In 1987, I started training my first dog Jake, a yellow Labrador Retriever. From there my canine family gradually grew with; Ben (Black Labrador), Checkers (Border Collie), Nike (Border Collie) and Annie (Jack Russell Terrier) and my precious rescue girl Maya (Yellow Labrador). My working partners and companions now are Squiq (ShihTzu) and my boy Russell (Chocolate Labrador). They both play major roles in the work I do with puppies when it comes to mentoring in addition to assessing dogs in need and working at my side with dogs who are dog-dog reactive.
In addition to living with my own dogs I have taken in numerous others for rescue groups and owners looking for assistance to rehabilitate and re-home theirs and those in their care.
All the dogs I have had the opportunity to care and work with have been my greatest teachers.
Besides working with dogs I also attended as many workshops and seminars I had the opportunity to go to.
When it comes to understanding canine behaviour the learning never ends.
My most memorable learning experiences were with Trainers I admire for their individuality and sincere love for dogs;
Jane Shelegy – One of my original mentors and long time friend I owe Jane a great deal of thanks. Through her personal encouragement and support I started my journey to become a Dog Trainer in 1990 by joining McCann Professional Dog Trainers Apprenticeship Trainers Program.
Nancy Ouellette – Nanc was one of my first Teachers with my first dog Jake. When I asked Nancy what the most important part of training a dog was; Nanc told me to “be consistent”!
Marie Sawford – My Labrador Ben loved Marie. Marie impressed me with her natural ability and helped me to realize I wanted to be close to and to work with as many different dogs as possible. Doing so would help me to understand “why dogs do what they do.”
Christine Swan – Christine started training dogs at the age of 12, I was fortunate enough to work alongside her for many years and am proud to say she is one of my most loyal and best friends. Christine taught me the power of play when it came to building a dogs attention and drive to work.
Deb McCann – Debs impact on my goal to be a good dog Trainer was two-fold. As I stood chatting with her one day I grasped my young Labrador Bens collar tightly, Deb looked at him then back at me and said; “Your not teaching him anything by restraining him, let him go and work through it!” Secondly she told me to understand that when it comes to training dogs, “50% is the dog and 50% is what you put into them.”
Chicken Camp – Finally in October 2000, the year my Mom passed away I attended “Chicken Camp” in Little Rock Arkansas with Bob and Marion Bailey. In the week long Operant Conditioning Workshop I learned how to start to train a Chicken using humane animal training methods. Think about it; “you can’t force a chicken to do what you want them to learn to do now can you!”
Using a combination of traditional and operant methods I continue to enjoy the dogs I have the opportunity to help with any problem they may be having with their owners.
Dog Training has become a lucrative career for many people so for pet owners seeking help in training their dog the information can be overwhelming. My advice to those looking for a Trainer is to take your time and do your research so you can choose the program and Trainer that is right for you and your dog.
“What they learn first, they learn best!”
Val Dillon 