Recallers 2023 Video Contest Round Two
If you have just joined us, today is the second round of our Recallers video contest for this year, which has been a much love annual event for over a decade now. The stories you’ll see in our contest represent and honour so many thousands of people and dogs. You can also view and vote on the videos in Round One and Round Three.
Living with a dog can have challenges and frustrations, and it’s what we do in the face of those challenges that matters. When you replace conflict with connection you can make tomorrow better than today for you, your dog, and the world around you. The videos celebrate everyone making a better tomorrow and the love of dogs.
Choose Your Favourite Two Videos and Vote Below
Scroll down to watch the five videos below and vote for your two favourites. Then, stay tuned as we will release the final five videos in the semi-finals for you to vote on tomorrow.
At the end of the three semi-final rounds, we will take the top two videos from each round as voted by you, and they will go head to head in the “Finale” to decide the top three prize winners. We will also be drawing two prize winners at random from all our entries. Our sponsors are amazing!
Thank you to our fabulous Sponsors!
Dog Treats Gift Basket from Coco Therapy
Dogs will LOVE this amazing treat basket from CocoTherapy! CocoTherapy organic dog treats are made with love and carefully sourced, beneficial ingredients made with organic coconut oil and organic coconut. 100% USDA-certified organic treats come in a variety of flavors and all are rated delicious by dogs!
As member of our community, you can receive 10% off your entire order with the Discount Code: DogsThat10
Recallers Gift Pack from 4MyMerles
The special gift pack features your very own MM (Motivated Momentum) Toy, PLUS a Treat Taco Toy, and a Plush Squeak This! Each item is custom made and Recallers themed. Every day is game day with these gifts from 4MyMerles. Many of the toys and leashes you see Susan use are from the fantastic team at 4MyMerles!
2 Propel Air Platforms from Blue-9
Choose between Turquoise or Grey. Take your dog’s training to new heights with the first connective inflatable training platform made in the USA. Designed with Connection points and Pro-Gridlines, the Propel Air Platform offers you and your dog the most flexibility to reach your fitness goals. This fitness equipment is specifically designed to help increase balance, strength and flexibility for your canine athlete. Included in this kit are the connective straps and a pump for inflation.
Cooling Kit from Zentek Clothing
The fabulous Cooling Kit comes with a Cool Mat and a Canine Quick Wrap with cool packs. We LOVE our Zentek Clothing products! Not only does Zentek have clothes for dogs, but they also carry a whole line of clothing for humans too. Zentek Products use the latest in fabric technology, the phase change micro capsules absorb excess heat cooling the body when the temps are warm, and releases the stored heat when temps cool.
An Eight Month Supply of 1TDC Dual Action (2 x 120 count)
1-TDC worksSOwell is America’s #1 supplement for Oral Health and Mobility. Susan’s dogs all take 1-TDC as she has seen great results first hand. 1-TDC is extremely tasty making it easy to give daily. It is also recommended by Veterinary experts worldwide to maintain and improve your pet’s Oral Health & Joint Health in ONE economical solution.
As member of our community, you can receive 10% off with the Discount Code: DogsThat1TDC
A Full Year’s Access to “Wag Nation” and “Home School the Dog“
Our Home School the Dog program made its debut in 2020 and has proved to be massively popular with first time pet owners and experienced dog trainers alike. Our Wag Nation membership is currently only available for Home School the Dog Alumni and brings monthly tricks to train and monthly deep dives into learning on anything to do with dogs. Home School the Dog creates an enriching environment at home that exercises your dog’s mind and body, delivers insights into training a great family pet, and grows your dog training and observation skills and mechanics in a game based positive reinforcement environment.
A Full Year’s Access to “Crate Games Online“
“Crate Games” is the cornerstone of Susan’s unbelievably successful dog training program, and is extensively used and recommended by dog trainers and professional dog care providers around the globe. “Crate Games Online” is digital access to Susan’s world famous DVD! We have put the complete DVD including all chapters, 3 extra bonus videos and a few special PDF’s into this easy to use ONLINE format.
