A Bit of History

In order to understand where I am at in my training decisions, I feel I should give you a bit of background. I was trained as a marine mammal trainer.  The marine mammal field was the first to start applying Skinner's operant conditioning and Pavlov's classical conditioning discoveries.  By now, the techniques have been refined and honed to an incredibly sophisticated level, and marine mammal trainers claim that if the animal is physically capable of doing it, they can train it.  As far as I can tell, they are right.  Here is a video of some orcas getting their blood drawn (while others are practicing).  If you think these whales are being forced into position, think again.  They are very capable of escape:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqrFOwgJ8lg

So this is where I come from.  The highly polished world of marine mammal trainers.  I only spent 4 years in this world, but it was long enough to make me think dog training would be a piece of cake.  So when my husband got a job in another state, I thought, "Eh, I can always train dogs."

Two major problems with this line of thinking:
1.  I had never owned a dog as an adult.
2.  A dog's world is a LOT different than a dolphin's.

Preparing to step out into the scary world.
Step 1: pay attention to Naomi.

Number 1 is self explanatory.  Allow me to delve into number 2:  A dolphin's world is very controlled by the humans in their care.  It can be as limited or enriching as the trainers choose.  Any strangers introduced to the dolphins (guests, etc) are strictly controlled by the staff along with any changes in the environment.  Compare that scenario to a dog's world in which at any given point a stranger can come ring the doorbell and "force" (in the dog's opinion) the owner to open the door.  Or out on a walk, a strange dog can appear from around the corner without warning.  Or construction workers with their scarry helmets and loud machinery can pop out of nowhere.  To state the obvious: a dog's world is naturally more varied and unpredictable.

Because of this difference, early training is essential for the puppy to become a well-adjusted dog.  Which is why rescuing a dog can be a bit of a crapshoot.  You don't know what you're going to get until you not only have it, but now feel attached to and responsible for it.  Aggie's a perfect example.  A little fearful when I first met her, I didn't know enough to gauge how fearful she actually was.  As mentioned in the introduction, she started presenting aggressive behaviors after a couple months of living with us.

Since starting these behaviors almost a year ago, it's been a long road.  We've lived in 3 different states since she came home to us, and each move has been nearly as traumatizing as changing families.  She has major setbacks each time which tries my patience (I should know better), and makes me question if I can really handle a dog with this much fear.

"Um, hello, I'm training.  Knock it off with
that annoying light or I'll..."

But then she makes progress, or does something that makes my husband and me almost cry with laughter, and I remember that I do enjoy Aggie.  And besides, I'm horribly attached.

"...Attack this man with kisses!!!"