I have been a dog trainer and behavior consultant for 17 years. It is a passion.
Over the years I have worked with thousands of dogs. People often remark “Ken, how do you work with a dog who wants to bite you”. My response, “I do not want to be bitten but it helps that I do not take it personally”.
I have worked with dogs of all sizes, and personalities. While there are commonalities that exist naturally, every dog has its own temperament and eccentricities which keep the work interesting. I have said many times, the nuttier the dog, the more I tend to be drawn to them. This means I have developed some very unique relationships with some fascinating dogs over the years
3 of the nutty dogs I have had the pleasure of having in my life…Rayne, Leo and Tanner
This story is about one of these dogs.
In April of 2014 I received a call from Lesley Dawe and Lee Young. They were on their way across the Province with a Great Dane. Lesley and Lee had just picked up Leo from the ferry in Port Aux Basque. He was a 3 or 4 years old at the time and was recently removed from an abusive situation by Fresh Start Great Dane Rescue. I will not go too much into Leo’s previous life. I was not directly involved in his rescue and as with all stories, they tend to develop a life of their own with time and retelling. What we did know is that Leo and his sister were in a horrible situation, he was not fond of many people but he really did not like men. Imagine a trip across the Province in the cab of a truck with a 160 pound dog in the back seat who was in a totally new environment, with people he did not know, confined in a small space with a male driver. This was what Lesley and Lee were facing.
The call went something like this…
Lesley: “Hi Ken, we just adopted a Great Dane from Fresh Start. We would like some help with his training”
Me: “Sure, what are his issues?”
Lesley: “We do not really know all of them yet but we know he is not fond of people and is really reactive to men”
Me: “Ok, let’s set up a time to meet”
Lesley: “You sure? He really does not like men”
Me: “As long as he doesn’t eat me, I think we will be fine”
Lesley: “Weeeelllll…I can’t guarantee that..”
We set up a time for the following day.
Often times dogs need a chance to decompress and adapt to their new environment. When I get involved with situations such as this one, I go into them with eyes wide open and fully aware true personalities may not show.
I knocked on the door, walked into the house only to be met with a Great Dane coming through the air toward me snarling, showing teeth and overall not impressed I was there. Want to have a “holy crap, I have to check my pants” moment? Yep, that was one of those. I remember Lesley saying “Oh my god, we just killed Newfoundland’s Dog Whisperer”.
Fortunately it was all bluff. When Leo landed he immediately tucked tail and backed away. He still was not impressed with me but at least he was being cautious enough to stay away.
We all sat down and had a chat about the work that needed doing, the precautions we needed to take and how to proceed. As the session progressed Leo’s demeanour started to change. I remember watching him out of the corner of my eye, seeing him size me up and wondering what the heck was happening. He started to get closer and sniff then quickly back away. I did my best to ignore him and make myself as unintimidating as I could. It is really hard to do when you are sitting on a couch and this massive black dog is staring you in the face at eye level and you know the interaction could go south quickly.
As we talked and I ignored, Leo started to stick around. He was definitely interested in my scent. He got much less hesitant and more and more curious. After about an hour he hopped onto the couch and began to sniff my head. Again, another “I’m dead” moment. But Leo was really curious by this point. His body posture was much more relaxed, his mouth was open and his tail was up and swaying. His new owners…not so much. I reassured them it was ok and I wanted to let it play out. They reminded me I could not sue them if something bad happened and we let things progress.
With a big sigh and a sneeze in my ear, he rested his head on my shoulders, put his paws across my lap and went to sleep. All of us looked at each other and said “ok…that was unexpected”.
This started a long and beautiful relationship between myself and this beauty of a boy!!!
End of the first visit
Do not get me wrong. Things did not immediately change for Leo. He did not trust readily, especially with men. He was scared of a lot of things…runners, bikers, anything that moved really. He was not a great walker. All of these issues were exacerbated by his sheer size and bulk. Fortunately for Leo, he had two very devoted and patient parents who wanted to do everything they could to set him up for success. Lesley and Lee took all his training very seriously. Slowly but surely he began to morph into the dog I knew he could become.
I remember suggesting Lesley and Lee bring him to class and them being very nervous about doing so. I remember telling my co-trainer “just ignore him…do not approach, do not touch, do not speak…allow him to come to you and lead the interaction”. They walked into class, Leo saw me and immediately came to me, tail wagging, head high with that big goofy grin I will forever associate with him.
Eventually he did begin approaching other males. He started coming out on the group dog walks and they were a big help to his work. The men who were regulars on the walks played a large part in this. They saw what was going on, were patient and allowed Leo the chance to warm up to them. This was also where we began one of our many rituals…Leo gets out of the car, looks around, spots me, runs to me, two paws on my shoulders and lots of scratches and kisses happen”. He even began nibbling at my face. It was always interesting to see new people watch this happen. It would inevitably be followed by the question “Ken, aren’t you worried he is going to rip the face off you?” Truthfully, it was never much of a concern. He was always so gentle with me and again, the goofy grin immediately put me at ease.