Now on to the videos! Below are the first 5 short stories, watch the videos and select the two you want to see go through to the final round!
Be sure to scroll down to the button that will take you to vote for your 2 favourites!
1. Karen
2. David
3. Sigrid
4. Zina
5. Cait
Thank You Round Two Voting is Closed
- 5. Cait (29%, 469 Votes)
- 3. Sigrid (26%, 434 Votes)
- 1. Karen (21%, 350 Votes)
- 4. Zina (15%, 242 Votes)
- 2. David (9%, 149 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,014
Voting is now open for the Grand Finale Round!
Today I am grateful to our fabulous sponsors who support our community awesomely and who love dogs as much as we do!
P.S. Currently, we are running a free dog training video series called The Connected Dog, and if you’ve not already joined in, the doors are open wide and everyone is welcome.
Very hard to only pick 2, all of them are great
I chose Sigrid, because I am currently in recolours myself with my little Papillion puppy Breeze. I suffer from a few different auto immune diseases. Life has gotten far more difficult for me. Things started out great at first and then as he got a little older, he became hyper sensitive to noise and everything around him. He was born during the pandemic. I believe this overstimulation is deemed reactive. He’s very fearful of other people, especially men and other dogs, he will bark ferociously and lunge forward, pulling to the end of the leash at anything that scares him. The only dogs he gets along with, and he’s not scared of are my neighbours dogs that he was introduced to as a little new puppy. I was so fearful that I was behind everyone else in my class even the small things have been chore. Plus, there are so many of the games that require a friend and due to my autoimmune issues. I have to be in complete isolation. Even now that they are saying the pandemic is under control. This is still the case for me so I have no one to help me work with him. This is why when the time came to submit video footage it just felt like more pressure to me so I opted not to submit my video not to mention I have no one to help me film as I’m training, and I’m not sure how to put together a quality video for Susan. but when looking back, I see that my little guy has definitely made a lot of strides, despite my not being able to work with him as much as I had hoped, I’ve made his training a way of life though and make sure not to break any of the rules so I don’t confuse him. I see the progress but I don’t think others will even my friends say they think he’s got ADHD. I’m not sure that they see the changes but I definitely do being that I’m with him Day in and Day out 24 seven. One thing I can say having always had a dog in my life since a baby and now I am 54 years Old, Breeze has been the most challenging dog I’ve ever owned. I thought I had my training down pat as my Australian Shepherd, corona taught me so much, as well as all the other dogs I’ve had throughout my life I’ve attended many different, trainings schools for dogs over those years. But….Susan Garrit showed up on my feed and I started with the connected dog series to see how I felt about her training methods. I was so impressed!!! I never liked the idea of collar corrections or being mean in anyway, so this form of training really makes sense to me even though I for many years now have done positive reinforcement training. This method of seasons is a step above., and when I saw the joy. Her dogs show when she works with them , now I see that same joy in the eyes of my little Breeze when he looks up at me like I’m the only thing in his world. So Eager to see what I have to show him next. I don’t know what I’d do without him now I love him, sooo much, but I have to say after a while I was questioning bringing him into the family , I was so embarrassed and felt I had to say sorry to everyone we came across i’d often end a walk in tears! After watching Susan’s podcast on this topic she helped Ease my fears and I learned not to worry about what others think and just focus on my little Breeze. Now I see potential and I don’t worry about it. Now rather than His behaviour getting worse it is getting better. . He is definitely improving, although we still have a ways to go. I really feel he’d be more advanced if I were able to spend more time working with him. I’m so grateful to Susan for her methods, her sense of humor and her love of everything dogs ! Thank You Susan for the connected dog series, and your recallers program!
Thank you, Leah, for sharing your story. Reading your comment, I felt like I could have written this. I wish I could have helped you film, edit, and submit your video for everyone to hear your powerful story. Making this video, I had to remind myself that progress is not linear. And that it’s the journey with our dogs that matters, not the goal. I am grateful that my journey resonated with you. You keep on fighting! I know Breeze loves you and is grateful every day to have you as his companion <3 next year send me the pictures and your story, and I will edit your video so no one misses out on what you have to share :)))!! <3 Sending love from Norway – Sigrid
Hi Sigrid,
I have only just come across the Recallers awards thing on Susan’s blog because I’m not in the Recallers program, I’m in home school the dog so I didn’t know about it.
