Introducing: Echo
This beautiful boy is about 3 years old. He is loving, independent, a bit naughty in some areas, funny, sweet, willing to learn new things… and he’s had very little exposure to life. He’s only just learning how to interact with humans, he’s not completely house-broken, and he’s confused about where and how he fits into this new life he has. None of these challenges are his owner’s doing – in fact, the owner believed he was buying a fully trained dog. It’s a long story I won’t go into; what matters is that I get to work with this sweet dog and teach him how to be in the world so that he can become the very best boy he can be.
This case is very different from what I usually take on. The owner is blind, but does not require or even want a Service dog. He also has health and mobility challenges that have greatly impacted his independence; he has human caregivers who assist him with the various responsibilities of day to day life. Echo was bought to provide companionship to the owner when he’s alone.
I will be working with Echo until close to the end of this year. Along with teaching him basic obedience, I am also going to be slowly introducing him to the world outside his home. The owner and the caregivers have been unable to do this, as Echo tends to pull extremely hard on the leash, seriously endangering the health and safety of whoever is handling him. Because he had so little exposure to the world before coming to this family, Echo is easily overwhelmed when he’s taken outside. Even his back yard, which he’s familiar with, overwhelms him. His adrenaline spikes, he paces, trots, and even runs back and forth relentlessly… Echo is unable to be still for even a moment.
Over the next four to five months, I’ll be working with Echo twice a week. Whenever possible, I will film and photograph the sessions. This beautiful, sweet boy has a challenging road ahead of him, but so far, he’s been showing me that he wants to learn. To me, that’s what matters.
Have a great day, and remember: Stay calm, and lead on.
That sounds like a challenge. He is very beautiful. I wish you the best of luck.
Hi Thomas. Thanks for your comment. 🙂 He’s a challenge… Yes. But only because he honestly doesn’t know any better. He came to his owner completely untrained and with no understanding at all about how to be part of the world or how to be with people. So it’s a big learning curve for him. He’s doing his best to learn, though, and that’s really all I’m asking of him right now. 🙂