Consultations Not Optional (Or Free)

While this is a big pet peeve of mine, I actually don't have many people ask if consults are optional or if they are free; and I consider myself lucky in that regard. Actually, it's probably the potential clients who are lucky. If presented with those questions, I try not to laugh and then (if we are all lucky) diplomatically explain that I cannot help without getting a thorough history and assessing the dog in person.

I can't stand it when I see that other trainers offer free consults. For one, it's devaluing their time and expertise, which is not the way to run a successful business. This makes me sad for them. Second, it's devaluing the time and expertise of all other trainers. If it seems acceptable for one trainer to not charge for consults, people expect all trainers to do the same. That devalues my job, which is not nice and not cool. 

Aside from people not taking seriously things they do not pay for (an unfortunate truth) the consult is usually the most important hour (or two) that I spend with a client. While it may seem like I am just asking a bunch of questions, typing on my iPad and occasionally petting or tossing a treat to your dog, I'm doing a lot more. With any dog I will be working with, I need to establish a baseline of what their "normal" is before I can start any training or behavior modification program. Everything I do and say during a consult is for a reason- except when I mispronounce your cat's name- that's just me being absent-minded!

The first step in discerning this is when I meet you and your dog at the door. With the exception of aggression towards strangers in which there is a different protocol, I will allow your dog to jump a few times to greet if that's what they typically do. I allow this to see first how your dog jumps (if they greet with exuberance, if they have any awareness of their own size, if they nip, if they bring me a toy, if they jump gently and barely touch me, etc). The other reason is that I want to see how you react to this behavior. I'm not trying to encourage it, and again, with aggression it's different and there's usually at least a leash and a gate involved. I want to learn a few things:

Do you yell at your dog?

Do you laugh? 

Do you apologize? 

Do you grab her by the collar and push her down to the floor? 

Do you ask her to "off" or "sit" about 30 times in a 1 minute time period? 

Whatever your response is, it's your dog's normal and I want to see it. I also want to see how your dog responds to your response to their behavior. This tells me a bit about your relationship with your dog. Sometimes, the relationship between dog and owner is one of the problems we need to fix, and I need to know that- so do you!

Next, we sit down and go through your dog's history. Knowing a dog's past can help us determine why certain behaviors have started or persisted and what has or has not worked in the past. Knowing a dog's daily routine gives me insight into the amount of time you spend with your dog and the amount of time you will likely have to put into training. I'm not going to be very helpful to you or your dog if I can't come up with a training plan that you can actually use and follow through with. I ask you what your training goals are and what behaviors are most bothersome to you. This tells me whether or not your training goals a realistic given your time and your dog. While I am typing up notes, I want to see how your dog responds to the sudden stop in treats from me- this lets me know how your dog deals with frustration. Lots of dogs are not good at dealing with frustration well and are lacking self control. Handing out free treats for a minute and abruptly stopping is an easy way to test this in most dogs. 

Just a quick note on what I am NOT doing in a consult- I'm never going to judge you during a consult or any other time. I may ask probing questions, but it's not so I can go talk to all my trainer friends about how inept you are, I promise. I ask tons of questions about time in the crate and daily walks so I can understand what you have to offer and to make sure we really can meet your goals. If it's just not feasible to meet your goals, I will tell you. I will also offer good alternative goals that are attainable. Plenty of times there are goals that seem out of reach but they just take a little longer to attain and I'll tell you that, too! 

Last, we will work on one or two easy commands. I will teach your dog first, then you practice with me watching you so I can make sure you do it right and to make sure your dog is responsive to you. 

That's it, that's what happens during a typical consult. More complex behavioral problems may have a slightly different protocol, but it follows the same pattern. After I leave your house, I go home and type up notes, do research, and develop your training plan. For every 1-2 hour consult with a client, I am spending an additional 2+ hours at home making sure we have a solid training plan that will work. If we need to tweak it down the road we can, but we need to start somewhere. 

