dog owner’s life. They need to choose between their Belgian Malinois Biting Down with force, or to teach them a “soft” bite. This family chooses soft bite for the kid’s protection. These dogs are not your typical family dog and their owners should be very cautious when owning Belgians. They aren’t bread to be “Family Dogs”.
Adult Macho Guards His Chickens and Family
Now that Macho is a bit older, his main duty is to guard and live with the chickens while also being a family dog. Our German Shepherd puppy training goal was finally achieved through calm assertive patience, technique and repetition.
Here’s a Video of German Shepherd Puppy Training
Getting Referrals is Awesome
Getting referrals from satisfied clients and being asked to work with new dogs is the highest compliment to me! Knowing a client trusts me to help them with other dogs is my most awesome privilege. It’s humbling when my past clients tell others to trust their pet to Way of a Dog.
