When I came to this realization, I spared no time in hiring a trainer. Turned out, his training style and framework weren’t what Koda nor I needed. So as the problems continued to mount, I tried again. We hired a second trainer who, unfortunately, again wasn’t capable of giving us what we needed. 

Out of money to spend and severely lacking in trust or hope that we would find someone worth the money left to spend on, I dove into learning everything I possibly could find online and in the library about dog training. It took me hours every day of combing through materials, testing methods, failing, winning, and figuring out what information was actually helpful.

I knew I needed to step up for Koda. He was just a few months old, in a foreign world and needed a guide to help him navigate it. That is when I poured over any dog training material I could get my hands on. Hours, turned days, turned a life-long obsession to absorb all that I can to make our lives together the best they can be.

I made many mistakes along the way, so I am ever grateful dogs are such forgiving animals. Over time, I learned to pick up on the signals Koda was giving me and adapt to them. We began understanding each other and working as a true team to build the loving and reliable relationship.

Koda began impressing other owners with his skills and our bond by the age of 8 months old. I started getting questions about how I did it and if I could train their dog.

Fast forward 1 year and I officially began working as a dog trainer founding K9 Coach and I’ve never looked back!

Oh, and I am so happy I struggled to get to where I am now.