I wish I had so i could have voted for you as well for much the same reason Leah did; your story, and your struggle, resonated with me. I have a lab x kelpie puppy named Charlie and 5 chronic illnesses, 3 of them severely affecting my mobility, pain and fatigue levels. I’ve had these issues for 13 years, one baby and two puppies, but I seem to forget every time how much work a puppy is, AND more importantly, that while my husband is content to let the dog do whatever it wants, I want a well behaved dog who knows what is expected of them and does as they are asked on the first request so I’m always the only one doing any of the work.
The thing I also forget each time around though is how much I enjoy training a dog and that it does, if you’re training in the right way obviously, build a connection with them that is so rewarding. I’ve gone about my training the same way every time but I just chanced upon Susan’s home school the dog program this time and due to my limitations it was perfect and I decided to try a new process. My dogs have always been good natured, happy, healthy animals who did as I asked and understood what was expected but our last dog Lola was a lab x rotty who didn’t need all that much exercise other than a daily walk at our parklands and a run after the ball and other than that she was happy to just hang out where her people were and though I spent a good few months training her as a puppy, a lot of stuff she just picked up, like me saying back up when she was too close to the table and she just would and would lie down and that was that. Our puppy Charlie however, is part kelpie so he is, firstly clever, and tenacious and he REQUIRES at least 2 hours of exercise a day (I think you also had a very clever working dog, a boarder collie if i remember correctly, so I know you get it) and so he needs constant mental and physical stimulation or he’s tearing the house apart and trying to herd my blind cat from one room to another.
The bit of your video where you talked about the days you struggle and your lowest points really hit me in the heart and made me want to reach through the screen and give you a hug because I know that pain and have struggled with this from a physical and emotional perspective, because some days no matter how bad you want to and how much you know they need it, you just don’t have it in you. As some people might say, you’re all out of spoons.
I’m lucky enough that on those days I can at least tell my husband or son to take Charlie to the park but I know not everyone is that lucky and i still feel like he misses out on something when we don’t get any of our training games in that day. But you can only do the best you can do and I am really glad that I came across this page in Susan’s blog and of alllll the posts for different years of the comp and all the semi and quarter and grand final post options within them, it was this single one I clicked on and found yours because sometimes you need reminders that it’s more difficult than it should be but that you aren’t alone and all across the world (I’m in Australia) you can connect with and inspire others in the same or similar situations to yours.
They all were so good, so hard to choose.
Hard to only vote for 2… they all were great! Clearly, all of them are wonderful
winners. Congrats!!! Thanks for sharing and inspiring us to be better humans and trainers.
I love this videos too.
All wonderful journeys and all showing there are solutions for dogs who are not responding to training by connecting to their dog to change not only their dog’s life but their own as well. Today’s was a hard group to only choose two from. Gives me hope for my 13 month old, who I often feel like I am failing
What amazing stories and so well told thru videos!! Good Luck to all of you!
Listening to everyone’s stories is so helpful for my own journey. From grateful to funny and sometimes even sad, every video reminds me of all the moments I’ve felt the same way, but best of all it’s clear these people love and respect their dogs. I don’t know how you’re ever going to choose the winners. They’re all amazing!
Zina, shut up and take my money🤣🤣🤣
That’s how it often starts, a decision with out heart, leaving our head wondering ‘what have we done!’ I joined recallers determined to find a way to ‘fix’ Maverick and knew the answers were out therefore me.
Hahahahah yeah an impulse buy to keep my 15 year old border collie feeling young! What a silly mistake 😂 he just feels older now
She’s worth it now though, we are both seeing value in our connectedness. I love Recallers!!
Today was a difficult choice, they were all so good and inspiring 😊💕
All the videos really pull at your heartstrings. They show a growing understanding of what can be in Do Land.
All so inspiring!!
That was really a hard choice!
I get so emotional when I watch all these wonderful videos😢