My professional dog training journey started about 6 years ago with my puppy, Sitka. He was my first dog on my own and I was determined to have a well mannered dog in my home. I had grown up with a husky and those years were lovely, but my family did not teach her anything and she ran off frequently. One day she did not return home. I grew up in the country and dogs running off is fairly common unfortunately. Our neighbors were, quite literally, cornfields away and we had lots of dogs show up. Some would stay and some would go. Our neighbors would communicate often and ask if this was their dog and if not, they stayed at our home for awhile. A different way of living than in the city, which is where I am now. I was determined that with my first dog, I would learn how to have a good dog. Not that any of the one’s I had in the past were bad. They were all incredible and hold a special place in my heart.
They taught me unconditional love, leadership and bravery. I lived in the country and walking into the yard at night was made possible by having a dog at my side. Training to me is teaching dogs how we can communicate more clearly with them. I remember grabbing a bag of treats when I was ten years old and asking our two husky/lab mixes to sit. When my sister and I finally had them sitting on command – it felt incredible to see our dogs light up when asking for a command and us giving them a treat for being such good boys. To be more nerdy, I asked an animal to perform an action and they understood what I said. Not only understood, they were excited about it! Isn’t that why we love our dogs so much. The excitement for life and finding new things or the constant, forgiving, and all around attention we receive from our wonderful companions. Well, this is possible for any human – dog duo. My journey truly began when I realized how much I love dogs and that can be the same for you. We can clean up your communication skills from what I have learned over the years and I can help you see what excites your dog through training. Not only exciting them, but calming them too because that trick has been very helpful when I take my dogs out to coffee shops or outdoor bars. Remember, we are all dog trainers as soon as we ask our dogs to sit, give their paw, wait and so on. My goal as a trainer is to reform your communication skills to help your symbiotic relationship flourish. A fancy way of saying, you and your dog are two different species existing day to day together and now we are learning more skills on how to make this work. Amazing really.
This brings me to training today. Dogs have given me so much in my life and I know they help give life to others as well. I have had the crazy dogs, the calm ones and the nervous ones in my house growing up. After I started training my own dogs, I realized how much greater my relationship can be through this line of work. The key is communication. Training is learning the language with our dogs and helping our dogs learn our language as well. The training days never stop and it is about the relationship we have with our companions that matters.
