As a pup, Liberty was put through advanced enrichment training. He and his siblings began their training as neonates, at 3 days old. Over a period of ten weeks, Liberty and his siblings were put through a detailed course that started with Early Neurological Stimulation. They were exposed to Startle Recovery Training. To Ambient Noise Training. To Unusual Surface Training. Before Liberty knew what fear was, he was taught not to fear. During the time in his development when his neurological pathways were rapidly developing, he was exposed to a sundry of novel stimuli. He was taught how to calmly ask his handler for what he wanted and needed. Part of his training, called “manding”, involved techniques used to train human autistic children. In short, he was not taught WHAT to think, but rather HOW to think.
The result is a happy, healthy dog who is not afraid to cross a stream on a fallen log, or jump from a waterfall. He learns quickly, and remembers his lessons. He leads the other dogs in his social circle by example, simply by being who he is. Liberty’s siblings were distributed across the United States, from Michigan to Alabama, and from Pennsylvania to Arizona. They work as search and rescue dogs, as farm dogs, and as active lifestyle companions. Their owners provide a closed feedback loop which to date has been overwhelmingly positive. Liberty’s breed is a little-known, rare American dog breed called the English Shepherd. From within the breed, Liberty’s parents were chosen from bloodlines with elite athletic ability and an intense eagerness to please their handlers.
