Are you a professional dog trainer?
No.
I’m a volunteer “puppy raiser” which means taking an eight-week-old puppy into your home, loving, raising and training it for a year-and-a-half, and then giving it back. The dog then goes on to advanced training and hopefully graduates and gets placed with an individual with special needs—free of charge.
Tella was the first pup my wife and I raised so we were learning as much as Tella was. Twice a month we took Tella to puppy classes where a professional dog trainer would teach us (and Tella) the basic commands. Since pups in training can’t be left alone for more than a few hours, Tella also came to work with me everyday. This was a central element of her socialization (getting used to being under control in different environments). It also helped create an incredibly strong bond between Tella and I—we were around each other nearly the entire day, virtually everyday for a year-and-a-half. This is a similar bond that would be created between Tella, Ian and his family, though we hadn’t met them yet.