Bobby

instructor

Clever Canines

team member since November 2016 My Why:I like big Mutts and I cannot lie...  that’s why I work for clevercanines.  I’ve always had a passion for dogs, but after getting my own I realized that it’s not as easy as it seems to own the “good dog” that everyone wants.  The vision I had in my head of what it would be like was very different from reality.  My beloved Boston Terrier/ Pomeranian cross, named Rorschach, had a lot of anxiety and reactivity problems.  We tried a variety of different training classes but it just seemed to be getting worse.  I was close, a few times, to giving my best little friend up for adoption.  In 2015 I found clevercanines and that was the turning point for Rorschach and I’s relationship.  What used to feel like a frustrating burden now felt the way I had first hoped it would.  Instead of constantly being worried about, “what's my dog doing?”  I now have freedom with my dog.  I became an instructor because I see so many people in the same boat I was in, a huge amount of love and passion for their dogs but not a great understanding of them.  I want to help people build strong relationships with their dogs, and bring the reality of dog ownership closer to what the initial vision was like.  My Advice:My words of wisdom are as follows.  Petting, touching, holding, picking up your dog etc. are all rewards to your dog … so what are you rewarding them for?  A big eyeopener for me was how much I was actually fuelling Rorschach’s reactivity by unintentionally rewarding his behaviour.