|
My two goals as an instructor: 1) You enjoy class just as much as I do!Our Family: My husband Paul and I live “out in the woods” in Newville with our two rescued dogs, three ferrets, and usually a foster dog or two. Rowdy is my Australian Cattle Dog (Red Heeler) and my partner in adventure! Brutus is a 130-pound “Big Black Dog” and a once-in-a-lifetime awesome dog who competes in Rally-Obedience and agility with Paul. Tumble-ina, Captain Dan, and Pandora are our ferrets - and don’t ya’ know it, positive training just works for everybody, even these curious little weasels! Pretty amazing. |
|||
|
My Background: I have always enjoyed teaching and training - both animals and people - and after graduating from West Point (learning about leadership and training) and spending some time as an U.S. Army officer in Germany (more training), now my “day job” is being a logistics Quality Manager (where I’m responsible for our training program.) Growing up, I trained our Shetland Sheepdog, Cody - my best friend. After taking a quick break from dog ownership during my time in the military, we got Brutus in 2001. At that point, I began to get serious about learning about animal behavior and training, began fostering rescue dogs in 2003, and then found Rowdy and Fieldwood at about the same time. Each of our 20+ foster dogs has taught me a great deal while waiting for their new forever homes to come along – whatever your dog is doing that’s a problem, I’ll bet we’ve had it in our house at some point… Canine Sports and Activities: Rowdy and I compete in APDT Rally-Obedience and CPE Agility (with an emphasis on just having fun), and we really enjoy hiking together. We’ve dabbled in flyball and freestyle, and are just beginning herding training. When I adopted Rowdy from cattle dog rescue, he had been on a chain in a backyard for his first 2 years of life with no training, no socialization, and definitely NO manners. But over and over again, both as a student and an instructor, I get to see that training really works. I love to see how dogs are able to learn and adapt, and I enjoy a training challenge! Rowdy is still a work in progress, but I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished so far. Dog Scouts of America: I am the Troop Leader for our local troop of Dog Scouts of America, a national nonprofit that promotes responsible dog ownership and positive training. Our troop gets together to learn new things, spend quality time with our dogs, and we also do projects with our dogs that help the community. We teach our dogs to do everything from swimming to painting to ringing bells for the Salvation Army. It’s very rewarding, as we’ve raised over $5000 for charitable projects in our community, and of course sometimes we just enjoy simply hanging out with our dogs. We always welcome new members! Find more info about DSA on the Fieldwood website and the bulletin board in the training building. Training: At Fieldwood, I have taught Basic Manners and Obedience; Look Ma, No Hands!; Intro and Beginning Agility; Intermediate Obedience and CGC; and Creative Dog (a clicker class). I am also a certified AKC Canine Good Citizen test evaluator. I really enjoy clicker training and often use a clicker when teaching Rowdy a new behavior or trick. I work to keep my training skills up to date by attending camps and seminars, and through professional reading. Having a great time with your dog comes much easier when your dog has good manners and the two of you have a solid working relationship. Then you can both follow my favorite motto: “Wag more. Bark less.”
See you in class! |
||||
