Like many others, I started getting interested in dog behavior and training because I had a “difficult” dog.
My first dog was from a craigslist accidental litter and was raised by an individual who had no business owning dogs, and should have been breeding them even less. I loved him, desperately, but he was behaviorally complex, severely under-socialized and an embattled resource guarder. I found myself scared, alone, and in way over my head with a dog I should have never been given. I was used to labs and golden retrievers, not severely reactive rescues!
I couldn’t afford fancy training or experienced help. So I set off on a mission to teach myself everything I need to know so I could help my dog. And my journey has never finished!
After I lost my last dog (a different dog with a different set of difficulties and triumphs), I started to think about how I wanted to use my intensive self-education on all things dog. Those early experiences – the judgment, loneliness, and fear – have never left me. They taught me the importance of helping others and knowing that most people, and dogs too, are doing the best they can with the information they have.
I decided to create the resource I wished I had when I was totally new to dogs. The Modern Dog Library is the culmination of that effort.
This blog isn’t a substitute for the best teacher (experience) or actual experts like trainers, vets and behaviorists. This is a spot designed to help you learn so you can figure out how to help your dog.
I hope you find comfort knowing you are not alone, in whatever dog-related journey you’re going through. The Modern Dog Library is my (virtual) helping hand to you and your dog.
Happy trails!
Laura
The Modern Dog Library 