The First Dog Show
If you read the second part of my story, you already know about my first Rottweiler, Joy.
One of the biggest lessons happened during our very first dog show. I was young, nervous, and completely inexperienced.
During the competition, another handler started provoking my dog by bringing his dog too close to us. I became stressed and reacted too sharply while trying to stop the situation.
The judge noticed everything.
The man provoking the dogs was removed from the ring, but the judge also spoke to me very strictly. At 15 years old, I was terrified and embarrassed.
But that day I learned something I never forgot:
Dogs always feel our emotions. If we panic, they feel it too.
How I Accidentally Taught My Dog to Howl
In the early 2000s, I got my first cell phone with those awful old electronic ringtones. One day I noticed Joy softly howling to some of the sounds. I thought it was funny, so I kept encouraging him. Big mistake. Soon, Joy started howling at car alarms and certain songs on the radio, and I could never completely stop it.
The Bus Story
One day we were riding home on a bus. The driver already wasn’t happy about letting us in. Then suddenly one of the songs Joy loved started playing on the radio. Joy sat in the middle of the bus… and started howling along to the music. The passengers were laughing, the driver was angry, and I wanted to disappear from embarrassment. But now I smile when I remember it.
Because the real journey in dog training is never perfect — it’s built through mistakes, lessons, funny moments, and learning to truly understand your dog.
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