Charlie tells his story

Charlie's Story told in his words and his Pawrents tell of their experience

Hi, I’m Charlie, and I Have a Story to Tell

For a long time, I couldn’t stop barking. I wasn’t trying to be bad—I just had so much to say! Sometimes, I barked because things around me made me nervous. Other times, I barked because I was just so excited I couldn’t hold it in! But my barking really frustrated my humans. They didn’t know what to do, so they tried something they thought would help.

One day, they put this strange collar on me. Every time I barked, it hurt—like a shock—and I didn’t know why. Then they added another collar that sprayed something smelly in my face whenever I barked. I hated both of those collars, but I didn’t know how to stop barking. My humans left them on me all the time.

Even with those collars, I still barked when they came off. My humans felt hopeless, and honestly, so did I. I didn’t understand why they were upset, and I started feeling scared all the time.

Then something amazing happened—Buddy’s Dream came into our lives. They told my humans to throw those awful collars away (thank goodness!) and taught them to figure out why I was barking.

Here’s what we did:

•  First, we worked on the things that made me feel nervous. My humans helped me realize they weren’t so scary after all by giving me lots of treats and being patient with me.

•  Then, they taught me something really cool: to bark when they asked me to. It was like a game! Once I learned that, they showed me a new trick—when they said “shush,” I knew it was time to stop barking.

  
  

It didn’t take long before I wasn’t barking so much anymore. My humans finally understood me, and I felt so much happier and calmer.

Now, I want to share something really important with you: those scary collars didn’t help me at all. They only made things worse by making me afraid. But the kind and gentle training I learned from Buddy’s Dream? That changed my life.

Buddy’s Dream helps dogs like me every day, but they need your support to keep going. You can help by shopping for their awesome handmade pet and human accessories—every purchase helps animals just like me! Shop at BuddysDream.org 

Oh, and if your dog barks a lot like I did, check out their free book, "After You Get Your Puppy". It’s full of tips to help pups like me (page 66 is where you can learn how to teach "shush"):  www.buddysdream.org/dog-training-help-information.

Thanks for listening to my story. My tail’s wagging now, and my bark? Well, it’s finally under control.

Please shop at Buddy’s Dream (BuddysDream.org), so more dogs like me and their families can get the help they need.  All profits go directly toward helping animals with behavior challenges heal and thrive.

Share my story with your friends and tell them to share it too!

(Please note: Charlies owners feel embarrassment about using the aversive collars on Charlie, so they have asked to remain anonymous. We have used a stock dog photo in place of Charlies photo as a result.)

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Charlies Pawrents tell of their experience:

We’ll admit it: Charlie’s barking was driving us crazy. He barked at everything—people, noises, you name it. At first, we thought he was just being difficult. We just wanted peace and quiet, but we had no idea how to get there.

A trainer told us to use a shock collar. We hated the idea, but we were desperate, so we tried it. When that didn’t work, the trainer suggested adding a citronella bark collar. So, poor Charlie had to wear both collars at the same time, 24/7. Every time he barked, he was shocked and sprayed with citronella.

It didn’t feel right, but we didn’t know what else to do. And yet, the moment the collars came off, Charlie would start barking again. The frustration was unbearable, and we felt hopeless—like we were failing him.

That’s when we found Buddy’s Dream, and everything changed.

They helped us see that the collars weren’t fixing anything. In fact, they were making Charlie’s barking worse by adding fear and anxiety to the mix. We learned that barking wasn’t the problem—it was a symptom of what Charlie was feeling inside.

With Buddy’s Dream’s guidance, we threw those awful collars in the trash and started fresh. They taught us to ask why Charlie was barking. Here’s what we discovered:

1️⃣ Sometimes he was barking because he felt uncomfortable or nervous about things in his environment.

2️⃣ Other times, he barked because he was excited and just didn’t know how to express it in a calmer way.

Buddy’s Dream showed us how to help Charlie feel safe and secure through desensitization and reward-based training. Then, they taught us how to work with his barking in a positive way. We even taught him to bark on command—and then to stop barking when we said “shush.” It was simple and made so much sense.

Within a few weeks, Charlie’s barking was under control. More importantly, we saw a whole new side of him—calmer, happier, and more confident. We can’t thank Buddy’s Dream enough for showing us a better way.

If you’re struggling with your dog’s behavior, please don’t turn to aversive tools like we did. They don’t work, and they can cause even more harm. Positive, humane methods are the way to go, and Buddy’s Dream is an incredible resource.

You can support their work by shopping for their handmade pet and human accessories—every purchase helps dogs like Charlie. 🛍️ And if you’re dealing with barking, check out their free resource, After You Get Your Puppy, here: 👉 www.buddysdream.org/dog-training-help-information.

We’re so grateful to Buddy’s Dream for giving us the tools to help Charlie. Now, he’s not just quieter—he’s happier. And so are we. 🐾💖

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Want to learn more about training your dog?

Check out this great resource and get a full month of free access to all the dog training information and videos there! What a GREAT gift for your dog and yourself!

Note and disclaimer: All information in the blog posts on this site is my opinion based on my own experience rehabilitating an aggressive dog. I am not a professional behaviorist or otherwise involved in the Veterinary profession. If you are dealing with an aggressive dog, I recommend you seek the advice of a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist.