How it started: Remy.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was so excited to get a Dalmatian. I spent hours researching, determined to find the perfect puppy.

“I’m going to do everything right,” I told myself. I had no idea I was set up to fail before I ever brought her home.

The dog of my dreams

The first few months were great. Apart from the sleepless nights, the barking and whining, and the usual potty-training battles, Remy was everything I’d hoped for. She was full of energy and personality. Socialization was never a problem. Try taking a Dalmatian anywhere without being swarmed.

If I knew one thing for sure, it was that my dog would never be aggressive.

I was wrong.

When it fell apart

At about ten months, Remy started showing serious aggression. Barking, digging, bolting, and jumping came along with it. My wife hit her limit the day Remy spotted a squirrel and dragged her straight into a tree.

My moment came soon after. A little boy was crouched next to his dad, helping change a tire, and we didn’t see them until it was too late. Remy grabbed the hood of his winter coat, while he was wearing it, and shook it until the stuffing flew like snow. Thankfully he wasn’t hurt. His father was furious, and he had every right to be.

That boy could have been badly injured. It would have been my fault.

The turning point

Not long after, my wife and I found out we were expecting our first child. We were thrilled, and worried. We couldn’t have a dog like this around a baby.

I asked other Dalmatian owners for help. Almost all of them said the same thing: call a behaviorist. So I did. I called trainer after trainer, and nearly every one told me there was no hope. The best I could do, they said, was “manage” it. They blamed her breed, her genetics, her personality.

I was given two options: surrender her to a shelter, or put her to sleep. Neither was acceptable to me.

Refusing to give up

I knew Remy was smart. I knew she could be kind and social. So why was she acting this way?

I had always been firmly on the “positive only” side of training. But if it was the right way, why wasn’t it working? Maybe the problem wasn’t my dog. Maybe it was the methods I was using.

I had nothing to lose. I added structure, accountability, and fair discipline to how I lived with her. Remy became friendly, calm, and trustworthy off leash.

Watch Remy.“Own a Picture Perfect Pup,” one of my earliest videos.

The beginning

Friends, family, and co-workers couldn’t believe the videos I posted. “Weren’t you about to give her away?” they asked. “She’s off leash now?”

Then people started asking for help with their own dogs. Can you stop the barking at the door? The digging? The squirrel chasing?

“Yes,” I said. “I’ve been there, and I fixed it.”

I built a website, quit my job, and started training dogs full time.

Looking back, I’m grateful Remy was such a difficult dog. She taught me more than anyone else could have, and she’s the reason I can help owners who’ve been told there’s no hope.

If you know someone who is struggling with their dog, send them here. I know exactly how it feels, and I know how to fix it.