Shirlie's Story: Trusting the Family Dog Again With a Baby at Home

Where Shirlie started

Shirlie's behavior changed after her family's baby shower. Her owner described what followed as "living with constant anxiety" and "unpredictable behaviors that made it hard to fully trust her, especially with a baby in the home."

The line that captures it best is this one: "It felt like we were always waiting for something to go wrong." Anyone who has lived with a dog they are not sure about knows exactly what that feels like, and it gets much heavier when there is an infant in the house.

This is the point where a lot of families quietly start looking for somewhere to rehome the dog.

The training journey

Shirlie went through a six-week program with Jesse and the team. Six weeks of lessons is a different shape of program from a board and train. The dog stays home, and the family does the work with guidance, week after week.

That is the right structure for a case like this, because the problem was never confined to the dog. The family needed to know how to read her, how to set a boundary and hold it, and what to do in the moment rather than afterwards.

Her owner listed what they came away with: "the tools, structure, and confidence to live alongside Shirlie with trust and clarity."

What actually changed

• She is calmer and more grounded. Not just more obedient, which her owner was careful to distinguish.
• She is more in tune with her people. The dog is checking in instead of acting alone.
• The family knows how to lead her. Boundaries they can set and keep.
• Everyone is safer. Their words: keep her "and everyone else, safe."

★★★★★

“We finished the 6 week training a few months back and I can honestly say this experience has been life-changing, for us and for Shirlie. […] Thanks to Jessie and his team, we now have the tools, structure, and confidence to live alongside Shirlie with trust and clarity. She’s not just more obedient, she’s calmer, more grounded, and more in tune with us. […] The difference in our day-to-day life is incredible. We can enjoy Shirlie again, include her more, and move forward as a family. This training didn’t just help our daughter, it gave us peace of mind, and that’s everything to us!”

Nicole Hay, Google review, June 2025

What it changed at home

Her owner was direct about it: "The difference in our day-to-day life is incredible. We can enjoy Shirlie again, include her more, and move forward as a family."

She was also honest that the work is not finished, and we appreciate that she said so. "The work doesn't end," she wrote, "and we're still continuing the routines and structure we've learned, but we're doing so from a much more empowered place." That is an accurate description of dog ownership, and any trainer who tells you otherwise is selling something.

Why Shirlie's story matters to us

New baby cases are among the most urgent calls Off Leash K9 Training Bakersfield takes, and they are almost always time-sensitive. Families are frightened, they feel guilty for being frightened, and they are usually deciding whether the dog can stay.

Shirlie stayed. The last line of her family's review is the one we would put on the wall: "it gave us peace of mind, and that's everything to us."

If your dog's behavior has shifted and you are no longer sure of them, start with a conversation, not a package. Our lesson programs, including Basic Obedience, are built around teaching the family as much as the dog, and for more serious behavior cases we run a 3 Week Board and Train for Aggression. Current pricing is on our plans and pricing page.