Without knowing your dog's normal, I can't help you. Without taking the time and finding out a thorough history and setting clear training goals, we can't resolve problems. With something so important, why would I not charge for my time and more importantly, why would you not want me to? Just as you won't take seriously a service that is free, why would I take seriously work that is costing me time and gaining me little in return? Not to sound like a money-grubbing jerk, but this is my job. The money I make training dogs is income for my family, so it is very important to me. I'm very fortunate that I get to make money doing something I love, but I still take it seriously and so should you. 

Fetch It, Fetch It Good.

Munson absolutely LOVES sticks! Guess what his go-to fetch toy is..

We went to the beach over the weekend and in addition to swimming, sandcastles and surburn, we got to see lots of dogs on the beach. They were playing with their owners, swimming, digging and playing fetch. Did you know that some people never play fetch with their dogs?! I guess some people just don't like throwing things for their dog to bring back, but others just don't think their dog can do it. The more you play fetch with your dog, the more she wants to play it with you- it's a wonderful cycle of reinforcement for you both!!
Dude. Dogs like to run. They like to grab things. They like to share things that they grab with their people. Fetch is a perfect game for you both! Fetch is a great combination of physical and mental exercise ("where did it go?!") so it's a fantastic way to tire your dog out. As I always say, a tired dog is a good dog.
"But my don't won't fetch, I've tried!"
Really-have you tried, or have you tossed a ball, saying 'fetch' to your pooch while she was dozing off or watching squirrels?
Quick reminder- you speak English and your dog speaks human body language, dog language and the cues you TEACH her. English is a language that is not a first language for many dogs. That's why we TEACH them our (spoken) language (they are pretty good with the unspoken one already).

Without further ado, I want to help you and your dog learn fetch. I have outlined two methods below, both of which I have used with success. The first one is for dogs who already have an interest in chasing things and need help honing that skill on the correct things so it can turn into an enjoyable game for you both. The second is for those dogs who watch balls and sticks fly by with little interest. Believe me, it is completely possible to teach any dog (with a heartbeat and legs) how to fetch.

Oh, one more thing: try to figure out what types of things your dog likes to fetch, because the world is full of fetch-able things (balls, frisbees, sticks, stuffed animals, floating toys for water fetching...the list goes on). Once you find out that magical thing your dog loves, fetch will be more fun for you both.

Fetch (Option #1)
Why: It's so much fun!  Fetch is one of the best games you can play with your dog, it helps them to burn off energy, gives them a task to do and reinforces them returning to you!

What: You toss a toy, your dog retrieves it and brings it back, repeated until your dog is thoroughly tired! 

-pocket/pouch full of treats
-hungry dog
-15-20 foot leash, attached to a collar or harness
-quiet, comfortable area with room to toss a ball
-ball or other toy that can be tossed by you and carried easily by your dog
-patience!

How:
    1.    Start with a toy you know your dog loves and your dog on leash next to or in front of you.
    2.    Be sure the dog is focused on the toy- wave it in front of his/her face, if it has a squeaker, make it squeak.  Once the dog is focused on the toy, toss it a few feet away from both of you.
    3.    If the dog goes and retrieves it, say “fetch” as they grab it and encourage them to return to you.
    4.    Once they return to you, trade the toy for a small, tasty treat by holding a treat in front of their nose- once they drop the toy say “drop it”, click and treat.
    5.    If your dog does not chase after the toy, you should chase after it, making it seem like such a fun game so that your dog wants to mimic you.  It may take a few tries, but your dog will get the hang of it and chase the toy while you stand still.
    6.    Repeat, gradually increase the distance you toss the toy.
    7.    As your dog is consistently trading the toy for a treat, with “drop it” begin to give treats randomly.

Tips:
-You have your dog on leash when first working this behavior in case they do not want to return to you, if they do not want to bring the toy back, give a gentle tug and encourage him/her to return to you.
-Even dogs who do not retrieve naturally can be taught to play fetch, it just takes patience and time from you!

