I feel so bad for my senior dog that Susan Garrett's content didn't exist and I didn't know of her when I was training 14 years ago. My senior dog has an incredibly forgiving and understanding personality, so it was very easy to train her in the ways that mattered to me.
My new puppy (9mo, Chihuahua mix) has a much more ambitious personality and, having been a street dog before being rescued, is primed for "run from people, steel the good stuff". Because I was adopting her from true puppy (2-3 months back in Sept), I immediately enrolled in in-person classes. They were great, basic shaping classes, but never got me to a level where I felt safe letting her off leash at the park. Perhaps the most important thing they did was get me interested in training more seriously, which lead me to Susan Garrett and specifically the free ItsYerChoice series.
I'm not being overly dramatic when I say ItsYerChoice is philosophy.
It has totally changed my relationship with my dog, completely removed power struggles and negotiations, really calmed her down and developed our mutual trust. I have also done Susan's Crate Games, and while they are amazing, IYC is a far better starting point and really taught me how to approach training. I would choose Susan's online programs over local in person programs every single time, and only go to a local in person program after I had exhausted her content.
I hope this encourages some overwhelmed puppy owners to look into her content. Theres a lot of free stuff on youtube and IYC is free for 10 days. Its a great starting point!
submitted by /u/SuddenAvocado
[link] [comments]