Mr. Dillinger

In 1978 I first started my own dog training company, called Love and Protection Dog training. I was the new person on the dog training totem pole. I waited and waited for my phone to ring but it barely ever did.
 In fact the only time it rang was with people who needed a trainer bad, real bad. 
They did not call me first but all the more established dog trainers rejected the dogs these people owned!
 The dogs were too tough, too brazen, too out of control. So needing a income and itchy to train something, I accepted these people's dogs as my students.
The first one was a dog named Dillinger. Over the phone I was told that Dillinger was a German Shepherd who needed a little work because his owner wanted him to become a protection dog.
So I drove from Queens N.Y. to Brooklyn and went to the second floor of a two family house and met the family. The man of the house took me into the next room and there was Dillinger. He was in the corner peeing on himself and shaking uncontrollably.
Wow, poor dog.
 I asked what happened to him. The owner claimed he only had him a short while and he didn't know what was wrong with him.
It would have been a training task just to stop this poor dog from being so frightened but this man only wanted my training if I could make his dog protect him! Brooklyn back then was a little scary, so I understood his need.
He said if I couldn't do it he had no need for this dog. Even back then I was a rescuer of animals big and small, so I needed to give this situation some pondering.
Within five minutes I had an idea. Since I didn't know I could train Dillinger to actually do anything, I couldn't take any money upfront as it was customary to do, plus I really was counting on this money to live on for a couple of weeks. So I told my new client not to pay me unless I bring Dillinger back trained in a few weeks.
I took the frightened German Shepherd home to start my work.
The next day I took him out in the "field" in my grandmother's back yard, and I hired a friend of mine to be the agitator. I told him his job was to come into the yard and if Dillinger even so much as looked at him or even looked near him, he was to run away! Run fast like he had never been so scared in his life!
My friend Paul did a good job. Dillinger just looked up a little and Paul ran away really fast.
Next day the same thing over and over again. I noticed every day Dill's head got higher and higher and now I was using other agitators and Dill actually started barking when he saw one. His barking went from meek and sheepish to loud with a growl!
Then came the day, after I gave him many obedience lessons, for him to do his bite work and his equally if not more important "let go" lessons.
Well he bit, he let go, he obeyed and he was full of a newly found confidence so I called his owner and I had a couple of friends follow me over to Brooklyn. I met the owner on the street and Dillinger greeted him as a friend. Dill was taught most people are friends but to watch out for certain weird or aggressive behaviors. 
I told the owner to just stand by and watch.
My friends were told to walk across the street and act up a bit. They did and Dillinger went crazy barking so bravely warning me and the owner. Then one came up and tried to hit me and Dill grabbed his arm! I told him to let go and he did.
His owner was so amazed he even paid me a tip! I told him he didn't have to but he insisted.
I called from time to time and Dillinger had a happy rest of his life!
I was happy for him as I came to love him as I come to love all the dogs I train.
This was just the beginning of my career as the trainer of some of the toughest and most scared dogs in New York.

Many times, in fact too often, I have been given the opportunity of working with dogs that have been emotionally compromised. Too often it is by the trainer their well meaning owners have previously hired!
Dog training should at no time be a reckless money making ruse with dogs as a quick and easy means to a paycheck.
Of course I am not saying dog trainers should not be paid, but that any money made should never have any dog's well being destroyed to make it!
This is to be taken very seriously.
I am talking about trainers who pit their ego against whatever dog or puppy they are training and worse the use of electronic collars to get the job done! Is this really training or is it scaring and brutalizing? Does this require any talent?
Quite the opposite!
Yes dogs need a 'pack leader" but being a leader does not mean being a mean leader.
Wolves do live in a socially structured pack but it is not run with cruelty!
 Leadership is much less effective when it is mean or scary and when any wild wolf is in any way physically forceful to any wolf in his or her pack more than a little that member will leave the pack for good! This is their instinct!
Do we want our dogs wanting to leave our "pack"? 
I personally want a happy well adjusted dog. Yes one who obeys not out of fear, but
because of good training, love and respect.
I have been professionally training dogs for over 35 years.
I feel it is my responsibility to instill confidence in the dogs I train and at the same time stop their unwanted behaviors and have them obey their owners!
 I want to leave their lives better because of my training and I want to leave their people happy too. Both with their dog and my training!