Howling Wolves

Ralph grew up on a rural property - we didn’t have many visitors.

Now , we have moved to a more urban home means that there are a whole lot more sounds , smells , movement which he hasn’t had before.

Luckily I work from home , so I have time to ensure that I can help him start to get used to it all.

Visitors coming to our front door is unavoidable, and while I would love to be able to set up every visitor as a great training opportunity, sometimes that just isn’t the case.

I set up a safe little area for him in the laundry which is right by the front door , so that I can ask him to go in there whenever someone comes to the door.

This morning a neighbour came over for a chat , and caught us both off guard - Ralph was certainly vocal but followed his “in” cue to go into his little space.

He still barked for a bit , but settled in the end.

Forward thinking is key.

I bought a baby gate within the first 2 days of us being in our new home since I knew this would be a key part of our training. I already started getting him used to it yesterday , and he happily slept in there during the day.

Him being able to listen to the “in” cue when someone is at the front door is our first win , imagine trying to drag a 43kg shepherd into a seperate space - it’s not fun for both parties.

Next step is helping understand that he can bark ( he is a Shepherd at the end of the day) , but that when “thank you” is given , it’s quite time. Also that visitors are nothing to be worried about.

The next step after that is connecting the door knock , with going to his bed. To be able to do this , he will need to be more comfortable with the entire situation.

Our end goal is for Ralph to be able to take the knock as cue to go to his bed without the need for the baby gate.

To be able to achieve all of this , I will need to see if there are confident dog people who will be willing to help us out with training , it’s a small community so hopefully I can find a few people🤞- pre planned visits , where the visitors understand what the plan is will be key for now.

I will keep updates rolling in as we progress through the stages.

I am currently back home in Hungary , visiting family for 5 weeks.

Dogs are viewed differently by the majority of people here , especially in the smaller , poorer towns.

A couple of years ago a dog shelter was opened near the little town I’m from , to try and help with the large number of stray dogs and dogs that were living in horrific conditions.

The shelter is full , they have around 70 dogs currently and they are trying to run it the best as they can with minimal money and minimal helpers.

I started volunteering a few days ago , and as hard as it is to see where they are right now , this is a lot better then where they came from.

Considering these dogs have spent most of their lives isolated and hardly any human contact , the majority are wanting human contact and love so much.

It’s a very humbling experience for me and being able to work with some very timid and fearful dogs who have lived in environments which most of us can’t even imagine.

You can’t rush these dogs , you have to let them make their own choices. Let them approach , no sudden movements , and help them realise that not all humans are bad ❤️

When I was 2 years old , I Ioved to act as though I was a dog.

So much so , at one point my parents became worried that there might be something wrong with me. Turns out , I grew out of it after a month or so , but my passion and love for dogs was always deeply engrained.

We had guard dogs in Hungary , who were kept as just that. Guard dogs. However , I definitely always viewed them more as my friends , and spent many hours brushing them , and sneaking them extra food.

After living in New Zealand for a few years , my parents surprised me with our very own puppy when I was 9 , Lucky the Newfoundland. I spent every free time I had with him , and when we had to say goodbye to him when I was 16 , I was absolutely heart broken. It still makes me tear up now.

I spent 12 years in sales and climbed the corporate ladder , I ended up landing my “dream” job , getting to travel around New Zealand in a National Role.

I became rather ill at the start of 2019 , it changed my life. When I came out the other side , my husband Darren told me I needed think about what I really wanted to do and I needed to change my career.

That’s where dogs came back into my life.

It felt crazy , and a lot of people thought I was crazy leaving my career. But in my gut , I knew it was what I had always dreamt of.

I went to Unitec in 2020 and studied Canine Behaviour and Training full-time for a year. Graduating in 2021.

What I learnt , absolutely blew my mind , dogs were so much more than what I had thought they were. “Just dogs”.

After Unitec , I ran a group class dog training business together with a fellow student and friend . It was a fantastic way to get to work with a variety of different breeds and a variety of humans too.

I thought I knew a lot , until my very own bundle of fluff arrived , and totally turned my life upside down. He inspired me to become a better trainer , to have to think on my feet a lot , to have to better my handler mechanics and to learn how to find what brings the best out of him.

I am constantly looking to learn new ways of doing things , constantly expanding what I know , and working on bettering myself as a trainer.