More:
-As your dog improves and consistently returns the toy and drops it, you can remove the leash and increase the distance you throw it.
-Once you are ready to go outdoors with this activity, keep the dog on leash until he/she is consistently performing in the new distracting environment.


Fetch (Option #2)*
Why: It's so much fun!  Fetch is one of the best games you can play with your dog, it helps them to burn off energy, gives them a task to do and reinforces them returning to you!

What: You toss a toy, your dog retrieves it and brings it back, repeated until your dog is thoroughly tired! 

-pocket/pouch full of treats
-hungry dog
-15-20 foot leash, attached to a collar or harness
-quiet, comfortable area with room to toss a ball
-ball or other toy that can be tossed by you and carried easily by your dog
-patience!

    1.    Hold a toy (that your dog likes) up to your his/her mouth and encourage him/her to take it.
    2.    Once he/she takes in in their mouth, hold your hand with a treat enclosed in front of their nose. The smell of the treat should cause him/her to drop the toy. Once they do, say 'drop it',  give a treat and grab the toy.
    3.    Repeat steps 1-2 until your dog quickly drops the treat at the sight of your hand in front of their nose.
    4.    Next, toss the toy a couple of feet away from you (and your dog!) and encourage them to go get it!
    5.    Once they get it, encourage them to come back to you. It should be relatively easy since you are keeping everything so close right now.
    6.    As your dog gets better, toss the toy further and further away and encourage your dog to cone back. Since they know you have treats, they will be willing to return to you and trade the toy for a treat.
    7.    Once they get into the habit of running to get the toy and bringing it back to you and dropping it in exchange for a treat, begin to only reward with a treat every other or every 3-4 times. The ultimate goal is to have the game of fetch be the reward!


Tips:
-You have your dog on leash when first working this behavior in case they do not want to return to you, if they do not want to bring the toy back, give a gentle tug and encourage him/her to return to you.
-Even dogs who do not retrieve naturally can be taught to play fetch, it just takes patience and time from you!
-If your dog is reluctant to chase after the toy, set an example! Go after the toy yourself and encourage your dog to come along.

More:
-As your dog improves and consistently returns the toy and drops it, you can remove the leash and increase the distance you throw it.
-Once you are ready to go outdoors with this activity, keep the dog on leash until he/she is consistently performing in the new distracting environment.

*Disclaimer: Option Number Two is actually not a method I developed myself, I learned about it from Renowned Behaviorist Sue Sternberg. I believe it was a video I picked up at one of her workshops when I lived up in NY but either way, she deserves the credit for developing this method for dogs who aren't fetch-prone out of the gate. She does a lot more than come up with innovative ways to train tricks; she has developed training and assessment tools for shelter dogs and helps dogs and their humans all over the country.

Now get out there and teach your dog something new!! 

Dog Parks- The Good, The Bad, The Scary

I'm not gonna lie.
I'm kind of opinionated.
I tend to keep my opinions to myself most of the time unless someone asks me for my thoughts; at which time they immediately regret asking.

I spent the last two posts telling you about one of the things I feel strongly about- puppy classes. If you missed it, then luckily you can go here and here to catch up.
Dog parks are another of those things that I feel strongly about. I feel very strongly that dog parks can be a GREAT opportunity for you and your dog to socialize and exercise, or a terrifying and dangerous place for you both. Why the extremes? Because dog parks can be very unpredictable, that's why.
Lets put this in human terms with a few different scenarios.

The first scenario is a birthday party for a close friend which naturally, you will gladly attend. You will know most of the guests in attendance and can easily converse and interact with them. You know who you like best and who you only talk to for a few minutes at a time. A good time is had by all, even the one guest who drinks a little too much and gets a bit loud towards the end of the evening. You all understand that he/she doesn't know they become such a close talker after a couple drinks, and otherwise they are a respectful, easy going person. This scenario is easy enough, you just take turns getting that person home safely and they apologize profusely the next day, but overall there is no harm done to anyone.

