Meet Ghost, this beautiful one-year-old, Black German Shepherd splits his time between Colorado and Costa Rica. His family desperately wanted to be able to take him along on their trips to Central America but Ghost had a few bad habits that were making that difficult. He could be very reactive on leash, meaning he barks and sometimes lunges at new people and dogs which makes taking him in public, especially on a plane, very difficult and sometimes scary. Ghost also didn’t always come when called, lacked basic leash manners, and was still not solid on his obedience.
Ghost came to us for two rounds of training; the first to tackle his leash reactivity and help him to become solid on his basic training. Like many dogs, our program, including Large Field Socialization, helped to diffuse his nervous / anxious energy when around other dogs and helped him to learn how to properly interact properly without behaving aggressively.
A few months after his initial training, once his family was more comfortable with his new behavior in public and feeling confident handling him, Ghost came back for round two of training, to take his skills to the next level. During his second round of training, Ghost dialed in his off leash obedience and his public access skills. This included lots of work on off leash hiking to ensure he was ready to hit the trails in both Boulder and Costa Rica, greeting other dogs like the good boy we knew he could be, and coming when called the first time he’s asked. His public access work involved lots of focused training in busy public places to ensure he could keep his composure around crowds and strangers, on elevators, and other tight quarters.
Ghost really made a total transformation! We are so proud of this guy and so excited for the big life he has ahead with his amazing family!
Owner Feedback
“We are so grateful for BlackPaw Dog Training and the lasting tools and results of the board-and-train program. Bernadette and her team are wonderful people who transformed our 1-year-old german shepherd into a more obedient and confident dog. We are now able to comfortably bring him with us on adventures and it has made such a positive difference in our family’s quality of life. This entire experience has been excellent and I highly recommend BlackPaw. Thank you so much for everything!”