Koda had been owned by an elderly lady with a history of osteoporosis. The lady's daughter was very concerned Koda might knock her down because he was very strong, big, and prone to excitement. He was pining away when we went to meet him. At the rescue shelter, all of the dogs had their own small fenced enclosure with a dog house. When Polly and I arrived at the shelter all of the other dogs were barking to get out attention. Not Koda, he came out of his house looked to see who we were and when he found we were not his previous lady, he went right back into his dog house. The shelter people warned us that he had the pulling power of a Budweiser Clydesdale. They were right. Koda had two strong traits -- he could pull on any leash and he was stubborn. That is where Carlene King and WAG-N-TRAIN came into the picture.

Koda was a good dog and in the house very manageable. He was polite and he quickly learned to go outside to a select spot to relieve himself. However, outside he was a different dog. He would struggle to pull on a leash until he choked. In addition, if he got loose he would attempt to follow any passing vehicle. We had no idea of his early history but a trainer from Fargo who was very familiar with German Shepherds told us to be patient because it would take at least two years to gain the dog's trust. Well, the two years when by fast and he still was a handful. We found the dog to be very intelligent and as I said earlier, he had a stubborn mind of his own. That mind of his was soon going to meet up with Carlene King.

We decided to leave Koda with Carlene for an extended period. There is no way I can adequately relate how well she trained Koda. He has become a model pet. He responds immediately to the command "place" where he is commanded to jump on a dog bed and not let his feet hit the ground or floor while he is on it. He knows and obeys what he is commanded to do until he hears the word "free". He know all the basic commands, and most of all he can heel without the leash, and when he is on the leash he doesn't pull. He is quick to know who his human friends are and he loves to go to WAG-N-TRAIN daycare. Carlene taught him to wear safety goggles so he can hand his head out the door when riding in the car.

Carlene also trained him to be responsible to a collar that delivers a mild shock if the dog is about to get into an unsafe or undesirable situation. I take Koda out to remote areas next to the Red Lake River in Minnesota. I won't tell you my secret location but I will say in the winter there are plenty of big jack rabbits always hanging around. Of course, Koda had gotten to the point where he knows when we are going there and he whines excitedly to get there because he knows there might be a rabbit to chase.

I let him chase the rabbits provided there are not other vehicles or people in the vicinity. One day, I let him chase a rabbit but I failed to realize he was chasing a rabbit where a vehicle was approaching. I was able to stop Koda on a dime and recall him to me. That is training, and I have to give credit to Carlene for not only shaping the dog's training but also shaping my training. I have learned that she can train, but Polly and I have to reinforce it or else he will revert to some of his bad habits.

Now I have to relate a humorous true story. I was enamored with the Budweiser commercial where the dog gets a beer out of the refrigerator and brings it to his master while the master is watching the football game. I wanted Koda to learn the same trick. I figured it would be cool to impress my friends by giving Koda a command to get me a beer. I discussed this with Carlene and she began to train him. Now everyone has to realize Carlene is a professional trainer and that is how she makes her living. I am a professional lawyer and my time is my money. I have to charge my clients for my time or I cannot be a professional. Carlene's training rates are very moderate for her skills, but nevertheless, it was going to take several hours of training to get Koda to go to a refrigerator and get me a cold beer. It wasn't long before Carlene had the dog doing the first steps to get to the refrigerator. My wife thought my idea to have Koda get me a beer out the refrigerator was over the top.