The second scenario is a work holiday party which you are ok attending, but you know it's more of a required duty for you all than an opportunity to get together and have a good time outside of the office. You make the obligatory rounds to the boss(es) and cordially greet everyone else along the way, being careful to remain professional. At the end of the night you realize you did have some fun, got a little fun gossip, and free refreshments for the minor hassle. There were a few people who got especially obnoxious by the end of the night, so cabs were called and the night ended with minimal offense and structural damage to the building. You leave the party tired and glad that it only happens once a year.

The third scenario is a party that your sister/brother drags you to because they want to go but don't want to show up all by their lonesome. You are really only there because you are being nice to the one person you know and you don't know anyone else there. You're not even sure you want to know anyone else there. Your sibling abandons you to go flirt with the real reason they are at the party and you are left alone counting the minutes until you can leave. You may find a few individuals who seem as out of place as you, but in the end it's an akward and lonely evening for you and you can't wait to get back home. You make your sibling promise to never torture you in such a manner ever again.

The fourth (and final) scenario is the mall on Black Friday. You were again dragged here by a friend or loved one, but you spend the whole time questioning this relationship. There are people everywhere, running, yelling and pushing. They run into you and you're pretty sure you were just pick-pocketed. You try desperately to cling to the one person you know in this madness; after all they have the car keys. She/he keeps telling you to go find something in a store that looks like an epicenter for the craziness so they can go to another store to find something even more important. You start pushing back and yelling because you can't take it anymore and it's getting hard to think, let alone hear which blender your friend needs. You end up grabbing an old lady's walker and throwing is across the store and just running out. She had it coming and you're 95% convinced that she just had it for sympathy anyway. As you walk out and breathe fresh air you are grateful that you don't have to navigate this parking lot, but can't understand how anyone can look forward to this every year. Regret for tossing the old lady's walker and screaming obscenities at strangers sets in and you want to curl up and sleep the rest of the week. You have vowed to lock yourself in your house next year to avoid all human contact on this day...maybe every day.

In my experience, dog park trips tend to fall into one of the above 4 scenarios. Some dogs will thrive in all of these scenarios, just as some people can go into a party where they know not a soul (or only one) and have the best night of their life. Unfortunately, this is not most dogs.

-Sometimes your dog is that person who gets to excited and annoys everyone.
-Sometimes your dog is the one who is squirming to get away and is counting down the minutes until it is time to leave.
-Sometimes your dog is so uneasy that she feels the need to defend herself with all these creatures she doesn't understand.
-Sometimes a dog park is full of friends and good times. These are the times when the park is a wonderful opportunity for the dog and dog parent- exercise, play and overall good times will ensue.
-Sometimes a dog park has some friends, but there is an underlying tension that keeps everyone from relaxing completely (maybe one individual in attendance is pressuring everyone in some way).
-Sometimes there are friends/family, but that one individual everyone tries to avoid because they are a little difficult to deal with due to social ineptness or annoying habits.
-Sometimes there are no friends, but your pup is able to make due avoiding just about everyone in attendance.
-Sometimes a dog park is a busy, confusing place where everyone else seems to have their own agenda and honestly, it is scary.

That is the answer I give when people ask me about dog parks. It can be a great place, it can be a scary place. It can be a few things in between as well. If you can take your dog to the park at the same time with the same dogs, and they all like one another (or at least know how to properly navigate each other) it's a good time had by all. If you show up with your dog on a Saturday morning with 20 other dogs that neither of you knows, it may be a bit stressful.

