1998 - 2005

In July of 1998, Joann took a trip to a local shelter with her daughter to adopt a puppy. Little did she know that 18 week old Bailey would change their lives!

This 'shy' Australian Shepherd mix was so scared he would not come out of his cage and had to be pulled from the cage by a volunteer. Early in Bailey's life, Joann began to apprentice with a trainer to learn about teaching obedience. What was purported to be 'positive reinforcement' was really more traditional methods of training with a treat at the end. By the tender age of 8 months, Bailey was displaying some very disturbing behaviors: resource guarding, fear aggression, redirected aggression, territorial aggression and inter-dog aggression. Trying her best to 'train' him not to do these disturbing behaviors, Joann was advised to 'show him who's boss' and be tougher and tougher on him. His behavior issues began to escalate and before he was 2, Joann seriously considered euthanasia as the only option for this troubled aussie.

Fast forward to 2001 when Joann and Leeann (whom she had met when Leeann adopted one of Joann's foster dogs, Buster) attended their first Trisha McConnell seminar. The true nature of positive reinforcement training and the impact of punishment based methods of training came to light. Utilizing McConnell's "Cautious Canine" methods and techniques from Dr. Karen Overall, Joann slowly began the change in her relationship with Bailey and ultimately, Bailey's behavior.

Bailey is a classic example of an unplanned or poorly planned breeding with little to no consideration of the genetic weaknesses of his parents. While his genetics greatly influenced his behavior, his early environment from birth to 18 weeks coupled with his poor genetics created immense behavioral challenges.

In addition to McConnell & Overall, other behavioral scientists such as Ian Dunbar and Jean Donaldson's work has been invaluable in refining her interactions and teaching skills to others with behaviorally challenged dogs.

For information on how to choose a breeder to reduce the chances that you will end up with a dog with genetic behavioral problems, email Pawsitive Pet Solutions.

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