Maggie the Irish Wolfhound has completed her two week long training program. Maggie was a fantastic student and a joy to have at the house. Since I wrote about Maggie the Irish Wolfhound beginning the training program with us she has come a long ways. She fit in so well with our family; “maybe we should get an Irish Wolfhound” could be heard coming from Brett’s general direction.
Maggie was a great ambassador for her breed. She truly meets the AKC’s description of the breed. “The calm, dignified, and kindly Irish Wolfhound is the tallest of all AKC breeds. Once fearless big-game hunters capable of dispatching a wolf in single combat, Wolfhounds today are the most serene and agreeable of companions.”
Like all dogs when they get picked up, Maggie was very excited to see her family. This is normal and we would be worried if a puppy was not excited to see their family after their two weeks of formal dog training. It is normal, but it can make the training session difficult, but we patiently worked with Maggie to contain her excitement and refocus on the lesson. After a few minutes, Maggie was back at her best and we were able to have her mom walk with her. After some coaching and practice, they both did so well. Maggie’s mom seems like a natural; I am sure she is going to do great.
Maggie did phenomenal with her training and we are very excited to watch her to continue to mature and become the wonderful dog she can be. Maggie is a wonderful dog. We are very grateful to have been trusted with the opportunity to work with her. We love the giant breeds. They are so massive and so sweet and gentle at the same time.
In the next week or two, we will schedule Maggie’s follow up session. Those sessions are an opportunity to help with the transition back home. Once home there are sometimes rough patches that requires a tweak or two in the families approach. The reason we offer follow up sessions is we expect to see a few issues and want to help our clients succeed. Typically, a pointer or two puts everyone back on the right track. For me these sessions are the best part of the training. I love to see how well the family is doing with the newly trained dog. The confidence the family has in the training and in themselves confirm for us all that we are on the right track and the dog and family will be able to live their best lives together.