Challenges dog owners would face with their dogs in Switzerland, Germany or Austria were most of the time very similar: dogs would go hunting when they were not supposed to, they would not come back on command when off the lead and something became more interesting than their owner (for some dogs, anything would turn out to be more interesting than their owner...) and when on the lead, they would tugg their owner around the block...
Well, in the Arab world, things are different! I was soon to find out that the most common challenge faced in this part of the world is that people are actually scared of their own dogs! In Europe this could certainly happen if for example a strong willed dog reacts with aggression when his owner tells him off; but this is not what I am talking about here. One of my first clients is the perfect showcase. She called me one evening asking for help because she could not take her dog out anymore. As she sounded extremely desperate, I went to see her immediately and while I was expecting a ferocious dog, I am facing a 4 months old Golden Retriever puppy! I took him out of his kennel and his owner, a young Palestinian mother, runs away lifting her hands up and screaming hysterically while the puppy is jumping up her legs. This immediately gave me a clear picture of the situation. I caught the puppy, calmed him down and got him to sit so the owner could approach him. However, she still refused to touch him because he was too smelly. Indeed, since he had not been taken out of his kennel for quite a while, he had been doing his business inside and the poor guy surely needed a bath! So the first lesson consisted of showing my new client on how to clean her dog...Given this situation, the same evening we agreed for me to come every day until things are under control. The second lesson consisted of showing my client how to approach and touch her dog. I put him up on the table and had him sit while she had to touch his ears, paws, etc. This lesson was more challenging than you would think as my client asked me several times if her dog could potentially bite her and was very hesitant to touch him. As soon as he would move or try to lick her hand, she would jump back. It seemed like a desperate case and indeed another trainer had given up after the third lesson but Buster was soon to become one of my best students...
Well, in the Arab world, things are different! I was soon to find out that the most common challenge faced in this part of the world is that people are actually scared of their own dogs! In Europe this could certainly happen if for example a strong willed dog reacts with aggression when his owner tells him off; but this is not what I am talking about here. One of my first clients is the perfect showcase. She called me one evening asking for help because she could not take her dog out anymore. As she sounded extremely desperate, I went to see her immediately and while I was expecting a ferocious dog, I am facing a 4 months old Golden Retriever puppy! I took him out of his kennel and his owner, a young Palestinian mother, runs away lifting her hands up and screaming hysterically while the puppy is jumping up her legs. This immediately gave me a clear picture of the situation. I caught the puppy, calmed him down and got him to sit so the owner could approach him. However, she still refused to touch him because he was too smelly. Indeed, since he had not been taken out of his kennel for quite a while, he had been doing his business inside and the poor guy surely needed a bath! So the first lesson consisted of showing my new client on how to clean her dog...Given this situation, the same evening we agreed for me to come every day until things are under control. The second lesson consisted of showing my client how to approach and touch her dog. I put him up on the table and had him sit while she had to touch his ears, paws, etc. This lesson was more challenging than you would think as my client asked me several times if her dog could potentially bite her and was very hesitant to touch him. As soon as he would move or try to lick her hand, she would jump back. It seemed like a desperate case and indeed another trainer had given up after the third lesson but Buster was soon to become one of my best students...
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