In addition to my long-winded answer, I tell people that there are great alternatives to dog parks if they are not something ideal for them and their pup. A group obedience class is a wonderful opportunity for socialization and exercise with people and other dogs (even though it's all on leash, there can still be opportunities for safe on leash interaction). A well run, organized, supervised doggie daycare that does assessments and places dogs in supervised play groups can also be a wonderful, safe play opportunity for your dog. Getting together with your sister/brother/aunt/uncle/parent/friend/coworker who has a dog your dog gets along with and letting them play off leash or go for a hike is another great play opportunity. What's the best way to determine whether your dog is happy or not? Watch your dog play. Is she happy when she gets there, but still able to listen long enough to get her leash off? Is she playing with her friends but taking occasional breaks to sniff around on her own or slurp up some water? She's probably ok. If your dog wanders off and never plays with other dogs or always clings to you or *eek* blunders up to every dog in sight like a charging bull (not a polite greeting in the canine world), you may need to rethink what's going on and if the dog park is your best option.
I'll go into detail later on about canine body language, but in the meantime I'll refer you to one of my favorite books- Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide, by Brenda Aloff. This is absolutely one of my favorite books and I end up referring it to my clients whose dogs are sensitive, aggressive and fearful, but it can be helpful for any dog owner.

A personal note: My dog would do one of two things in a dog park: play well with most of the dogs, but kind of harass everyone as she gets would up OR run up and grab onto someone's neck and hold on, having some trouble letting go. Oh Crap. Terrifying. For Everyone. The day she did that was one of the most terrifying and embarrassing days in my life. I had no idea she was even capable of doing such a thing, she had always played well as far as I knew and is the most gentle dog with people, especially kids. We hadn't had Roxie very long when this happened and honestly I did not know much about canine body language. Looking back, there were clues along the way that she was uncomfortable and the dog park was way too exciting for her. She's not safe to take to a dog park, so we don't. She is only off leash in the house, and if you passed us on a walk, you would only see a dog wagging her tail and looking at her human momma as you pass us. I think she prefers human company to dogs anyway, and she's great with our son, so she's doing ok without the dog park.

What has been your best/worst experience in a dog park?
Is your dog the annoying close talker that all the other dogs just put up with?

My Absolute Most Favorite Cue in the World.

I'm a dog trainer, I love teaching dogs (and their people). I get excited when a dog holds a sit-stay as their owner walks a full circle around them, when a dog gets the 'drop' part of the fetch game and... well... just about every time a dog learns something new, especially when their owner is having fun and sees a purpose. Let's face it, most dog owners want a well behaved dog who listens the first time with every cue, not a dog who does cute party tricks (though those are super fun too).
I'm sure I'll say this about another cue at some point, but right now my favorite cue is by far the "Leave-It" cue. I love it. Seriously. The "leave-it" is great for pretty much EVERYTHING. Don't want your dog to eat your toddler's toys? Leave-it. Does your pup love picking up dried up carcasses of who knows what kind of dead animal during hikes? Leave-it. Is Fluffy always going after the cat? Leave-it. (and maybe a kitty door into the basement or a bedroom).
The leave-it starts out as leaving food alone, I've said it before and I'll say it again: most dogs are motivated by food, so that's what I use for initial training of a cue. It is faded out and your dog will not just work for food, as long as you listen to the food-fade instructions given by your reward-based dog trainer. Like I was saying, it starts with food, which is faded, but during the whole magical teaching and learning process, you can teach your dog to leave just about ANYTHING alone. And they seem to have a ton of fun doing it. And their owners see training with a purpose. And, it's a pretty swell as a party trick. It is everything I love about dog training.
The leave-it teaches bite inhibition to an extent and it teaches self control. Who out there doesn't want a dog with self control?!

*Disclaimer: leave-it is not the same as drop-it. Leave-it is for preventing them from picking up something icky or dangerous and drop-it is for letting go of something icky or dangerous. They are two different behaviors taught in different ways. Got it? Good.

Ok, the good stuff comes next. Here are the instructions for how I teach leave-it. Everyone does it a little differently, but as long as you get the same end result without any force or pain on the dog, it's cool with me.
  