Visit to daycare…look at that goofy grin
Leo and his new sister Dakota became regulars on the group dog walks and in classes. I remember his first pet expo watching he, Lesley and Lee come across the show floor. Leo could not do his typical greeting with me as the display table was in the way. To Leo though, this was not an issue. He came across the table to me. I remember at one point Lesley and Lee wanting to grab a bite to eat and asking me if I wanted them to leave Leo and Dakota with me. I said “Sure”. Thus began another of our rituals….the “eating popcorn and drinking water from Ken’s bottle ritual” There was a picture floating around of it at one point and I wish I could locate it. The picture was taken in the closing hours of the pet expo one year. It is of myself, Leo and Dakota and it captured us sitting in the booth, the crowd had dwindled down. I had a box of popcorn in my lap, Leo was on one side of me, Dakota on the other. I would eat a piece, one would go to Leo and the another to Dakota. I would take a drink of water, they would open their mouths and get a drink from the bottle. When the box was finished, Leo would shred it and both would grab the empty bottle for chewing. It became one of our favourite rituals to be repeated many times over the years.
The four fools…Dakota, Leo, Morgan and Tanner at a school presentation awaiting the kiddos
Leo became such an important part of my training and presentations. I remember presenting to a class of elementary students on dog safety. One of the students was in the back of the room in a motorized wheel chair. His assistant asked if he could see Leo. I asked Lesley and proceeded to bring Leo to the back of the room where this young boy could pet him. Unlike the other kids, his movements were jerky, his speech impaired. He got excited and started to wave his hands and moan. Leo sized him up, sat down and put his head in the young boy’s lap. It was amazing.
On another occasion we were asked to do a presentation to a group of expecting parents. They wanted to discuss how to prepare their dogs for the arrival of a new baby. It was a beautiful session that was scheduled for 45 minutes. As with many of these types of things though, it turned into a three hour session. Leo was in attendance and kept eyeing this very pregnant lady. He finally edged his way closer to her where he proceeded to sit next to her, sniff her belly and lay his head down next to her. She spent the session petting him and he refused to leave her side.
Visiting Lesley and Lee burried under 230 pounds plus of dog
On even another occasion we were doing a dog safety presentation to a group of Sparkes. I look across the gym to see Leo laying on his back four paws in the air surrounded by a group of 5-6 year old girls. They were taking off their shoes and putting them on his feet to see if their shoes would fit him. He stood up with four odd shoes and one sash on. He loved the kids.
Leo was a buddy of me and mine. Morgan, Tanner and Rigger fully accepted him and he loved them. As with many of the regulars on the walks, they formed a bond. He would often come in for some love when I was walking my three and they just accepted it as if it aways happened.
Leo was fascinated with cats. He always checked my truck because of that one time he saw our Kitty in there. Even the week before he passed he followed me back to the truck, took a look in just to see if the Kitty was there. He lived in hope.
First visit with eachother after lockdown…I do not know who was more excited
When COVID struck and the world went into lockdown so much changed. Classes came to a halt The group dog walks were put on hold. Tanner (the last of my personal dogs) passed. It was a rough time. After a couple months of being in lockdown I decided to get into some activities to get me out and about. One of those was geocaching. One morning I hit the Mundy Pond area looking for caches. Lesley and Lee live in te same area. I was in the green space around the skate park when I heard barking from way up the road. It was not an aggressive bark but more of a whining “I know you are out there Ken” kinda bark. I thought to myself “There is no way he is barking at me…I am too far away ”. I darted across the field and the parking lot hoping to sneak up on him, only to come around the corner where Leo had his head poked up over the fence, looking at me tail wagging. The wind directed my scent to the yard and he knew I was in the area. I hopped the fence and it was a great reunion.
Leo and Bodhi first weekend I had Bodhi and a year later for Bodhi’s birthday
He took Bodhi on as his puppy. I was amazed to see them both together. It even got to the point when others dogs tried to play with Bodhi, Leo had to be in the centre of things to ensure nothing untoward was happening to Bodhi.
Of course, the years went on and Leo got older. Great Danes tend not to live long. The larger the breed the shorter their lifespan typically is. Leo made it to eleven…very much a senior for a Dane. He was active and healthy the whole time. The last month he started to show his age though. He was there to celebrate Bodhi’s first birthday. He came to the group walks usually for a visit and to see his friends before having to bail within a short distance of the parking lot.
Two weeks ago I received a call from Lesley saying that Leo took a really bad turn. They did not think he was going to make it through the weekend. I left work to say good bye. I walked into the house to see him laying on the floor. He had not eaten in a couple of days and was having a rough time. He saw me come into the door and immediately attempted to get up. I sat by his bed and we cuddled. When I left I told him what a great boy he was, how lucky I was to have met him, how he brought so much into my life. I told him to find his friends on the rainbow bridge and that Morgan, Tanner and Rigger would look out for him. I told him I loved him.
I will miss his cuddles, his big head butting into me whether it be on the couch, on the walks or just hanging out. He was always up for some loving and fun.
RIP my friend. You will be missed