The Purpose

I have read that many of the dogs that end up in shelters or rescue are there because of lack of training. People get a cute puppy but have no idea how to socialize or train it, and it grows up into an unmannered, annoying dog.

All three of my dogs probably fit this profile. One was advertised in a newspaper for $50 and the other two were strays. All of them came to me with little or no training. This blog will serve as a training journal to keep track of their progress (and to motivate me to keep working). There will also be occasional articles about training techniques, dog breeders, shelters, and anything else dog related.

I am not a professional trainer. I am merely a novice who wishes to improve the lives of her dogs. I'm not married to any one training regimen; I read widely and try out those techniques that seem promising. I prefer positive training systems, mostly because a beginner (me) causes less damage through timing mistakes.

In the next few posts, I'll introduce the dogs and their current training levels.