thor

I have heard it said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. And while I don’t think this definition of insanity would hold up in a court of law, I have learned that the overall premise is spot on when it comes to dog training. With “different” and better results in mind, I’d like to introduce myself, and a new method dog training. Actually, it’s more than that. It’s a better way to train dogs that deepens the bond you presently have, one that most of us are seeking with our dogs. For those of you who are not as interested in the human/dog bond but focusing on the performance and reliability of your dog on the job or sport field, this method is equally effective in these arenas as well. Before I explain this method, I feel it’s important to explain how it came to be developed. 

In a nutshell, it all began with Thor. In some respects, he was my first dog; and, in all respects, he was the beginning of my quest for understanding dogs, how they think and communicate, and my nearly 40-year journey into canine training. At the core of me – Bill Marshall, dog trainer – there is Thor – the genesis of several vital discoveries about myself, dogs, and their training. 

I grew up in the inner city of Columbus, Ohio. As a kid, I had three dogs – Peppy, Stubby, and Mugsy – all were mutts and typical family pets. I remember them vaguely and, in some way, loved each of them, but I really didn’t have a connection with any of them. In our home, dog training consisted of smacking the dog on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper or yelling at them when they did something that was considered bad by my father’s standard, (which, unfortunately, became my standard), I didn’t know any other way to communicate with my pets, although, I intuitively sensed that there was more to understand and yearned to be able to communicate.

There were indications of my passion for animals at an early age. Before I was even 10 years old, I was the person to ask when someone wanted to know any statistic regarding animals – where they came from, what they look like, or how fast they could run. This knowledge came from incessantly watching any television show that involved wild animals – Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom was a favorite. For some reason, the statistics and facts just stuck in my head. My father said it was because I had a special “inerst” (interest) in animals, but all I knew is that I wanted to know so much more and didn’t have a clue as to where to begin.

After graduating from college with a degree in industrial engineering, I began work as a salesperson for Xerox Corporation. The money was good, and by all appearances, I was on my way to a successful life, financial and otherwise. As it turned out, is often the case, appearances could not have been more deceiving. I found my job as a salesman to be personally unfulfilling, and to make matters worse, my personal life was falling apart. You see, I was in love with someone who was no longer in love with me. In my relatively short life, I had never felt more lonely or unhappy.

On one of those lonely, unhappy days, I was reading the newspaper and came across an ad for free puppies. I decided to go check it out. Once arriving at the address in the ad – a dirty, unkempt house and barn on a country road – I was led to the barn, where the last two puppies in the litter were being kept. Both pups were male, and both seemed friendly, but I didn’t know which one would be a better fit for me, so I took them both. The bigger pup looked like a black Labrador Retriever and the other looked like a black German Shepherd. I named the larger “Lab” pup Thor, due to his habit of thundering through my apartment and breaking nearly everything nice that I owned. In a very short time, it became apparent that I wasn’t going to be able to keep both puppies, so I chose Thor (the bigger one) for myself and gave the other puppy to my parents who were empty nesters at the time. I share this part of the story to emphasize that my rationale in selecting between the two puppies was because I liked the fact that Thor was larger. My choice had nothing to do with any special connection or bond to Thor; the decision was solely based on my reference for a bigger dog. This may not be the worst reason ever for choosing a particular puppy, but it also, in no way, qualifies as a good reason. Luckily, as it turns out, fate was with me that day. During Thor’s lifetime, he would save my life many times. The debt of gratitude I owe to him for the lessons that he taught me about myself, and dog training can never be repaid.

In the beginning, due to my ignorance and inability to communicate what I expected of him, my relationship with Thor was rocky, at best. You see, although Thor was rambunctious, he was also sensitive, and the training that I had been taught as a child involved yelling and hitting. During that time, the interactions between Thor and myself served only to terrorize him, infuriate me, and consequently, make matters worse. By the time Thor was six months old, I found myself to be the lost, frustrated owner of a nervous wreck of a dog. Still, somehow, even though my childhood training taught me that it was Thor’s fault for not understanding, I knew the problem was, in reality, all mine. 

You see, Thor was like most dogs. He really wanted to fit in, but he had an ignorant owner who couldn’t communicate the expectations of his pack. It was poor leadership on my part, but I didn’t know it at that time. Despite that, I was determined to find an answer. So, I took Thor to be trained by a professional. I consider us both lucky that the professional I consulted was patient and skilled with both of us. To re-instill confidence in Thor, he spent two full weeks exclusively with the trainer. During this time, using obedience commands, the trainer began the process of teaching Thor the language that would save a scared puppy and a frustrated owner. On the day that I was scheduled to pick up Thor, I was nervous, and had no idea what to expect. I was led to a hallway that had a two-way mirror so that I could watch the demonstration of Thor’s transformation without him realizing that I was there. As I write this, I can vividly remember my amazement at what I was witnessing. Not only did I see a dog that clearly understood all the obedience commands, but a dog that seemed relaxed, happy, and secure. This was not the dog I had dropped off. In the back of my mind, I realized that I was the cause of Thor’s confusion and fear. That it was my fault. It was on me. It wasn’t until much later when I realized that my inability to effectively communicate with Thor was the root cause of the stress that both of us had been experiencing. I felt ashamed and deeply sorry for causing Thor to be so unhappy and scared. But shame and sorrow weren’t helping either of us. I felt that I owed it to Thor to learn how this magic worked, not just for him, but for me too. At the conclusion of the demonstration, the trainer led me into the demo room where Thor greeted me enthusiastically, jumping, and licking my face and hands. He was thrilled to see me – no hesitation – not a hint of a grudge. He was completely honest and forgiving. It was a deeply profound moment at the time; however, it’s true power came to me in pieces over time. It would not be an overstatement to say that it changed my life forever. 

As the trainer began the process of teaching me to speak the rudimentary language that he had taught Thor to understand in just two short weeks, I’m sure that he didn’t have any idea that there were light bulbs switching on in my head. He couldn’t have known that my newly acquired ability to communicate with Thor (in a rudimentary way) would give birth to the development, advancement, and expansion of a formerly crude, but fundamental tool for man and dog to interconnect. It was this understanding – that communication between humans and dogs (in any form) is possible – that was the beginning of my quest to better understand dogs, how they think and communicate, and to find a way to help others to acquire the same deep relationship with their own canines that I would develop with Thor.

That was 40 years ago. I often think of Thor and the special relationship that we were able to develop over his lifetime after that special day. When Thor passed away, it was one of the hardest days of my life. Today, Thor’s ashes sit on the top of a pedestal in my office as a constant reminder of the relationship we had and the lessons we learned.