When you reach out, good things happen!

If you missed yesterday’s emails (there were two), you’ll want to go back and read it to get caught up on the news before reading this one.

Last Friday, I received a desperate letter calling for help.

I shared the letter and my response with you (redacting identifying information for privacy).  

I was emotionally troubled by the letter, but wanted to help the owners take back control of their 11-month-old puppy to quell the owners’ frustrations and bring peace back to their household.

Today, the picture gets a LOT clearer.

Again, for the family’s privacy, I have redacted identifying information.

I am very happy to read, despite the tone of the initial letter, that there are really many cherished things about the relationship with their dog.

I am so relieved and thankful that the owner was able to clarify the difficult situation and list some real positive steps forward.

Here’s how everything played out.

===

“Thank you so much for your thoughtful response. In no way did I find it inappropriate, and I am sorry that my message was interpreted as blame of any kind. 

“I want to be clear that we are keeping [our dog]. He is our dog and we very much love him. I sent that text to you after two days of being on duty, very little sleep, and having my husband send me a 911 text that morning while I was at work, telling me [our dog] had jumped on a construction worker at our house and his diabetes pump was knocked off. After waking up to the wall being chewed and having to leave work to run interference with the pup, I was exasperated and at the end of my rope.

“[Our dog] has a lovely temperament. Myself and our new trainer agree. She thinks he will make an excellent therapy dog. She’s a former police officer who trains therapy and service dogs and has over 30 years doing it. I really like her no bullshit approach. I mostly was wondering if it was too early to neuter him, but I want to hold off until he is at least 2 to 3 years old. 

“Thank you for sending the links, I will review them and implement accordingly. It is clear to me that because I am the one consistent in his life, [my husband] being a pilot, [our dog] has bonded more closely with me and listens to me most of the time. He loves my husband but views him more as a playmate. [My husband] is not too interested in dog training or psychology, but at this point he kind of has to be because [our dog] has gotten so big. They need ways to communicate better with each other. 

“I know [our dog] isn’t living up to his full potential, and I view it as a failure on my part. However, I am taking actions to correct it. The psychologist in me tells me that it’s not failing it’s learning and it just seems more serious because he is so big. I love the new training facility we go to and our new trainer. I feel led astray by our previous trainer, and I’m disappointed that we spent so long with her during his crucial puppy months. The health issues also did not help things. I think he was trained decently, the pano kicked in and we had to keep him chill for months, he had no appetite, was losing weight, was not moving, and so I didn’t focus too much on training and especially not leash training. I only wanted him to get better and tried everything under the sun to bring my sweet boy back. Then the pano went away over almost overnight and he suddenly had his energy and appetite back, and the influx of testosterone made it the perfect storm. 

“I agree he was given too much freedom too soon. I do wish he could be allowed out of his crate overnight, but I never would’ve left him out of his crate when we weren’t home. He’s either created while I’m at work, or out and about with me, or in a private Doggy Daycare where he gets rave reviews. [My husband] was unhappy that the crate was in the living room since he’s developed an aversion to our stairs and removed it too soon. I told him it wasn’t a good idea, and the pup chewed the wall again. Crate is back now and he is back to square one. 

“I think part of the problem is I have been treating him like a baby and he requires much more structure. I love him so much that I’ve put his needs over mine and my husband’s. That has to change in order to maintain healthy relationships with both of them. 

“The other thing besides went to neuter that I’m wondering about is how to exercise him that is not walks, Doggy Day Care, or backyard/fetch. He is very ball driven. I considered getting him a flirt stick, but I don’t want to encourage the prey drive since at some point we will have a cat.  

“And just so you hear a more balanced report, there are so many things that are lovable about him. I love his emotional intelligence, his sweet eyes, his gentle demeanor. I love that he has never aggressively acted toward a dog or human, or guarded food, toys, or treats. I love how happy he is and how goofy he is and how he encourages me to live more in the present moment rather than anticipating future things at work. I love his appearance and how big he is even though it’s a bit like having a miniature horse in the house. I love watching him think through what I ask him to do, and I love how happy he is when he does it. The boy loves to work. I love that he’s smart and picks up quickly on what I ask him to do most of the time. I love his big boy bark, which he’s been doing lately to let me know there’s people around the house. I love his company. I love how he leans on me just like a mastiff does. I also love that when he sits, he sits directly on top of my foot, which our new trainer says I need to not let him do so I can maintain control over him and not fall over. I love that he loves spring, fall and winter just like I do, and that he is not a summertime dog. I love how big his paws are and the little wrinkles in his forehead when he focuses on something that he wants. If he is out when I come home because [my husband] is here, I love that when I walk up to the back door I can *just see the top of his head and his ears sticking over the bottom of the door’s window. I love how happy he is to see us every single time and how his tail wags like a feather duster. I love how if I say the word “walk” he runs straight to the room where his leash is hanging, sits, and stares at it so intently. I love how if I don’t move fast enough for him he throws his head very sassily. I love how sweet he is when he first wakes up and how he needs several minutes of snugs before the day can start. 

