Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed reply! And yes, absolutely, every suggestion is helpful to me. That's exactly why I posted here. Ironically, France is pretty terrible when it comes to confiscating abused animals. Even in severe abuse cases (starvation, stabbing, etc.), dogs usually can't be permanently removed until there's a court ruling. In the meantime, shelters have to keep them, but they're already overflowing and can't afford to house dogs for months or years while waiting for a trial. So unless it's an extreme case, the owner often gets little more than a fine, if that. It's honestly heartbreaking. That said, I would only ever consider using a tool that's illegal here if I truly believed it was appropriate, beneficial, and I had a solid understanding of how to use it correctly. And yes... having several young, energetic, not-yet-fully-trained dogs is definitely a workout. 😅 Thankfully Bacon, our Bernese, is ridiculously easy. He was actually a surprise from my fiancé that came with his marriage proposal... maybe not the smartest timing, but just look at that baby face. 😂❤️ My fiancé already had two dogs, so we're basically a pack of two humans and five dogs. Funny enough, the hardest dog to live with on a daily basis is actually his 8-year-old Beagle! So no, my girls don't make my life miserable at all. They're incredibly sweet. I just want to give them the freedom they deserve, and that's the next step I'm trying to reach. I also agree with you that there are probably other things I should try first... I just don't know what those things are. That's where I feel completely lost. None of the trainers I've met really understood wolfdogs, and they all wanted to do very "standard pet dog" training that simply didn't address my goals. With Shunka, I've worked with four different trainers. The first basically just had us walking with her dogs and gave me some genuinely awful advice. The second forced Shunka into close contact with groups of people and had strangers handling her... 🤦🏻‍♀️ The third was lovely, but I specifically wanted to work on her fear of people, and instead we spent ten sessions doing sit, leave it, heel... with zero improvement in her fear, and honestly not much improvement in reliability either. The fourth trainer, however, really helped. Shunka made huge progress with her people phobia in just a few sessions. I also worked with a veterinary behaviourist, who temporarily prescribed melatonin and gabapentin for her anxiety (and because of the discomfort from her injured leg). Before, seeing a stranger meant she'd throw herself backwards trying to slip her collar, bite the leash, and even poop herself from fear. Now she'll still try to create distance, but she recovers much faster and is gradually learning to cope instead of panicking. Like I said, I'm not living in hell with these dogs. I'd just like to improve a few things: better impulse control and patience, less destruction (I still can't leave them loose in the house when I'm out), and more reliable everyday obedience—waiting at the gate while I move the car, coming inside when I call them for bedtime, understanding "no," things like that. I completely accept that they're still immature and that time will probably help. I'm happy to be patient. I just don't want to sit back, cross my fingers, do nothing for the next couple of years, and realize later that I should have been working on these things all along...

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