Ken’s Comments:
So two years ago a lovely lady from the UK joined our walks. She owned two bundles of pure energy…Denzel and Kupo. They were both a bit of a handful. Rude, energetic but so much fun to be around (actually, that pretty much sums up their mom as well).
Usually, training a dog like a Boston can be challenging. They can be tenacious and very stubborn (again just like their mom) but if socialized correctly, they have hearts of gold. Denzel and Kupo were no exception to this rule.
Over the last two years, Sarita has had her challenges with them. Every couple of months, one or the other seems to go through a phase where something comes up but those phases have occured less and less frequently and have been easier and easier to get over. They can still push Sarita but she has the tools and the knowledge to work them through anything that comes up. Both are graduates of Level One, Two and Three. They are regulars on the dog walks and both are therapy dogs.
It has been a pleasure to watch them grow and mature into the solid dogs they have become and props to Sarita for the time, effort and patience she has put into them. They are regulars at my house and love hanging with me and mine.
Here is their story from Sarita
I moved to NL from England with my pup, Kupo, and soon after settling in I brought home a loveable bundle of joy… Denzel. I didn't realize at the time quite how much this 8 week old roll of chubby fun would change my life. In the beginning, he was your average rambunctious puppy. I had some problems at home with him (housetraining, territorial etc), but for the most part he was a great dog. At about 6 months old, after months of fun afternoons at the dog park, Denzel got into a fight with a rude husky. It was like a switch went off in him, I had never seen my sweet puppy in this savage light. We brushed ourselves off, went home, and put it down to it just being one dog he didn't get along with… I could live with that. A few days later, after our normal walk around Quidi Vidi Lake I decided to try the dog park again. This time there was no warning, no provocation, Denzel ran straight into the park and attacked the nearest dog (if the owners of a smaller black lab are part of this group, and remember Denzel… I am eternally sorry). I took them home, shaking and crying because I was so upset. How could my sweet boy have turned out like this. My neighbour saw me when I got home, and mentioned Ken and For The Love Of Dogs. I joined the group, enrolled in Level One obedience and had Ken over for a one on one. I was having issues with Denzel thinking he owned me - he'd growl at me and snap if I went to get him off the sofa while he was sleeping, bad manners, poor house training and a weekly fight (mostly me losing) to clip his nails.. One of the many stories that gets told about Denzel is cutting his nails, after weeks of trying to desensitize him I HAD to get them cut. Ken's response? "Cowboy up and make him your bitch." That being said, we took boot camp by the horns and I saw improvements in both my dogs' behaviour within days. No more fighting over food, begging at supper time.. Things were looking up! I braved the walks… I will never forget my first walk, at Quidi Vidi. It was so overwhelming for both myself and the boys. About half way around the lake I started to drop back, so frustrated I was going to leave. That's when I ran into Janine and Krista - my boys took to Krista's dogs instantly, and to this day they love trotting alongside her boys. They convinced me to stay, and it was the best choice I ever made
Denzel's obedience journey has been a bumpy, and pretty fun one. Ken seems to take great delight in recounting our trials and tribulations, and to most people who meet Denzel now they wouldn't think he used to be the way he was. In Level One, about half way through the course when they introduce the 'stay' command, was when I realized Denzel's potential. Ken called out to the class, "Who thinks their dog can't stay?".. I laughed to myself thinking there is no WAY with all these dogs around he's not going to run off and eat one. He gets pulled up to the middle of the room, and NAILS the sit stay without ever being taught it. At one point, Ken left the room, and still he stayed there looking so pleased with himself. My face must have been a picture.. "I'm gonna give you back to your mom now before she starts bawling". He excelled in obedience, we did the Advanced Course and continued with the walks. Week by week he would amaze me by showing me exactly what he was capable of with a little time, care and (most importantly) patience. When he turned 1, I enlisted him for therapy dog testing, and it was probably the proudest moment of my doggy life. To this day he LOVES the visits, whether it's visiting residents and getting sandwiches, or seeing the students (and getting popcorn) at MUN. He has participated in the Santa Parade the last 3 years now, and this year was by far the most enjoyable. He had kisses for Trinket, another Boston on the walks who he normally wants to eat. He had love for all of his two legged adoring fans in the crowd, and didn't look twice at any of the dogs in the crowd. He helped out at the Pet Expo this year, he loved hanging out behind the desk with Ken's dogs. He has been over to Ken's a few times now if I've had to go away for a few days, and his most recent stay I got sent a video of him and Morgan wrestling on the bed. I never thought I'd be able to see him playing rough with a dog other than Kupo. Actually, his best friend is now a cat, my boyfriend's kitten Grayling. He'd rather play and snuggle with him than Kupo any day! Each year as he gets older, I see more and more progress in his behaviour and demeanour. He barely ever acts out on the walks now, he knows exactly who has the treats and he will STARE at you with those big brown puppy dog eyes until you give him one. He can now be stood next to a dog that is flipping out, and not bat an eyelid.
His journey hasn't all been success stories, we have had our down points too.. Times when I've questioned if I'm doing things right, if he's regressing, if he's always going to take a dump in my boyfriend's house because he didn't get enough attention. He has had his moments on the walks, trying to take a chunk out of Denali as a puppy (Denali is now about 5 times his size, so I think he's given up), in fact puppies in general he still doesn't like. But the differences in him now compared to two years ago are unreal. I'm really proud of my boy and the dog he has turned into. When he goes through a 'bad' phase, we just up the obedience and get back to training, and it soon sorts itself out. The knowledge I've gained from classes, walks, the group etc have been crucial in educating me in how to deal with my nut bar puppies.