Seven is a very sweet terrier!

Seven is a fantastic little guy and he's all terrier!  He's full of personality, loves people, has a good amount of get up & go and he's physically a very sturdy guy.  Seven is a goofy, funny guy who makes us laugh with his silly antics.  And best of all, he loves the game of training.

Like many young terriers, Seven needs assistance with practicing impulse control and some skills to help focus on his person instead of the environment that can be overstimulating for him.  

So, over the coming posts you will see the new skills that Seven and I are working on to help him focus and build positive behaviors.

If you are not familiar with terriers, I will highlight some background info on the breed courtesy of Dawn Antoniak-Mitchell. This information comes from an amazing book that I am constantly recommending to anyone who has a terrier or is thinking of adopting a terrier.  

The book is: Terrier Centric by Dawn Antoniak-Mitchell

Terriers are a working breed that are intelligent, creative, energetic, courageous and tenacious. 

Terriers were bred to locate, stalk, chase, grab, shake/harass or kill vermin.  Terriers historically had to go down into dark, strange tunnels, dens or buildings alone, search out another living creature that may be even larger than the terrier himself fight with this animal and hopefully, survive and make his way back to his owner when the prey animal was killed or driven from its hiding place.  A dog who relied on human directions and input would never survive these situations. 

A dog who solved problems on his own, made decisions on his own and took control of the situation was the one more likely to survive the encounter and live to pass his genes along to future generations.  

Terriers are very different than other breeds. Terriers were not bred to be "biddable" in the same way as breeds such as the retrievers were - they were bred for tenacity and independence.

Once we accept that and learn to work with that, we can bring out the very best in our terriers and train them to do nearly anything - especially when they can earn a treat, kill a toy or earn some other reinforcer that is meaningful to them.

If your curiosity is peaked I would strongly suggest buying this book  - it's pretty amazing!  

Here is a review of TERRIER-CENTRIC DOG TRAINING - FROM TENACIOUS TO TREMENDOUS

Stay tuned to watch us work our training plan - Seven is already showing off his smarts.  Our training will no doubt be fun for both of us!


"I'm ready to have fun & learn some new skill!"