Best Adopted Mutt

Prior to adopting our dog, Casey, I had several electric fence companies come out to access our yard. Many of our neighbors have electric fences. At first thought I wanted one. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized, I wanted a dog with manners. Yes, manners. I wanted a dog that would listen to me, walk with me, not pull me, play ball, and be well behaved around kids, other dogs and adults. I wanted a companion for the family. I read books on training, rescue dogs and the psychology of dogs. I watched the Dog Whisper. My kids begged for a dog, but essentially it becomes,"My Dog." I spend the most time with the dog because I am home more.. After interviewing Invisible Fence and other fence companies. We decided to look into obedience classes instead. It was the same amount of investment.There are two schools of thought out there.negative reinforcement (electric collars) and positive reinforcement using lots of praise. I definitely liked the idea of praise.

My reasons below for choosing obedience classes over a fence:

1. I had to retrain the potty command because she was already 2 years old 2.I did not want a dog with bad habits to destroy my home. 3 I wanted the dog to live the way we live and be on my schedule 4. I wanted Casey to be the kind of dog I could take anywhere

We decided to take obedience classes with Lorenzo. JD was our trainer. I did not know what to expect . JD was very personable. We purchased he basic package of lessons. Sit, down, stay down, heel, come and spot. He explained to our family that dogs are pack animals and you have to show the dog who is he leader. Don't treat the dog like a person, treat the dog like a dog. The dog has to respect you, in order to listen to you. It is required the whole family do the training. This way everyone is on the same page. They recommend obedience classes are the very best when you adopt a dog within the first week of arrival into your home. This way the dog establishes the rules from the beginning. The dog must learn your rules and what to expect. I think all too often dogs are abandoned because no one teaches the dog right from wrong and like a kid, they thrive on a schedule too. I learned repetition and consistency is key when training a dog.

The benefits of obedience classes has paid off 10x the fence for us. Casey does all the things we want her to do and she knows what to do, I am amazed. She knows potty is(poop) and to pee when told. She even knows when i ask her to go outside to play ball, versus going for a car-ride. She loves to go for walks and walks beside us, not pulling us, as many dogs I see with their owners. Casey has learned to catch a tennis ball and frisbee. She has established her own bed-time schedule and will go inside her crate to sleep between 10-10:30pm. It is also the time we turn down the lights...so she has adapted to us.

Casey has run of the yard and knows how far she can go. If I say, No she stops! If I say come!, she is running to me. If I say no more play; home!, she knows we are going in.

Again, I have never owned an adopted dog. This is my first. Casey Wins our Hearts!I hope this inspired others who are not sure about adopting a mutt.