"I'LL KEEP YOU SAFE. YOU KEEP ME WILD."
Our Story - 👣 Megan & Beorn 🐾
It all started with Beorn - six weeks old, six pounds, and a bundle of cuteness and fluff... that is until I got him home.
From the moment we walked through the door that first day, he was relentless. The endless whining, destruction, and chaos in those first days, further developed into lunging, barking, and aggressive tendencies toward both dogs and human "strangers."
Being an inexperienced German Shepherd owner, I did everything the wrong way. I got him too young. I had no idea how to effectively communicate with him. I was afraid to create structure or set boundaries. I tried treat-only training, exercising to "tire him out," going to dog parks to "socialize" him, and nothing seemed to work. I found myself frustrated and discouraged, and felt I was "failing" him as an owner. I was in way over my head!
This is when I found balanced training. I had spent countless hours researching and studying various training methodologies. I started following several balanced trainers on social media. This is when I began seeing replicable results in action. After observing countless lives changed and dogs lives potentially saved, I developed a trust and respect for the world of balanced trainers. It was then that I decided to send my boy to a board and train program while I was living in California. Our lives were forever changed!
When Beorn came home from his board and train program, he was not a "new dog," but rather an almost "enhanced" Beorn. They had greatly diminished all of his negative qualities and exploded the good. They found a way to draw out his full potential and provided us an opportunity for a NEW LIFE of FREEDOM, TOGETHER. I was no longer stressed or worried about all of his behavioral issues. We could simply enjoy life, infused with a new richness and a deeper relationship.
Through all of our years together, we were there to see and help each other grow in ways that no one else could. Even in his more difficult days, Beorn had been there and had walked with me through some of my darkest days. I would come home from a long shift in the ER to find his smiling face. For a moment, the world would be a better place as we went for our morning hikes, exploring the unknown. It was he and I "against the world."
Through our new life TOGETHER, he learned to trust me as a leader; and I learned to communicate with him in a way he needed and understood. I was his advocate; and he was my adventure buddy. I showed him a way of life that boosted his confidence and decreased his anxiety; and he ignited in me a desire to explore and truly live. I kept him SAFE; and he kept me WILD.
Having lived the "before" and "after" with Beorn, a passion grew within me to help others find this new way of life that had been gifted to us. This is when I decided to quit my full-time job as a Registered Nurse in order to pursue dog training (try telling that one to your friends, family, and co-workers!). I can honestly say that there hasn't been a day that's gone by that I have regretted making that decision!
Since that moment, I have continued to immerse myself in the world of dog training - there is always more that can be learned. I have also been fortunate enough to train among some of the best trainers in the country. Now I'm excited to take all that I have learned and offer it to you and your canines!
Beorn has since passed away, but his legacy lives on. I will forever be grateful for the impact that shepherd boy had on my life!
I can't wait to help you find the same CONNECTION, FREEDOM, and LIFE - TOGETHER.
Welcome to Firm Foundations K9 Training! 👣🐾