From our dear trainer, Candace, in Ft. Worth, who is working with Staley, who is a crime victim suffering from PTSD, extreme anxiety, depression, Dissociation Disorder & Bi-Polar Disorder. His SDIT is “Magnus”. Candace writes:

“Staley and Magnus have their work cut out for them! Magnus is a young boy with a lot of energy. I took my Golden Retriever, Kyna, and my Border Collie mix, Lady, to meet Magnus. My two dogs have two different personalities, but both are relatively calm and well-mannered. Magnus was very excited to meet my girls, and immediately thought it was play-time. I explained to Staley what Magnus’ proper response should look (and sound) like. I gave Staley a few ideas on how to curb his energy (such as utilizing Staley’s children to get Magnus to both run around AND listen), and I gave her some homework to come up with two purely fun “tricks” to teach Magnus. I believe that this will help the team to more closely associate training with fun-happy-time, and bring Staley and Magnus closer together. I will meet with them in a couple of weeks, after they have had a chance to go on a few socialization road trips, and see how things are working out!”