Philosophy & Approach
When I was a child, I struggled to learn how to tie my shoes. My parents tried to teach me, grandparents, uncles, even a friend or two, but I just couldn’t get it. Most learning came easily for me, so I found this to be incredibly frustrating. Why couldn’t I get this? If my shoes came untied, which happened frequently, I had to ask for help- which I hated!
One day, it happened again on the playground during recess. I looked around, and found a friendly face, and asked a boy to tie my shoe for me. As I watched him do it, something in my brain noticed a difference, and I asked him to teach me. From that day on, I could tie my shoes! So, what was it? What was different about how this boy taught me?
He was left-handed, as was I. Everyone who had tried to teach me before was right-handed. I couldn’t get it, because the way I was being taught to do it, just did not work for my brain. I needed someone with my perspective to teach me. A fellow left-handed 7 year old taught me what so many before could not. He wasn’t smarter than any of those people, he just saw things the way I did.
As a dog trainer, I am always trying to imagine how the dog is seeing the world, and how we are communicating what we want to them. More often than not, when a dog struggles to learn, it’s because we are using a very human approach to teach a different species. While we can’t know exactly what is going through a dog’s mind, new technologies are giving us some amazing insights into canine cognition and emotions. As a result, there is so much more information available to help us understand their perspective. I regularly participate in continuing education opportunities, so I can incorporate these findings in my training approach.
Training should be fun for the learner and the teacher. That gets the best results for everyone. Every dog is an individual, and getting to know each dog well is where I start. Discovering what motivates them, what they enjoy and what they don’t is an important part of the process. I use what I have learned, and continue to learn to approach training from the perspective of the learner as much as possible.
All behavior is an attempt to affect an outcome. When working on behavior modification, I look for the function of the undesirable behavior, evaluate what emotions are at play, and determine how we can meet your dog’s needs in a way that works for everyone involved. I also want to help you understand what I have learned, so the approach makes sense to you, as well as to your dog.
If you love your dog, and consider them family, and want to take an approach that is best for their well-being, I would love to help you reach your goals for your dog. Contact me today to get started!
Experience
2024 – present
Praise the Dog
In-Person & Virtual one-on-one training & behavior modification in and around Salisbury, MD
2021 – 2023
4 On the Floor Dog Training
In-Person & Virtual one-on-one training & behavior modification
Leading and assisting with a variety of classes from puppy classes to reactive dog classes and everything in between
2016 – 2021
Your Dog’s Friend
Volunteer puppy wrangler for Puppy Kindergarten & coach for reactive dog classes