I didn't train my new rescue dog for a whole year. Here's what I learned...

Everyone, meet Zephyr, my now 3-year-old chihuahua x miniature pinscher mix.  He was found on the streets in Hesperia, ran out of time at the high-kill shelter, and luckily grabbed as a 3rd Chance at Life dog.  I adopted him from the Irvine Animal Care Center in November of 2022.  It has been almost a whole year together, and he's never had a formal training session with me once.  I had these lofty goals to do a video series highlighting how I train, and how quickly a blank slate rescue dog can progress.  Alas, schedule, health, and just generally being busy interfered.

So here we are, approaching his 1st Gotchaversary, and I've literally never officially taught him anything.  He came home knowing how to sit.  That's it.  He didn't know his name, had been adopted once and returned 2 days later.  He didn't know any house training, leash manners, or anything.  This past year has taught me a lot about what I really need in terms of training in a dog, and shown me a zillion surprises of what I can get by without.

Needs, in approximate order of priority:

1. house training = crate training for him (he pees on the kitchen counter when I leave the house without him)
2. name recognition
3. knowing when he did something right
4. walking well on a leash
5. come when called AKA recall

Additional obedience cues I typically teach in a first session, but haven't actually needed this whole year:

1. Tag AKA touch
2. Stay & release
3. Down
4. Leave it
5. Drop it
6. Mat + Relaxation Protocol by Dr. Karen Overall
7. Heel + auto sit

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This year has taught me that I can get by on partnership.  I can communicate with Zephyr in a way that helps him do everything I want, strictly having a marker word "yes" and a treat or some scritches.  I have not actually done any formal cue training with him, but he will now come to me, check-in when I say his name, walk nicely most of the time on a leash, and mostly go outside (he still struggles with overnight + freedom sometimes).

This has me reevaluating my entire priority list for clients.  I also still hope to do the video series where I do actually train my dog.  I'm also writing a book I'm calling WHY DOG, which will go into the story of scientific facts, my beliefs as a dog trainer and behaviorist, and what dogs really think about all of that.

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