Valkyrie came home on March 15, 2020 – the weekend before the world shut down.
She was already six months old. We had to wait three months to be able to start an in-person training program in June; we did our own basic training in the interim.
Our goal with Valkyrie was safety, obedience, and neutrality. Based on her breed and temperament, we did not expect her to want to meet every dog or human that presented themselves. But we did expect that she was going to be with us much of the time while we were out, and we needed to make sure we could do this safely and confidently.
We did not go to breed-specific training as there wasn't anything available in our area, especially early in the pandemic. We decided to follow the philosophy that Valkyrie was a dog first, and needed basic training to build a strong foundation. However, we also researched certain things to watch for as a female Malinois (sensitivity, not responding to harsh corrections, etc.) and made sure that we were training accordingly.
From June 2020 – July 2021 we attended an intermediate obedience group class at a local training facility, and graduated to Advanced Obedience after that. We also began an Intro to Agility class that ran from July – October 2021. We stopped obedience training when it was obvious she was bored. Like, laying down for a nap in the middle of class bored. At that point, we moved onto Intro to Tracking from May – October 2022 and continued doing in-home maintenance and new training in small intervals during the day.
Look how little she was!
Here are five unexpected benefits of our 18 months in obedience classes:
1. Valkyrie ignores barking dogs
As different owner-dog pairs came through each six-week class, we got exposure to so many different types of dogs. From very small Yorkies to Great Pyr mixes, of varying ages, maturity, and training, some (much) louder than others. We had a few particularly rambunctious puppies and a few anxious older dogs.
Sometimes there was barking. So. Much. Barking. This was a blessing in disguise. It gave me the opportunity to learn how to keep her focused on me when chaos was ensuing around us.
Now, when we're at a restaurant, event or just out at the park, her reaction to a barking dog is to look up at me (and sometimes get a treat).
2. She's also neutral around most other humans when out in public
In Advanced Obedience, we spent a lot of time interacting with other dog owners, with our dogs beside us. These mock interactions allowed our dogs to practice being still while we were talking with other people. This was important to us because people tend to want to stop and ask us about Valkyrie when we're out, conversations we're happy to have, and which are much easier to have with a well behaved dog.
Valkyrie and Rick hanging out at a summer vendor event
3. Bonding and respect
I was always so impressed with how quickly Valkyrie could learn something new, and how much she enjoyed it. It was also fascinating to watch her watching everything that was going on around us, and how she bonded with our trainers.
Classes truly became something we both looked forward to, and a fun part of our weekly routine. We also learned that even more important was what you practiced in between classes, so we had lots of opportunity during the week to hone our skills together and have fun.
4. Built handler confidence
When we first started class, I would get frustrated that Valkyrie seemed to respond much better to our trainer than to me. What was the difference? Confidence. Clear communication. Only asking once. Once this clicked, the game changed.
We also went through some interesting periods with Valkyrie. From reacting to other vehicles while in the truck, to unexplained fear of inanimate objects (I'm looking at you, bird-deterring fake owl, and bag of tortilla chips on the counter), it was important to us to be able to work through these issues head-on.
Valkyrie's showdown with the super sketchy owl
Training gave both myself and Rick the confidence and skills to handle these bumps without them becoming major setbacks.
5. We found our favorite local pet shop
On recommendation from our trainer, we visited a new local pet shop in our area with a very open floor plan and lots of great natural food and treats. Since then, we've been frequenting the shop every week. We've all gotten to know and love the owners, we're thrilled to support a small business, and it's another fun part of our weekly routine.
Valkyrie in her happy place
LET US KNOW: What was your experience with training classes? Did you learn anything unexpected?
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