I adopted a 7 year old Yorkshire terrier 6 months ago. I have never had a dog before, did not really grow up with a dog, but Frankie as we call him, was put into my world to change all of that. For the most part, I would say Frankie is a pretty good dog, but then again I have nothing to compare it to. He wakes us up occasionally in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes pees in the house and is a little possessive with his toys.

He follows me all over the house and begs in the kitchen like there is no tomorrow, but I have always chalked that up to the habits he got from his previous homes and that with regular love and adorations and of course, treats, he would grow out of those habits. My husband, David, on the other hand has always thought I am making excuses for him.

Why then am I listening to his non stop barking and whining as I attempt crating him for the first time since I adopted him?

Because I met Jeff Gellman of Solid K9 Dog Training.  I have to admit, it does seem a little funny to hire a dog trainer for an 8 lb dog, but after the shannanigans of Frankie climbing on top of my dining room chair, then on the table to get some cheese that was left over on some nachos and subsequently peeing on my table, I realized that I have no idea what I am doing

There are definitely some areas I am quite clueless about and as a result now have a dog that thinks he can pee in many areas of my house and wake me up every morning with some weird groaning sound. No way.  I met Jeff through a friend, Jessica who owns a canine massage business called Peace Dog, http://www.peacedog.biz and hired him for a 6 week training course.

Jeff and I Just completed our 3rd training session and though this is super time consuming I know that the end result is going to be a happier and more contented dog and therefore a better family experience.

So Jeff and I meet every Friday am for about an hour and he somewhat patiently teaches me the very basics of simple dog care. It is not easy when they are so stinking cute (the dog, that is though Jeff is not too hard on the eyes either, Jeff thinks this comment is sexist, but oh well, it is my blog) and how much do I really need to accomplish with this little thing, who is now such a part of my family. But I do this for some other reasons too.

What I want out of this is to know the right way to work with a dog. What I want is to understand what I am doing to create the behavior as opposed to blaming the dog.

I like learning something new that is completely out of my comfort zone, that wonderful paradigm shift that I sometimes miss as a business owner of a business that I am so comfortable with.

Jeff Gellman is an in your face kind of dog trainer and that has its positive points, though at times I have to remind him that I am not on trial here. Learning something new from someone who is a self proclaimed dog expert has its moments. I am the type of person that loves to learn new things but at the same time can’t stand being told what to do, I am a strong personality myself. I know that sounds twisted, but learning something new can sometimes be intimidating and those buttons come up as a woman being told what to do by an assertive man. All that being said, Jeff is a great trainer. The reason I know this is that the proof is in the dog. Frankie is like a new dog and though I am not here to make friends with Jeff, but rather to have a better dog experience, I have actually formed a nice friendship based on a mutual respect for what we each do for our business. This of course is an added bonus, as I often tell people I coach for business that we usually get and give business because we simply like the person we are about to do business with. I would say that this is definitely true about my positive experience with Jeff’s coaching so far.

I really thought that if I watched enough episodes of The Dog Whisperer, I would be able to figure this all out on my own. Sure I learned a few things, but what I have definitely seen as the main lesson here is the hands on factor and the accessibility of Jeff. He wants to help and he wants you to get it right because just like healthy skin in my spa is a great advertisement for my business, so is a healthy dog for his business. If you have the time and want a healthy and happy dog, spend the money on this, you will not be disappointed.  You can listen to Jeff’s show on Saturday mornings 7 am on 790am or you can find him on http://www.solidk9training.com.

And as the t shirts my friend carries say, Bark Less, Wag More. Happy Summer!