Hello Readers!
If you’ve been following me and Byron on social media, you’d already know that Byron’s first official bookstore book signing did not go so well. He ended up barking at every customer that came to my table and we’ll just say that the managers of the bookstore were not very happy with us. You can hear this story on one of my podcast episodes here: Byron’s bad day.
Since then, I’ve cancelled all book signings with Byron until he is fully trained to be around the public. I’m losing sales and more readers/fans, but I know in the long run, this is better for Byron and will also be better for you, dear reader, when you get a chance to meet my favorite dachshund.
It’s Wednesday, January 23rd and today was Byron’s first training with JR with The Charleston Dog Wizard. We pre-screened Byron with JR about a month ago and then finally fit Byron’s schedule into ours. JR was fantastic. He spoke our language, and taught April and I a few new things that we never thought about when it came to training our little guy.
Byron did amazing and I have no doubts that with JR’s help, Byron and I will be back at conventions and cons signing books in no time.
What I will tell you is that Byron is mentally exhausted. Byron learned to problem solve his way into getting what he wants and what I wanted him to do. JR as a dog trainer taught all of us tips for all of us to be happy, not just April and I.
If you didn’t already know, Byron is also my real Emotional Support Animal. He is also dapple in color which means everyone in the world wants to pet my pup when we are out in public. Granted, when I’m not signing books with him (yes, he does pawtograph with me), Byron serves a purpose for me. Often times, Byron gets defensive whenever people approach me and enter my “bubble”. He doesn’t like that at all. He knows his job and feels he’s doing it well. However, teaching him the manners he needs when out in public is becoming an essential need, especially since he’s so adorable.
By no means am I sponsoring this blog post for JR and the great team at the Charleston Dog Wizard, but I thought I would leave a link to their Facebook Page anyway. They are doing a great service for dogs all over Charleston, and if you’re in the area, you should check them out: Charleston Dog Wizard Facebook Page
I hope JR and the CDW team get a chance to read this and know that April and I are entirely grateful for what we foresee as a great outcome for Byron. Looking forward to seeing what comes next.
Nick
