Sometimes we dog trainers use this saying amongst ourselves to describe a predicament a certain client is in. We’ll say “It’s too much dog for him/her” Which really means that the dog is the equivalent of giving your 87 year old grandmother a Ferrari to drive to the market on Thursdays.

Often times this “too much dog situation” involves much care and attention from the trainer and much destroyed furniture, toys, house siding…on the part of the owner.

One of my most recent favorite Near “too much dog” stories involves this dog Ranger. Ranger came from a very high end breeding program that breeds for serious working dogs. He is a VERY high quality dog with excellent intelligence, maybe to much. Ranger’s owner is a previous client of mine and a very fine lady. She’s had Shepherds before so she knew what to expect. Well, she almost knew what to expect. This pup needed TONS of exercise both mental and physical and he was a bear to keep up with. So, while I can say he’s a handful and got near “to much dog”, his owner stepped up and managed to keep him at the ” all the dog I can handle” level.

So, as a tribute to this owner and Ranger, I took some photos of him today to show what a great dog he’s become. Kudos to Patti and Ranger for getting over the hump and moving on out into the world of fantastic companionship.