“Leave It” cue

Why: The Leave-it cue is very beneficial for both dog and owner. A dog who can leave something alone on cue is less likely to pick up something potentially toxic to him or her (many household items can be harmful to dogs, remember?). A dog who will leave something alone on cue is also less likely to chew up your shoe or your child's favorite toy!

What: Leave-it is having your dog leave something (treat, toy, squirrel, cat, another dog) alone and ignore it. For example, if my dog is in the kitchen while I am making dinner and I drop a piece of food I ask her to leave-it, since not all people food is good for dogs. On walks, if she sees a squirrel, I ask her to leave-it and allow her to smell the ground for as long as she wants after the squirrel is gone. This is rewarding for her-in exchange for not following squirrel up a tree, she gets to smell wonderful things!

-pocket/pouch full of treats

-hungry dog

-leash, attached to a collar or harness

-quiet, comfortable area

-patience!

How:

1. Start with a treat in your right hand. Place the treat in your palm and close your hand around it. Have your clicker in your left hand.
2. Let the dog smell and see the treat and lick your hand but not take it from you.
3. As soon as your dog stops licking/smelling and looks away from your hand, say “leave-it”, click and treat from your LEFT hand!
4. Repeat!
5. Your dog will get to a point where they look away almost immediately from your right hand and look for the left hand. At this point, switch hands on your dog.
6. Place a treat in your left palm, with your hand closed around. it. Have your clicker and reward treats in your right hand.
7. Let your dog see, smell, dig, lick and chew for the treat, but do not let him/her have it. This side will probably go a little faster, your dog is getting a handle on the game.
8. As soon as your dog stops trying to get the treat out of your LEFT hand, say “leave-it”, click and reward from the RIGHT hand.
9. Repeat!

Tips:

-It is vital that you give the reward from the hand that did not have the treat in the beginning, you want your dog to leave-it, not come back to it later!

-With leave-it, your dog is learning that there are some things they can't have and some things they can, but they have to wait for permission to take them.

More:

-As your dog progresses, place a treat on the floor in front of them and ask them to leave it, then reward with another treat.

-You can eventually place a treat on your dog's paw and work on leave it there!

-On walks, toss treats out in your dog's path, asking them to leave-it as you pass them. After passing by and not pulling to get the treats, walk to the treats and say "find it!" as you point out the treats. This makes walking with you lots of fun since you sometimes point out tasty things!

-Once your dog is really good, try the old treat-on-the-nose trick, by placing a treat on his/her nose and asking them to 'leave-it' until you say “ok!”

As you can see, the method I use to teach this cue helps with bite inhibition (chewing and biting to get what he wants won't work), and self control (I want that treat but I can't have it, at least not right now.)

The sky really is the limit with this one, what's your favorite cue?

How I Ended Up a Dog Trainer

My name is Amanda, and I am a professional dog trainer. I own my own training business and do private lessons, group classes and behavior modification. I decided to do a blog because, honestly, I think my husband and all of our friends have tired of my dog-related rants. Seriously, it doesn't take much sometimes to get me going on a lecture about behavior or ethology or canine development or canine domestication (don't you worry, curious reader, I'll explain it all in due time). 
I figured I would start with how I ended up a dog trainer and a small business owner. Only one of those has always been a dream of mine. 

