Throughout my life I have owed and been around many dogs. With each dog and dog interaction I have learned. One of the many reasons I love being a trainer is because there is always more to study. Prior to taking my Instructor Course I had developed knowledge and skills training animals. During my course I learned principals and foundation and continued to build my handling skills. I was very fortunate to train under someone who was highly skilled and knowledgeable and I continue to work with her so that I can offer my clients and their pets a high level of skill.
I have worked with other experienced trainers, attended seminars, read books, watch DVDs and other people who work or are interested in dogs. I appreciate that I have had various resources in which to gain knowledge and build my skills.
Some of my best teachers have been the dogs I have owed and worked with. Living with multiple dogs has taught me about the pack mentality, how they respond to each other and how they learn. I have seen dogs, correct, dominate, play, distract, and interact with each other on a daily basis. Dogs have been my best teachers, and once I learned the principles and foundation I was able to understand what I was seeing. Dogs are visual learners and communicate using their bodies. The way they hold their tail, head, ears all have meaning. Reading a dog can be challenging as humans don’t know their language it is something we learn. Some dogs can be very expressive just as some give very minimal changes. The flicker of an ear or tail movement, the absence of movement or expression all have meaning. There are dogs that will give warning prior to aggression and some that don’t. Each dog is different, although there are similarities in signals that they give. Learning from the dogs I live and work with brings me great joy as I am often amused by their antics and how they interact. I love the challenges and rewards of working with dogs they are remarkable creatures!
