Meet Hugo, the Flat Coated Retriever

By Megina, now living in Brussels, Belgium (with Johannes, Zoe & Hugo, of course)

We adopted Hugo, an eight-month-old flat-coated retriever, from a rescue group down in Tennessee in November, after he had been abused, neglected, and surrendered by his owners to the Memphis shelter. We hoped he would be a good companion for our one-year-old golden/lab mix Zoe. Having adopted Zoe as a young puppy and taking her through Levels 1 and 2 at Picture Perfect Pets, we felt that we had the training skills we would need to go through the process with Hugo.

But our first two months with Hugo presented challenge after challenge. He humped Zoe, climbed on the counters, chewed up his crate, barked all the time… We used clicker training to teach him the basics – sit, down, stay – but there were so many other behavioral issues. Things got really bad when he was asked to leave the off-leash dog walking group that he and Zoe went to a couple of times a week. Hugo had been acting possessive about sticks and about other dogs playing with Zoe, and getting “snarky” with other dogs in the group. He didn’t ever hurt another dog, but his possessive moments were scary and toothy and loud. The dog walker started to use increasingly harsh techniques to keep Hugo under control and the other dogs safe. We felt unsure about the use of a pinch collar and dominance tactics, but weren’t sure what else to do. Finally, after a particularly challenging walk, the dog walker asked that Hugo not return. We were frustrated. We loved Hugo, but didn’t know what to do, and even discussed whether we would have to give him up. But we had made a commitment to him, and decided we needed to seek more professional help, and gave Bette Yip a call.

Bette remembered working with Zoe the previous year, and offered us a spot in an upcoming group class at Picture Perfect Pets. She also recommended a different dog walker, a trainer from her school who would use positive reinforcement techniques with Hugo. As it turned out, consistent positive reinforcement and a change of pace were just what Hugo needed. And the controlled environment of dog class provided a chance for us to safely get Hugo used to meeting other dogs. We learned how to read his body language and give Hugo a break before a problem started, and to use the “touch” technique to help him avoid confrontations with other dogs. After the course ended, we enrolled in the PAC program to continue training. Seven months later, Hugo is doing great. There is still an occasional difficult moment, but we now know what to do to avoid disaster. Hugo has become a happy, well-trained, one-year-old pup. And it makes us so happy to see Zoe and Hugo romping around in the woods together. They are so glad to have each other.

Dog Training Progress Report by Bette Yip

Hugo & Family moved to Brussels over the summer of 2008, and it sounds like everyone is happy and making a great transition! Hugo made such excellent progress in our program largely because Megina and Johannes put in such diligent work. All I can do as a dog trainer is to help my clients discover techniques which can help towards their dog training and behavior modification goals. When a family follows through with the training the way that Hugo’s family has done, it makes me glow with pride for them. It’s such a pleasure to see this process!

I am also always happy to recommend Shannon Mayer of BigLittle CatDog (who also happens to be a Picture Perfect Pets dog training instructor) for dog walking services, particularly to families with dogs that need a little extra reinforcement and consistency with their dog training techniques. While I suspect that it’s hard for a dog walker to really follow through with each client’s individual dog training protocols, I feel particularly confident in recommending Shannon’s services to our own clients since we all share the same training philosophy and techniques. Visit the “Resources” tab of www.BetteYip.com to learn more about Shannon Mayer and BigLittle CatDog.

And to Megina, Johannes, Zoe & Hugo—everyone here misses you so much, and wishes you all the best. Please keep in touch with updates!

With my best,
Bette