“So, thank you for your response when I was beyond exasperated. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I know that we will get there. I just need to learn how to communicate better with him, hope my husband gets more on board with training, and be patient. He won’t be a velociraptor forever. 

“Very respectfully,”

===

Awesome!

This is exactly what I hoped would happen.

Good for the family for getting right on it and reminding themselves why they love their dog.

Their teenage puppy’s brain left them feeling hopeless.

And in a few days, by reaching out for help, the family is now able to look at the future in a much more productive way.

I am proud of them for not giving up when the chip’s were down and emotions were running high.

Major respect.

Reading all of the detailed vivid memories of why they love their giant furry beast of a puppy really put my mind at ease.

He still is that puppy that I dropped off nine months ago!

The loving, compassionate, gentle, goofy, intelligent, devoted companion dog is still in there despite his current failure to grasp a fundamental understanding of some parts of living in our human culture.

Hallelujah!

Now, I want you to know…

I’m not writing to you about this to rant or vent.

My aim is not to vilify or make an example out of the family.

Or garner sympathy from our many loyal Inner Circle members.

My goal is that you will learn a valuable lesson.

If you should purchase one of our puppies, and at any time you feel overwhelmed,

Or upset,

Or confused,

Or worried,

About anything,

Reach out!

Do not think for a second that we don’t care.

Or we don’t have the time.

Or we are “just breeders”.

We’ve been in this business a very long time.

It is literally our passion in life to do everything we can to support you so that you can have the best relationship with a fabulous dog.

And we may just be able to save you thousands in vet costs.

Or direct you to a professional dog trainer who can understand our dogs’ unique training needs.

Or help calm your fears.

Or simply bring you a different perspective so you can fix any issues you are having.

It only takes an email, phone call, or text.

We know life gets busy, but stay involved.

Support this incredible movement to elevate dog breeding, dog training, and dog ownership to where it should be.

A respectful on-going relationship with the people who care most about the well-being of you and your furry companion.

There is nothing out there like the Dire Wolf Project in the dog world today.

When you are faced with challenges in any other dog breed, where do you go?

To whom do you turn?

Can you rely on your breeder for this level of support?

I hope you can.

The Dire Wolf Project aims to raise the bar of what it means to be a responsible dog breeder so that other breeders must follow our lead or face the consequences.

And we hope these new cultural expectations we pioneer in our profession will have lasting effects that benefit dogs far beyond our own rare breed.

Then, our years of dedication to building bonded relationships between humans and dogs will turn into a world-wide phenomenon.

Many have said over the years, “You can’t know what we are talking about until you own one.”

It’s so true.

I can describe our dogs in words, pictures, and videos over and over again (and I do), but a person has nothing to compare it to because no other dog breed exists with this special combination of traits.

It is this specific and unique, inherited, large breed family companion dog temperament, hand-selected for 35+ years, that makes our dogs so special.

The dire wolf replication part of our work is the sweet candied cherry on top.

Now, if you truly want it all (temperament and wolfish appearance), Hamilton has the incredible potential to be a show-stopping sweetheart as an adult.

His tiny black wolf gray frame is going to blossom into a beautiful example of the best in the breed.

His submissive, omega-like, inherited temperament has the potential to bring your family all the joy his little heart can share.

And with the amazing lifelong support you receive from the Dire Wolf Project, it’s like no other puppy raising experience.

Just remember to reach out and we’ll be there!

Hamilton’s small black ears are on the rise.

He would love to cuddle up close to you on the couch.

Don’t miss out on this sweet and gentle, loving companion dog with an amazing black wolf look.

Here’s the link to find out more about our littlest puppy, Hamilton:

https://direwolfproject.com/pedigree/7486/

Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.