[NAGDU] The first time you met your dog.

[Andy B.]

Hi,

When I met Alec, my first dog, it was a nerve racking experience. Trainers had given a lecture on Tuesday night and a reminder of what would happen when we met our dogs for the first time. On Wed morning after 7:30AM lecture, everyone returned to their rooms for their new arrivals. After getting to my room, I checked email and attempted to keep myself busy for the 45 minute wait. 15 or so minutes in, the suspense was overwhelming, so I ended up sitting on the bed and waiting instead. When my trainer came to my room with Alec, my heart fell to the floor. I had no clue how to introduce myself or get to know him. My trainer gave me his name, spelled it out, and told me that she trained him. Then, she promptly left after I hooked him up to my leash.
In our room, I attempted everything to get his attention. After his initial slurps on the face and excitement of a new friend to play with, he promptly sat by the door and whined for his mama. In some instances, it is cool having his trainer as your trainer. However, it can cause some problems that I never knew about until later in training. The initial bonding process proved difficult in most cases. Later on in the afternoon, we went out for our first run out on the street. After picking up his harness, I just stood there dumbfounded because I lost everything – confidence, logical thought, the ability to say forward, and filled up with tears. I was there, holding my own dog’s harness, expected to go down the street, and couldn’t move. After a pep talk and a hug from my trainer, we were ready to burn rubber. At the end of the block, she asked me if I wanted to quit – my answer…. Nope! From there, it was normal bonding, and I believe that the first run was an icebreaker for the both of us.


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From: Tara Briggs via NAGDU
Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2018 11:43 AM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Cc: Tara Briggs
Subject: [NAGDU] The first time you met your dog.

hi all! I’m hoping that some of you will share stories with me about the first time you met your dog. What were you thinking and feeling before you met your dog? How did the meeting go? I remember when I met my second, and recently retired dog Emmy. Emmy was over the moon! She jumped on me and happily licked my face. It seemed like she knew that I would be her forever person. For those of you who have owner trained, I would love to hear your stories as well and how you made the selection  of the dog you would train.
Tara


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