K-9 Solutions Dog Training, Inc.: Seminars and paperwork and photos, oh my!

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Seminars and paperwork and photos, oh my!

I am very excited to have signed up for a two day seminar in June with Pamela Dennison at Wag It on "Positive reinforcement training for the obedience and rally ring". http://www.wagitcamp.com/Seminars.html I am fortunate to have such a great seminar coming to my own area. No long distance travel and no hotel fees! I'm also excited because it is a "hands on work with my dog" seminar. Something I rarely get to attend.

I have dabbled in obedience showing in the past and I have to admit it isn't my favorite activity. I am not very competitive and never saw the point if it wasn't fun for both me and my dogs. I have however started some training in Rally O and think this might be much more challenging (the course changes every time!) and interesting for us. I also think it is much more realistic in day to day life and training since you get to talk to your dogs during the course. The dogs are expected to be dogs in Rally.

This means I have to get Jenny's PAL/ILP from AKC since she came from rescue with no pedigree if I want to ever compete with her in any AKC events. I already have Jack's paperwork since he came from a breeder. (a fabulous breeder that is) I filled out her paperwork last night. I also need to send in her spay certificate and two good photos of her, side and front view. I tried getting a couple tonight with my daughters help. As you can see it didn't all go quite as planned.

Even though I am not always a fan of things the AKC does, (or doesn't do) I am a member in the local kennel club and know that to compete in obedience, or persue her tracking certification, I need to get this done. I live to far out in the boonies to rely on UKC events. (Oh yeah, another part of competing I hate is the travel. The older I get the more I worry about car accidents and prefer to stay close to home. If I die attending a dog event my kids will never forgive me. Anyone else paranoid like that?)

I am also looking forward to the grand opening of http://www.finishforwarddogs.com/ in Saco next month. I know they are going to host some great seminars too. I am thinking about trying weight pulling with Jack. I also keep my eyes on http://www.happytailsportland.com/ for upcoming seminars too. That have hosted some great ones in the past. (As did My Wonderful Dog which sadly closed it's doors.)

It looks like I'll be trying again for those photos tomorrow. I know, she's so abused!

7 comments:

Hannah said...: That last photo of Jenny is priceless! She looks like she disagrees with your choice of background (though I love it). :]; January 17, 2010 at 6:30 AM
Susanne, Kidi and Narri said...: I would be happy if you will write more about rally obedience some day. It is still quite unknown thing here in Finland but my friend recommended it to me and I got interested. There is one rally trainer in my area and now I am looking for beginners class to start.; January 17, 2010 at 11:18 AM
Marie said...: Susanne, I certainly will when I get more involved. I'm only a begginer in it myself. I do have a set of signs but can't remember if they are an AKC or APDT set. Thanks for reading!; January 17, 2010 at 1:18 PM
Katie said...: Oh man, I went on Pam Dennison's site and now I really really want to go to her Rally camp this summer.

I'm doing an Attention games seminar with Linda Sperco in a couple months and I'm really looking forward to that.

I enjoy rally. We've been doing APDT lately and it's definitely more interesting than AKC. The exercises are more challenging, the courses are longer, there are more goals and titles to work toward.; January 17, 2010 at 2:23 PM
Marie said...: I think there is more AKC rally around here than APDT. Will have to check into that though. Will I need to register my dogs with APDT to show?; January 17, 2010 at 4:30 PM
Katie said...: Yep. The form is on their website.; January 18, 2010 at 10:19 PM
Marie said...: Thanks Katie!!; January 19, 2010 at 8:11 AM

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My Story

In 1992, after serving for 6 years in the United States Marine Corps, I decided to settle down in my hometown in Mid-Coast Maine. I got my first dog, (as a bona-fide adult) an akita, and joined the local kennel club. I also joined akita rescue and learned alot about the breed. In turn I began helping educate others. This taught me how important training is for ALL dogs. Thus began my (unofficial) foray into the world of dog training.

I worked for a few years at a local veterinarians office and then began working at our local humane society. While there I saw many dogs being given up for simple training issues. About that time the kennel club began looking for a new trainer to teach group obedience classes. I decided I might be able to handle that challenge once I had more official training of my own.

MY TRAINING:

I found an excellent trainer to mentor with and in October of 2001 after a year of hands on training and study I completed my apprenticeship under Lloyd Williams of Bear Brook Kennels. During that apprenticeship, in addition to learning all the basics, I got to assist in the training of police dogs in narcotics, tracking and cadaver dogs with the medical examiners office.

Not only did I learn how to be a dog trainer, more importantly, I learned how to teach owners how they could communicate more effectively with their dogs. I consider that training just the beginning in my canine education. I continue to attend seminars and keep current through reading about recent advancements in dog training methods. I am a former member of The Association of Professional Dog Trainers.

My training was sponsored by The Humane Society of Knox County and The Mid-Coast Kennel Club of Maine.

MY METHODS:

I use positive reinforcement methods whenever possible during training sessions. Positive reinforcement helps make the training experience more enjoyable for both the dog and owner, producing a better learning environment. I also utilize hand signals in my training which is very useful with deaf dogs as well as hearing ones. My methods include lure/reward and marker training. (with or without a clicker depending on owner preference)

MY GOALS:

My goal in training is to help pet owners develop a better relationship with their dogs. Many times that includes teaching about canine communication and behavior. I also like to help dogs stay out of the shelters and in their homes whenever possible. Training for those unruly dogs can make that a reality for some families.

MY OTHER JOBS:

I am currently the trainer for the HSKC's K-9 Corrections program. I also work as a receptionist at a local veterinary hospital.

MY FAMILY:

I am happily married and the mother of two fabulous children.

Dog Training and Behavior Seminars Attended

11-09 Self Control and Focus Games with Dee Ganley CPDT/CABC/CDBC
6-09 Dog to Dog Aggression with Patricia McConnell PhD
7-08 Debunking the Dominance Myth in Training with Jean Donaldson
6-08 PitBull Education Seminar with Drayton Michaels
3-08 Aggression and Canine Compulsion Disorders with Dr. Nicholas Dodman
4-07 How to Talk Dog with Sarah Kalnajs
6-06 Understanding Canine Body Language with Trish King
4-06 Aggression in Dogs 2 Day Seminar with Brenda Aloff
10-05 Play with Me and Feisty Fidos with Pia Silvani CPDT,CABC
2005 Canine Communication, Meet your Match and and Intro to "Safer" Training with Emily Weiss PhD