The heart behind ViridianK9s — the dog who taught me that training is never black and white.

This is Xel — my 3-year-old Dutch Shepherd and the reason I fell so deeply into the world beyond dog training.

I found her at 9 weeks old on a sketchy online site with no family history. When I arrived to see her, it was clear she’d already had a rough start — she’d had bad experiences with the dogs in the home, and I was simply told to take her. I couldn’t say no.

From day one, things weren’t easy. Xel showed some concerning behaviours and would scream at any dog we saw. We went through a really rough period of reactivity where she couldn’t handle dogs running up to her — or even the sight of another dog. It took a tremendous amount of time, patience, and work to rebuild her confidence after she was attacked, which even left her with a small kink in her ear. Although that incident was a major turning point, her struggles had actually begun before then. She’d been walked with another dog that would redirect and react, and unfortunately, Xel picked up on that behaviour. When the attack happened, it became the tipping point, the cherry on top of what had already been building. She is sensitive to her environment, a very typical trait for herders.

Over the years, we’ve dabbled in bite work, scentwork, task training, trick training, dock diving, flyball and GRC — each new challenge strengthening our bond and deepening my understanding of what fulfilment truly means for a dog. Xel especially excels in obedience and scentwork, two areas where her focus and drive truly shine.

Some sports came more naturally to her than others. Xel has the drive for almost any activity, but when it comes to her mental state, she’s better off not pursuing certain ones due to her past experiences. Through taster days and club sessions, I began to see what she truly enjoyed versus what she didn’t. It also taught me that just because a sport, taster day, or club event is being held doesn’t necessarily mean it’s being done right. Too often, you turn up and methods are used on your dog that you don’t agree with — or you get pulled into the mindset of “this is how we do things,” and if you don’t follow along, you’re frowned upon.

That experience led us to take a step back from the sports & dog training community scene to refocus on ourselves, on our communication, our bond, and our own community we were building. It wasn’t just my perspective that was being challenged; it was also how Xel felt and the connection we share.

She can be the sweetest, dopiest, most cuddly girl, and when it’s time to work, she can really turn it on. That balance of softness and intensity is exactly what makes her so special to me.

Today, she’s still the same goofy, intense, and loyal girl, always eager to please. Xel is the heart behind ViridianK9s and the reason I believe every dog deserves to be understood and trained ethically.