# Thank you Stephanie! (Flying Quizini)



## Sunshine Goldens (Oct 31, 2005)

You posted at the beginning of the new year a resolution to teach your dog TO DO something vs. NOT to do something. Well I have had a 17 month old foster dog for a few weeks now who was very concerning to me. He had an inconsistent upbringing I am sure. The owner claims he was allergic to Sam, but I know that isn't true. After 2 weeks with his first foster he had a few snapping episodes when he had something he shouldn't have. Well long story short, he's been with us for some time. I was somewhat intimidated by him (he's HUGE and can be unruly) and obviously didn't trust us at all...but I really wanted to try to work with him. I kept reminding myself to try and teach him TO DO something as I suspect ALL he had gotten in his previous life was overstimulation, rough housing and then screaming at him to stop. Well I am happy to report that he's doing SO WELL! It's amazing. Using nothing but positive reinforcement for him has really allowed him to TRUST me. He looks to me constantly for direction now - it's great to see. We are working on "give" because he really does need a useful command to let go of something as I fear in a new setting he would revert back to snapping or snarling. He's making phenomenal progress!

I know sometimes we post things on here and wonder if they ever go any further than the page, but that one post of Stephanie's really made a difference for me, and now for Sammy. Just wanted to say THANK YOU!!!

Here's a picture of Sam...such a gorgeous boy.


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## Augustus McCrae's Mom (Aug 14, 2007)

Yay! Good for you and Sam


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## Sunshine Goldens (Oct 31, 2005)

Thanks! I am very proud of him!!!


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## Maggies mom (Jan 6, 2006)

What a handsome guy..... Keep up the good work Sam...You can do it....


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## TheHooch (May 9, 2007)

What a great picture. You did good!!!!!!!!!!


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

YEA for Sam. Just like our children, postive reenforcement is much more productive than brow beating them !!!!!! I bet you feel great to have such a success.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

You must feel wonderful about his progress, Lisa! I'm so happy Stephanie's post inspired you, which in turn inspired this beautiful Golden...


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## Emmysourgolden (Oct 10, 2007)

Now that is great!!! Way to go!


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

That is so awesome! What a great job you are doing with him. You should be proud of yourself!


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## Sunshine Goldens (Oct 31, 2005)

Kimm said:


> You must feel wonderful about his progress, Lisa! I'm so happy Stephanie's post inspired you, which in turn inspired this beautiful Golden...


Well, we've had our moments... It's a real shift in my thinking and a lot harder for me than it sounds. I believe every dog is different and seeing Sam as uneasy and quick to protect himself I really felt like I had to do something different. I don't believe in corporal punishment, but I do believe that negative associations can prevent certain behaviors as much as positive ones can encourage them. In Sam's case he seemed like a jumble of mixed up experiences so doing anything that he would see as provocation didn't feel right. So far so good!


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Sunshine Goldens said:


> Well, we've had our moments... It's a real shift in my thinking and a lot harder for me than it sounds. I believe every dog is different and seeing Sam as uneasy and quick to protect himself I really felt like I had to do something different. I don't believe in corporal punishment, but I do believe that negative associations can prevent certain behaviors as much as positive ones can encourage them. In Sam's case he seemed like a jumble of mixed up experiences so doing anything that he would see as provocation didn't feel right. So far so good!


I think Sam is in very good hands, Lisa!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I think it's fantastic that you read him so well, and figured out what would help him. Good job!


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Sunshine Goldens said:


> Thanks! I am very proud of him!!!


 
Very handsome, VERY lucky. Congratulations to you AND Sir Sam.


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## Augie's Mom (Sep 28, 2007)

:appl:What a wonderful thing you have done for him! It will make all the difference in a successful placement for him. Kudos to you both.:dblthumb2


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## norabrown (Jul 20, 2007)

Thats great! How wonderful of you to take the time to help him over-come and learn to trust and to have better manners.

That's what is great about this forum....learning from others.


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Oh wow.... thanks so much for taking the time to post your story, Lisa! I really, really appreciate it!

It's posts (or comments from clients) like yours that keep me doing what I do! I certainly work waaaaaaaaaaaaay more hours as a dog trainer than I ever did in any corporate job, but the payoff is soooooooooooooo worth it!

Really, truly, thank you for posting! And HUGE congrats on shifting your focus to what he does right vs. what he might be doing wrong. I totally understand how challenging that can be. We are a punishment-based society. Complience out of fear of punishment is all around us all the time. As a result, it can be very challenging to stick to saying "yes, you're right" vs. "sorry, you're wrong".

Congrats again! Keep up the great work!

Kindly,

Stephanie


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## Sunshine Goldens (Oct 31, 2005)

FlyingQuizini said:


> Oh wow.... thanks so much for taking the time to post your story, Lisa! I really, really appreciate it!
> 
> It's posts (or comments from clients) like yours that keep me doing what I do! I certainly work waaaaaaaaaaaaay more hours as a dog trainer than I ever did in any corporate job, but the payoff is soooooooooooooo worth it!
> 
> ...


Sammy appreciates it most of all. He is really getting attached to me. He's starting to act more and more like true Golden. He's let his guard down little by little and it's really pretty amazing to experience. As much as he makes me NUTS sometimes (like tonight when he decided an effective way to get attention would be to bark incessantly in my face), I will have a hard time saying goodbye to him.