Like most little girls who grow up on a farm surrounded by chickens, dogs, horses, pigs, and cats; I had decided by the age of 4 that I wanted to be a veterinarian. I spent countless hours caring for my stuffed animals, doing exams, giving vaccines (empty syringes without needles of course) and applying bandages to wounds only I could see. Fast forward to sometime in high school when I finally got a job working for a local veterinarian, I was so excited that I didn't care that my first week of work consisted of cleaning cages and wiping down tables. I worked for Dr. McAllister for about 4 years, through the rest of high school and then during winter and summer breaks from college. Four years of classes including animal science, diseases, anatomy and physiology, livestock management, nutrition, animal husbandry, genetics plus all those core classes like physics and organic chemistry and I had made it to graduation. I had worked diligently for 4 years taking all the required classes plus any extras I could squeeze in, all while balancing extra-curricular activities, clubs and two jobs. See, for vet school they won't even look at your application unless you are heavily involved in activities outside of class and getting great grades the whole time. There I was, senior year and I was applying for vet school- I can't begin to describe the stress of that time- all I will say is that it is a wonder I am still friends with anyone I encountered that year. Here's a fun fact: when I was applying there were about 22 vet schools in the entire US and my B+ average was only good enough for about 5 of them. I did it anyway, I knew my grades weren't good enough. Did you know there are vet schools in the Caribbean? Dude, THAT was my backup plan. One of these days I'll go into more detail about it all and why undergrad and the application process alone is why I respect veterinarians, but until then I'll quote a friend "Do whatever you have to so you get in, straight A's and president of every club on campus, no sleeping- once you get in you can have a C average and coast." So I applied to the schools I had the best shot at getting into, and I got wait-listed. You know what that means? It means that I was almost good enough for this school, and if that school isn't quite good enough for another student that they accepted, I may be next in line for their spot. Oh, when you get wait-listed and then accepted they can accept you as late as a week into classes. But it's living the dream, man. That's what I was going for.

Then, the unthinkable happened. 

I got accepted...

Holy Shit. Me. Accepted to vet school in sunny California.  

You know what I did?

I told them "no, thanks"

Funny story- I was on lunch break at work (a vet clinic of course) and I had to let them know right there on the spot or at the latest by the end of the day. I had to decide if I was going to find a $500 deposit to hold my spot and move across the country for the first day of classes next week.. meanwhile I was eating leftover pizza from the staff meeting 4 days ago for my lunch. Oh, and I was working a late shift so there was no way I'd get back to them by the end of the day even with the time difference. 

So I said "No, give my spot to someone else." 

See, I had already kind of decided this months ago after not getting accepted during the first round of acceptance letters. I didn't want to be in debt until I was 80 years old. I didn't want to spend 4 more years of my life in school only to have people not think I was an actual doctor. One of the vets at the clinic where I was working at the time said goodnight to her kids over the phone 4 nights a week.. jeez. Now that I was actually thinking about someday having a family, it was a little depressing to see. 
Meanwhile, my boyfriend (now husband) was in the Navy and was getting assigned to a submarine in Hawaii. I liked the idea of fleeting off to an island for a few years with my sailor.. maybe finding a different career option that would still allow me to work with animals. 
That's the one thing I knew- I had to work with animals. 

I've always believed that everything happens for a reason. Maybe it's the optimist in me, but I really feel like I ended up in Hawaii right when I was supposed to. A few weeks after we moved, a sweet pit bull was brought into the clinic where I was working. She was malnourished and had a pretty bad case of mastitis. One of the other techs found her a foster home and within a month we ended up adopting her. Roxie, and a lingering interest in behavior from a few courses in college was what got me into dog behavior and training. The story of Roxie will have to wait until another day, but I will sum up with stating that her behavior was what got me where I am today. She was my first dog-dog aggression case. 

I completed a dog training program with Animal Behavior College, including an 8 month externship with a fantastic trainer (whom I still talk to when I'm stumped) and graduated with honors. I joined the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and opened my own business in upstate New York (my husband's new duty station for a few years). I took continuing education classes, went to conferences and seminars, and gained the experience and knowledge necessary to sit for the CPDT-KA test (more on that later too). Then, we moved back to our hometown in Maryland and I got to start my business up all over again. In my downtime, I thought I would start this blog to help educate people and try to explain some of the misinformation out there.

Oh, and I always wanted to own my own business, I just thought it would be a vet clinic... turns out being a trainer has much lower overhead cost and I get to make my own hours. That rocks hard.