Certified SAR dog and Therapy dog

The summer has kicked off to a wonderful start!!! We have some big plans for the rest of this year and thought we might share an update.

For myself i have set a few goals, which include MORE behavioral certifications and continuing education credits to fulfill all those i already hold. For me the mark of a GOOD dog trainer requires a two fold approach- 1 you must have outside organizations that have “tested” and “certified” you, it is not as simple as putting together a webpage and showing off that you have taught your dog to sit. I’m sorry but dog training is a PROFESSION and to many people out there have watered down and defaced my profession and i’m sick of it!  2- proof is in the pudding!!! in other words you must have your own dogs that you have trained and reached goals with. Most anyone who sees my certified SAR girls work are more then thoroughly impressed. Not only have i achieved certification and deployments but i have gone to other outside agencies on top of already being certified to continue to prove my skills as a trainer and my dogs skills at their job. The reason we have a larger pack of a mixture of breeds is to show the variations in the breeds and tasks that I train.  In addition to your own dogs you must have good clients with successful training. I have numerous clients who have come back for more training for different dogs or advanced training for those they already have, or just brush up training for themselves! I only do this part time so just imagine if i could dedicate 40 hours a week to it!!!!

That turned into a bit of a rant but i cannot help it. I see so many dogs being put to sleep, or given up because of inadequate training, and many times the people have actually hired “trainers” to help who have inevitably just made the problems worse and a bigger mess for me to clean up. Am i perfect, or the best trainer in the world???? NO but i have ethics, i have experience, and i have proof on many levels of why i can and will help you have a better relationship with your dogs. I also have the ability to say NO, i’m sorry i cannot help you or i am not qualified to deal with that issue. I will not take on something with a dog i do not understand or cannot get a good read on when meeting the dog and owner unit.

Though i digress  and this post should have been filled with more positive and happy goals we wished to achieve i do feel a bit better going into this morning having gotten that off my chest.

STOP DREAMING AND START DOING!!!