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## Sunny Delight (Mar 10, 2007)

Sunshine Goldens said:


> Sammy appreciates it most of all. He is really getting attached to me. He's starting to act more and more like true Golden. He's let his guard down little by little and it's really pretty amazing to experience. As much as he makes me NUTS sometimes (like tonight when he decided an effective way to get attention would be to bark incessantly in my face), I will have a hard time saying goodbye to him.


Great job, Lisa, on your progress with Sammy!!

I met Sammy a few weeks ago and he has so many wonderful features! He is beautiful (as you all saw) and enjoys being around other dogs. I can tell that Lisa is very attached to him (and so is hubby!) and that they have been having a wonderful learning experience together. Bettr not make him too perfect, or he won't be going ANYwhere!!


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## Sunshine Goldens (Oct 31, 2005)

Sunny Delight said:


> Bettr not make him too perfect, or he won't be going ANYwhere!!


Bite your 80's-music-spouting tongue! :


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## Sunny Delight (Mar 10, 2007)

Sunshine Goldens said:


> Bite your 80's-music-spouting tongue! :




:jamming:


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## Sunshine Goldens (Oct 31, 2005)

Sunny Delight said:


> :jamming:


I downloaded a boatload of Depeche Mode on my iPod and thought of you while I listened to it!


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

OMG! I used to be a HUGE DM fan! 

Loved The Cure, too!


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## Sunshine Goldens (Oct 31, 2005)

FlyingQuizini said:


> OMG! I used to be a HUGE DM fan!
> 
> Loved The Cure, too!


I loved the Cure! I listened to "Japanese Whispers" over and over and over... I was listening to DM on my iPhone on the way to visit my family and laughing to myself remembering how my parents would reluctantly pop in my TAPES on long car trips. I need to thank them for being so tolerant. As I listened to "Fly on the Windscreen" I was cracking up just imagining what my parents must have been thinking as they listened to "my music"!


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## Sunny Delight (Mar 10, 2007)

Sunshine Goldens said:


> I loved the Cure! I listened to "Japanese Whispers" over and over and over... I was listening to DM on my iPhone on the way to visit my family and laughing to myself remembering how my parents would reluctantly pop in my TAPES on long car trips. I need to thank them for being so tolerant. As I listened to "Fly on the Windscreen" I was cracking up just imagining what my parents must have been thinking as they listened to "my music"!


I always really liked this one, although with my current Christianity, I can't say I can agree with the words... the seem a bit like "Blasphemous Rumours" to me, but then again, I never used to really pay attention to the words. There's a Nirvana song called "In Bloom" which supposedly pokes fun at those of us who sing songs while not understanding the true meaning behind the words (as if there really is any true meaning behind the words of Nirvanah songs! Can't understand a word he says!! "Smells Like Teen Spirit"?? What the heck is *that* supposed to mean??)

Thankfully, "I've Got Somebody to Share" all these thought with!!


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## mjkaferle5 (Jan 15, 2008)

FlyingQuizini said:


> OMG! I used to be a HUGE DM fan!
> 
> Loved The Cure, too!


 
Same here!! It is amazing how I used to listen to those bands and now I am more or less strictly COUNTRY!

Steph - "The Flying Quizini" is a great name for your dog! But I still feel like it is something I should be ordering from Quizno's!


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

mjkaferle5 said:


> Steph - "The Flying Quizini" is a great name for your dog! But I still feel like it is something I should be ordering from Quizno's!



Haha! Do you want that toasted? Actually, Quiz is parked in front of the furnace right now, so give him some time and his buns will be toasted!

We make the Quizno's reference all the time around here. I'll walk up to him and say, "Who knows.....? Quiz knows!" 

I didn't really get into DM and The Cure until late high school/college. I was a bit behind in my musical tastes, so my grandparents (with whom I lived) never had to be subjected to much of it. I'm mostly country these days, too!


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

mjkaferle5 said:


> Steph - "The Flying Quizini" is a great name for your dog! But I still feel like it is something I should be ordering from Quizno's!



Haha! Do you want that toasted? Actually, Quiz is parked in front of the furnace right now, so give him some time and his buns will be toasted!

We make the Quizno's reference all the time around here. I'll walk up to him and say, "Who knows.....? Quiz knows!" 

I didn't really get into DM and The Cure until late high school/college. I was a bit behind in my musical tastes, so my grandparents (with whom I lived) never had to be subjected to much of it. I'm mostly country these days, too!

Oh - and true confession: I went through a HUGE Paula Abdul phase!


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## Sunshine Goldens (Oct 31, 2005)

Sunny Delight said:


> I always really liked this one, although with my current Christianity, I can't say I can agree with the words... the seem a bit like "Blasphemous Rumours" to me, but then again, I never used to really pay attention to the words. There's a Nirvana song called "In Bloom" which supposedly pokes fun at those of us who sing songs while not understanding the true meaning behind the words (as if there really is any true meaning behind the words of Nirvanah songs! Can't understand a word he says!! "Smells Like Teen Spirit"?? What the heck is *that* supposed to mean??)
> 
> Thankfully, "I've Got Somebody to Share" all these thought with!!


I absolutely LOVE Nirvana. I think Kurt Cobain was incredible.


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