Bark Busters to the rescue

Many of you who know Irie, know that she has a few... neuroses. I know I'm biased, but I really do think she's a good dog - she just has some bad habits. In an effort to get some help breaking these habits, I hired a trainer from Bark Busters.

Bark Busters is a world-wide company that travels to your home and helps you with your specific problems. Their services are guaranteed for the life of the dog, regardless of where you live, and they just keep coming back until you're satisfied with the results.

I won't say that the results have been utterly magical (as they appear to be for some people) and it's definitely taking a lot of work on my (and Irie's) parts, but we're certainly making progress. She's MUCH better in the house and we're making big strides outside. There's still the occassional lunge at dogs walking by (especially if they're barking or being crazy), but she's much better around cars, people and squirrels. I think it will probably take another few months before she's really got it and understands that it's never ok to do these things, but she's definitely better. Meanwhile, I'm still having trouble juggling the sports bottle I'm supposed to use to squirt her if she starts to get aggressive, holding the leash properly, walking with a purpose, growling and praising appropriately, etc.

I've definitely run across my fair share of people that most likely think I'm crazy - and that I'm undoubtly mean to my dog. And it's certainly embarassing to be growling at my dog and squirting her with water - but I guess it's an improvement over having her lunge at them!

It's a process, but one that I think will really pay off in the long-run.

Here's a picture of Irie in utter bliss playing with my roommate's friend's dog, Lou. Isn't it funny how much they look alike?