Team Triumph Alumni

Cosmic Forces of Pike was the last born in her litter, on December 3rd at 12:32 am. The first time I saw Coz in person she was 5 weeks old; her breeders were putting on a puppy temperament test and were happy to have potential owners come to meet the puppies and participate in the test. Her puppy name was Raya after The Last Dragon, and she was a little bundle of energy. She showed fearlessness and a strong desire to chase anything that moved. I visited the breeders again when she was 8 weeks old as they were deciding which dog would work best in the different homes. The day we did this happened to be on my birthday.

I got the amazing call 2 days later that Coz was a good fit for me, with a warning that she was higher energy than the average Shiloh. I jumped at the chance and drove the 8-hour round trip in a snowstorm the next day to pick her up. We lived in a small town in Colorado that was very dog-friendly — most shops allowed dogs and every restaurant had outdoor seating where you could bring your dog. Until Coz was 6 months old I worked at a small pet store as well and was able to bring her to work with me every day. This gave me lots of time to train and bond with her, but it also was the foundation for her separation anxiety, which she did not get entirely over until she was 2. I was lucky, as the owner of the pet store was a dog trainer, and I was also taking classes with the Karen Pryor Academy to become a dog trainer myself.

When Coz was 9 months old we packed up all our stuff and moved from Colorado to the wilds of Utah, living off-grid for almost 2 years. Coz thrived with this type of living — taking long hikes every day and being outside from dawn to dusk. We moved camp every 2 weeks so she always had something new to explore. After the first 6 months we were moving all over the Midwest, camping in 8 different states and enjoying the majesty. Coz learned many things out on trails, mostly scent-based: following deer, coyotes, elk, and antelope; tracking our way back to camp; finding me when we would play hide and seek. It also facilitated fantastic recall and off-leash manners. While this type of living created an amazing dog out in the wilderness, she was starting to struggle being on leash in towns and cities.

When we ended up moving back to civilization a year ago, her reactivity was getting worse every day. When we would have short trips into town in the past she was high-strung but still good, but living here full-time again she was put under a lot of stress. I tried all the tricks I knew, but Coz was still hyper-focused on every dog who would go past her — even with dogs across a 4-lane road. She was not aggressive but didn’t seem to understand why she couldn’t go play. When I was not able to fix the issue on my own or with the virtual assistance of my two dog training mentors, I started to research places near Mount Pocono for help.

Sit, Stay, N’ Play was recommended by a close friend and I looked into their training philosophy. I liked what I saw, so I got Coz signed up for Basic Obedience. In hindsight I should have spoken with the trainers and gotten into Intermediate right away. She was a bit of a terror in her basic class, but I still really liked the trainer and wanted to continue. I was recommended to a group for Intermediate Obedience that has been amazing for Coz. By the second class she was able to be a few yards away from another dog without reacting — her first time in a year. While we have both had ups and downs in her class, and we have not been able to get that close again without reactivity, she is getting better little by little.

Some days are better than others, but overall she is improving massively. On our walks she is no longer reacting to dogs across the street, and when dogs behind their fences start to bark she ignores them and looks to me instead. I’m so grateful for the help I have been getting, and I look forward to continuing her progress and getting her back to a point where she can go to restaurants, fairs, and events as a confident dog once again.