Nakiida

Prairieburn K9 of the Month!

1. What is your dog’s name?

Nakiida

2. Does your dog have a nickname?

Yes, the most common ones are Kiida, Pita, and Cheeto.

3. How old is your dog?

1 year old at the end of July!

4. What were you struggling with before meeting Prairieburn K9 Academy?

When we initially began our training with Prairieburn, Kiida was only 4 months old. The main things we were struggling with were all the common puppy behaviours (chewing, leash pulling, biting, lack of listening skills, etc.) Chaos was constant in our home.

5. Why did you choose Prairieburn K9 academy?

We chose Prairieburn K9 Academy to go to for training assistance, because when we were looking at training options, we didn’t just want to teach our dog to obey us and learn specific commands. We wanted to build a relationship of trust and respect with our pup, that would benefit both us and our girl.

6. What program did you choose for your dog?

We started with the Foundations Workshop. About 6 months later we did the E-collar training workshop.

7. What goals did you have for your dog?

The main goal that we had was for Kiida to be the type of dog we could take anywhere and one that could easily fit in with our lifestyle. We like to go camping, hiking, etc. and wanted to make sure Kiida could enjoy those activities with us! When she was very young we were told that German Shepherds are vicious dogs (which I definitely disagree with), but that comment did worry us a bit. At that time she was fairly aggressive. One of our goals was to not have to worry about Kiida around other people and dogs, that we could trust her to not react poorly to either one. Another thing we were told was that the puppy stage would last 2 years, and I could not see myself being able to stay sane through another 1.5 years of chaos. Really we just wanted to have a well behaved dog that we could just enjoy spending time with.

We did also want to address some more specific behaviours like biting and leash pulling.

When she was young, she was very mouthy and could sometimes get very aggressive, so we wanted to address that behavior as soon as possible.

8. Were you able to achieve those goals?

100% yes! She is friendly with both humans and other dogs, and is not reactive or aggressive. She walks on and off leash well, and we can trust that she won’t try to take off on us. And thanks to the e-collar, even if she did, I could easily call her back. Placement has also been a fantastic tool! We can take her anywhere and know that she will be able to chill out and be calm.

9. How has your relationship changed with your dog?

Our relationship with Kiida has changed alot! It is obvious that she trusts us in what we ask her to do, and we can trust her to behave in the way that we expect her to. She also respects us and follows our directions, and likewise we are able to advocate for and respect her through the things we have learned through training. Prior to the training, there was always a power struggle where she was trying to be in control of our relationship, but that is completely gone.

10. What can you enjoy with your dog that you couldn’t before?

So many things! We can go walking/biking/running/hiking and Kiida is able to participate with no problems and no leash pulling. We can take her camping, or over to family/friends houses, and we know that we can place her, enjoy our time, and don’t have to worry about her wreaking havoc. She is well adjusted, calm, listens well and we are SO thankful for Debbi and the training she provided us.

11. What would be something you would share with a new client about our training process?

Something that we would share is that it’s not necessarily going to be an easy process. Kiida fought us on placement for a long time, and there were many times that we wanted to give up and quit that method of training. It was hard! However, we stuck through it and are so glad we did! Make sure that you are consistent with the training, and that all people in the household are on the same page, that will make your life easier. Also, Debbi was great in answering our questions when we weren’t sure or were struggling with something. It was SO incredibly worth it and I would recommend Prairieburn to anyone struggling with their dog. The sacrifice is SO worth the end result!