Four things I wish I knew when Trixie was a puppy (and how she made me a dog trainer)
A four-year-old reads a Star Wars Golden Book to a small white dog with brown ears.
tl;dr: When we adopted Trixie, I felt so worried about her fears. I wish I’d known then how far we could come. With support from trainers (including me), Trixie is a joy to explore nature with, crushes alone time, and is an amazing big sister to our kid.
Hey friends,
Trixie is our spicy bean who made me into a dog trainer! Here are 4 things I wish I knew when we first adopted Trixie:
1. Reach out for help sooner
The first thing I wish I knew when we adopted Trixie was to reach out for help as soon as we noticed her fears.
When I did reach out, the certified force-free trainers we worked with were so kind and skilled.
The connection I felt training Trixie inspired me to pursue a secret (even to me) lifelong dream of being a dog trainer.
2. Life with a fearful dog can be joyful
The second thing I wish I knew is that I can have so much joy with this dog who is fearful.
I felt disappointed when puppy Trixie barked on trails.
Now I’m proud of us when we run away for treats if I know a dog approaching will be too scary for Trixie. And I love seeing brave Trixie sniff, dig, and parkour in nature.
3. Our dog can learn to feel safe alone
The third thing I wish I knew is that Trixie could go from panicking when we approached the door to crushing 6 hour absences.
Going at Trixie’s pace, working with a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer CSAT), Trixie learned to feel safe alone.
I pursued becoming a CSAT and now I help families teach their dogs to feel safe alone.
3. Our dog and kid can feel safe together
The fourth thing I wish I knew is that parenting our dog and kid could get easier.
Family dogs were my best friends growing up. I wanted that for Trixie and our kid.
Yes, there were (and are!) messy moments when our kid and Trixie scared each other by accident.
But we kept modeling kindness to Trixie.
Are there still times we use baby gates to keep them separate? Heck yeah.
And our awesome 4-year-old gives Trixie space when Trixie’s body language says no petting.
Our kid says “While you were sleeping, Trixie barked and I gave her treats”.
I’m Ilya — dad to both a kid and a dog. If you feel overwhelmed trying to parent kid plus dog and even meet your own needs, too, you’re not alone. I’ve lived these challenges and I’d love to help.
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