Playing with my dogs is what makes my heart beat. I work as a High School Professional School Counselor during the day and LOVE what I do, but when the bell rings, it’s my dogs that I rush home to see. I believe much of the positive behavior modification that I do in school transfers to dog training. Dogs just want to please us and the more fun we make “bonding time” the more they will crave it.
I started my journey around 2010 with my first dog, a border collie, named Dakota. We started out in agility, but that quickly snowballed into flyball, therapy dog, freestyle, disc dog and rally. Every time I played with him he reminded me of how life is short and just HAVE FUN with your dog. For 12 yrs he made me smile and as goofy as he was, he made the most reliable partner I could have had.
My second Border Collie, Nikko, got me involved in the Trick dog training. Nikko’s high drive has served him very well in Flyball, but hindered him in the agility ring. If zero to three hundred in sixty seconds rings a bell…that’s this wild boy. Trick training & Staying Connected work has given us the bonding opportunity for the two of us to tune in to each other, become a better team in competitions and just plain increasing the fun at home. He is eager to learn more when he knows there are treats coming. He has done so well, that he his earned the Expert Trick Dog title. He is THAT dog that some handlers are blessed with who is so challenging they makes you cry, but teaches us how to be a better handler.
Pups in Training include Miss Bliss, my little Sassy Pants, she is a firecracker. Bliss has a blast in all training she does and hits things with a BAM! She will be competing in Disc and Flyball, dabbling slowly in the agility ring. She’s the typical bull in the china shop pup and you can always see the wheels turning, so I’m very excited to see what lessons she teaches me. Then there is my Golden Barbie Boy, Crush. He is my sweet gem, naughty operant learner, that LOVES to learn and constantly work, I am VERY excited to see the journey we continue to take. I still consider him a puppy, as he has so much potential. Lastly, I have a sporty mix in my crew, Gatsby, who has to be the snuggliest pup ever. He LOVES to work and the border collie/jack/staffie come out at all the right OR wrong times. Oh the places we’ll go!. Not to be out done by the terrier intruder, Groovy, my little Merle BC has the world ahead of her and already showing incredible promise at 4 months old. Yes i’m a Border Collie addict, i’m in treatment, but it’s not working so far. 😛
I’m a firm believer in positive reinforcement training and use the clicker in most of my foundations classes but I don’t find it’s mandatory. In my classes I focus on bonding with your dog. It’s important to have an understanding what their motivations are and how to read them to best cue information. An extra trivia fact is I am a Certified Trick Dog Instructor with Do More With Your Dog!®; please join me in making learning fun for your pups and you. I’ve been teaching Beginners over 3 years in areas of body awareness and agility foundations.
Branchwater 