How did you get started in dog training?
I was born a vegetarian, so from early on I gave a lot of trouble when mom tried to get me to eat meat (in those days they thought you would die if you didn't eat meat). So as I grew older I fought harder not to eat it. My poor mom at her wit's end would make me stay at the dinner table until all meat was gone. I, of course, tried the 'hide it in your pockets-napkin' and many other things but she caught on.

Since our dogs where not allowed in the kitchen when we ate, I could not get the food to them. One day the dogs and I struck a bargain... They would crawl on there tummies into the kitchen, grab the food, and crawl back out without my mom even seeing them. That lead to my training the chickens, goats, horses, and ducks. I learned with patience and bait (treats) you could pretty much get an animal to do anything.

Where should someone who is interested in becoming a dog trainer start?
At a local class. Get in there and train your own dog, Then come to as many classes with as many different trainers as possible and watch. Study the action of the dogs and their reaction to the person that is handling them. Then watch the difference when a trainer shows them the 'correct' way.

Please know that not every trainer may be to your liking, but you can still learn what not to do as well what works for you.

Many years ago I was new in the area. I went to what was supposed to be the best trainer around, just to watch and check him out. He had a 10 inch piece of stiff hose in his pocket. Then as class went on, a young Great Dane (6 or 7 months) was not doing his downs right and the guy handling him was an idiot. The so-called trainer grabbed the dog and beat him with the hose. He got the dog down and placed his foot on the pup's head and buried it in the ground.

It was all my husband could do to stop me from going over the fence... I waited and when the class was over I went in and had a talk with the trainer and he told me off. He said I was a wimp and would never have a stable dog if I was not willing to 'beat the %*#@ out of it' to get it to do what I wanted. We exchanged a few more good words and I left. My point is that I learned what not to do, so it was still a good lesson.

There are also some good obedience clubs to join. It's great fun!

Have you delved into the more recent dog training trends such as Positive Reinforcement or Clicker Training?
All my training is positive. People who brow beat a dog through a lesson create an unstable animal.

On a personal level I think clicker training is a very good way to teach tricks, but I have a real problem with it because you are not supposed to 'speak'. If you are doing it right, its non-verbal and I believe 'tone' of voice is so very important in training. It adds a level of emotion to the event when you use your voice for praise. With clicker training, the praise is the click and it never changes. It is a stable constant usually followed by a treat. That might be great for getting a certain behavior from a dog doing a trick. But I can't keep my mouth shut so its hard for me.

Are there any breeds, in your experience, that have been easier or harder to train?
Yes! Austrian Shepards. They seem to have such a strong mental communication, I only had to think it for them to pick it up and due it right the first time. But I truly believe any and all dogs can and should be trained. It is of course best to start them as puppies, but older rescue dogs are very willing to please and simply need to know what the rules are.

So truth is, its not the breed, its the trainer that makes a good dog great.

What's the single biggest mistake first-time dog owners make?
Thinking if they wait the problem will go away! It will not. Or that they need to wait until the dog is a certain age before they start training it. Bad habits become a reason for that poor dog to end up in the pound or be given away.

A dog should start learning the rules of the house the second they come in to it. A dog who knows the rules is a happier, healthier member of the family.

What question are you asked the most from people looking for advice?
'My dog is so hyper when I come in. He jumps all over me.' That and 'He pulls my arm off.' These are of course human mistakes that are simple to correct. Once I tell them what to do you can see the light bulb go off and they are so happy that it can be changed.

What's the single biggest mistake dog trainers make?
Lumping all dogs into the same rules of training. Each dog is a little different, each dog may need just a little bit different way of being handled. Or simply need a different collar.

I had a client one time that every time she would pull on the collar the dog would go nuts. Different collars made no difference. I found that by taking everything off this dog and simply using treats (in an enclosed area, of course) we were able to get this dog trained. And even after awhile she allowed us to put a collar on her. It took time but was well worth it.

Another big problem is "TIME". You cannot expect that all dogs can be trained in the same timeframe. It is different for each dog. It also depends on the time the person gives to the dog.

Do you feel it's important for dog trainers to also have some basic dog first-aid experience?
I believe its important for everybody, not just trainers. If you have a dog or child you should know how to perform CPR and stop bleeding... that's just a given.

I have actually put my hand in a horse's chest and held an artery together until the vet arrived. (The horse lived.)

A lot of the time its just good old logic. Don't watch... do something! There are many good books and tapes out there on the subject. Anyone with a dog should have a few good vet books on the shelf. I have several that I keep handy and have read most of them cover to cover.

Who is your favorite famous dog?
With all of my heart I love them all and I admire the trainers that got them where they are. I watched a movie called Good Boy... The dog acting was the best! I bought the movie and have watched it maybe ten times.

In the early days like Lassie it always drove me nuts that they kept changing dogs. Others would say I was crazy and that it was the same dog but I could and still can see the switch. lol...

What other interests do you have besides training dogs?
I love all animals and have a great friend who has Show Bears. I love spending time with the Grizzlies and Black Bears. They are very canine in there training and I love it.

Besides animals I simply love being a grandma and spending time with my grandkids.