GRK9 of the Month - GTA

Meet Kai.

Kai came to Grassroots K9 to work on his fear aggression along with creating more confidence and overall a better association to training.

We had Kai here for 2 weeks then home for a month and then back again for another 2 weeks.

During Kai's off period from the farm, Faith his owner did everything we told her to do. It was such an easier transition the second time Kai was here. Because of their progress and her dedication to Kai's training, we wish to award them our GRK9 of the month.

Please take some time and read the answers below to learn more about Kai and Faith.

1. How old was Kai when you got him?

Kai was approximately ten weeks old when we brought him home!

2. Where did you get him from?

We picked Kai up from a very responsible, professional breeder who lived in Welland, Ontario.

3 Why did you pick him?

I picked Kai because he had the brightest blue eyes and because he had super cool black, white and brown patterns on his fur. Fun fact, Kai means ocean in Hawaiin and I thought that name suited him perfectly because of his blue eyes.

4. Why did you want to begin training?

One of the main reasons I wanted to begin training with Kai was because he had very high anxiety when out for walks and being around other people/dogs/unfamiliar objects. I wanted him to be happy and comfortable while out for walks going on adventures.

5. What were some of your training goals?

Two of our main training goals was for Kai to be more comfortable and lower his anxiety levels when outside and around others as well as for him to learn loose leash walking.

6. What was the biggest obstacle to overcome during training?

The biggest obstacle we had to overcome during the beginning phases of his training was his fearfulness of new people and new environments. It took Kai some time to open up and begin learning new skills.

7. What are you guys working on now?

Right now, Kai and I are working on improving his loose leash walking, specifically in new environments and exposing him to new places and people in an attempt to continue to lower his anxiety levels. We also work on the mark exercise at least twice a day!

8. If you could give any of our client's advice about accomplishing your training goals, what would it be?

My biggest piece of advice to any new clients about accomplishing their training goals would be to have patience and trust the process as well as your trainers as they have your dog's best interest at heart. Training goals are not easily accomplished overnight and it is extremely important to understand that and to remain positive throughout the entire process.