I hear tell that the site owners want me as one of their experts in this area. I dunno about expert, but I've trained my own dogs and also have run obedience classes and private lessons for nearly 25 years. I also do rescue, so have rehabbed dogs before placing them in their forever homes for decades.
I started out in the late 70's because my first standard poodle was a pistol. Barb had me wrapped around her little paw! I took a class in the Panama Canal Zone, as it was known then, with a delightful, dedicated woman named Kathleen Gilley.
Matter of fact, I took that class three times because that durn dog was so stupid. . . .
Finally, Kathleen took pity on Barb and politely requested to take the leash for a moment. With one single verbal correction, she and Barb ran through the entire CD routine without a hitch, only shortening the Sit and Down. Then she returned Barb to me with a thoughtful look and said, "Well, I think she's got it now."
I was mortified. My poor dog. I resolved on the spot that I would never again make an excuse for my dog not behaving properly. I had had more excuses than you can imagine, but with one three minute runthrough, my mentor showed me that Barb had learned much more than I thought she had! She learned to Sit, Down, Stay, Heel, Come -- and to manipulate me into doing whatever she wanted.
Over the next year, I competed with Barb in obedience (FCI rules) and brought along an Irish Setter behind her. The IS was a nice dog but something about those SPs had sucked me in. I wasn't happy till I had another. In the meantime, I helped out with classes and eventually taught some of my own. I also learned to groom dogs, not just poodles but many breeds, from Debbie Cook, who has a talent I hope one day to match . . .
When we returned to the States, I competed for a while, but I had begun to look in another direction. I saw average housedogs everywhere being given up because they hadn't mastered the simplest of manners! It really bothered me, while dog shows were getting to be less than enthralling. So I offered a class in our new location and found I really liked getting people to enjoy their dogs instead of surrendering them to the pound or giving them away.
I continued to groom too. Often, I was called in to deal with "difficult" dogs the other groomers didn't want to handle. I learned that my experience in obedience and my childhood of just watching animals came in handy here. Taking it slow and easy, while still establishing a leadership role, worked well. Sometimes, my grooming clients asked me if I would come to their homes to help with related issues -- and my private practice was begun.
When I returned to Santa Fe and began teaching here too, I helped with hearing dog and service dog puppy walkers, basic training and family dog manners too. Gradually and rather to my surprise, I gained a reputation for someone who could rehabilitate difficult dogs and got referrals from vets, groomers, and even other trainers! I didn't see them as difficult, but rather the vast majority were frightened half out of their wits. Once I got the owners to see what the dogs were seeing, half the battle was over.
I wasn't hooked into the larger world of dog training and had no clue that such things as seminars for trainers existed, but I sure knew how to read a book! I accumulated quite a collection of books by noted authors of the times, such as Carol Lea Benjamin, Daniel Pinkwater, Blanche Saunders, a book Melissa Bartlett, a friend of mine, had illustrated -- even Koehler and others like him.
I didn't like Koehler. The things he recommended bothered me. Kathleen had trained me in a method she called "No Pain, No Fear" and I liked teaching people this relatively gentle method. We didn't use food, but preferred to show the dogs what was wanted and reinforce them with praise and pets when they did what we liked. We did use light corrections in the later stages, when we felt the dogs "knew" the exercise but were "ignoring" us . . . but we learned other methods as we became more expert.
In the early 90's I took a break from training to concentrate on getting a degree. only went as far as an Associate degree in Science, but it was enough to introduce me to the computer and more importantly, to the Internet. It was early days there, but I found like-minded dog folk and discovered new methods were being put out there!
By the mid 90's, I had met Dani Weinberg of Corrales NM. She was using this odd new gadget called a clicker -- and food! I was extremely suspicious, but she persevered. I spent almost 18 months experimenting with my own dogs; I couldn't believe operant conditioning would work so well. Yet it did. Soon, I introduced it to my classes and then to my private clients. Instead of 8 weekly classes, I was graduating students with even more knowledge and skill in four weeks of twice a week classes, then three weeks of 90 minutes. They got the same contact hours, but learning so close together worked miracles for dog and human!
Now, I mostly do private sessions. Instead of selling packages, I come in to evaluate the situation, discuss history, current issues and goals, then introduce the method by which I teach. The client gets glassy-eyed after about 2 hours, I've discovered, but is generally eager to book more lessons. I very seldom see clients more than 3-5 times. I've practically put myself out of business! LOL They learn the process, then learn to trouble shoot, then I become their coach -- and then they are happy with a dog who obeys enthusiastically, who is the partner they always wanted.
With puppies, I may return when their adorable baby becomes a rowdy teen. We go through the evaluation again, a short one, figure out what is needed, then problemsolve. It may take as many as three sessions to resolve, but with the groundwork already done, teenage dogs too can learn to behave! LOL
I strongly believe in continuing education. First, I became a Certified Master Groomer with IPG, something I was very proud of. I even competed a few times! As I learned that there were such things as seminars for dog trainers, I attended when I could (seems many training opportunities exist -- if you live near one of the coasts or in a major city), learning about medical issues that affect dogs, the psychology of the canid, news in training -- all kinds of stuff.
I have looked into various trainer's organizations and highly respect two of them: NADOI and APDT. APDT seemed to suit me better so I studied to become a Certified Pet Dog Trainer, attaining it in 2003. I still read books, go to conferences occasionally (I'd love to go to them all, but I live in a remote area and don't make the millions of dollars required to travel to and attend!), and correspond with trainers almost daily.
We also have a small local email group called NMClick. It's made up of clicker trainers and a few pet owners who live in New Mexico. Using the group, our large state becomes more manageable; we can share information about issues, problems we face, and even upcoming events. It's a great place to just talk about the stuff our state faces.
I also belong to ClickerSolutions, ClickTrain and ClickTeach. All this information is hard to keep up with, but it's well worth it to keep abreast of what's happening in a suddenly fast-changing world of training.
This incredibly long introduction is by way of saying I've been asked to help out as needed in this area.
If you are having problems with your training, feel free to email me. I don't guaranteed results over the internet, but I certainly can help you get unstuck so you can progress in your own training of your dog. One of our list goddesses can attest to the fact that I can help refine novice grooming methods too! LOL And I feed raw, so if you are thinking about switching, I'd be delighted to chat.
See you round on the list!
Katherine Bryce
The Family Dog
Santa Fe NM USA
