Updated Introduction

Happy New Year! One of my New Year's Resolutions is to get back to this blog!  I haven't posted since July 2017, although I have started at least three posts that remain unfinished.  As the first step in fulfilling my resolution, I have updated my Google introduction (which appears under "About Me" at the right), and posted an expanded version below because it also works as sort of an update.   ________________________________________________________ As a kid, I didn't just love dogs but I was entranced by the fact that they could learn "tricks," like sitting, shaking hands, staying and begging.  We didn't have a dog when I was in grade school, so I used to knock on the neighbors' door and ask to walk theirs.  In the 1970's, when I got to high school and had to decide what to do in college, dog training was nowhere on my radar as an option.  So, I pursued another interest and became a geologist, which I stuck with until I was able to retire in 2015.   Grania November 2015 Tristan November 2017 I was once advised that the path to a fulfilling retirement could be found in looking back at what one enjoyed doing as a child.  So, I decided to become a dog trainer.  I completed a curriculum that prepared me to teach basic group obedience classes, with an additional certificate in shelter dog training.   By the time I received my diploma, it was clear that the way my husband and I are choosing to live in retirement is not compatible with operating a business with a set schedule, so I have instead pursued dog training as a volunteer at a local animal shelter.  That, along with a personal experience, has fueled my interest in dog bite prevention. While I was studying to be a dog trainer, I also started this blog.  I intended to initially chronicle my journey becoming a dog trainer, and to grow the blog into a place to discuss dog obedience and behavior (as if the Internet needed another one).  I planned to use my dogs (especially Tristan) as examples to help illustrate what I was learning, in hopes that what I learned could also help others.  Mostly, I like to write so I thought it would be a good way to combine two things I enjoyed - writing and dog training. Tristan on the way to school with me in mid-2015 As my knowledge and experience progressed, I found that the topic of dog training is more controversial than I realized.  Many trainers are as passionate about their methods as they are about their religion, and on some topics the online dog training community is every bit as polarized and as intolerant of other perspectives as the general public is on political issues.  In telling Tristan's story, I developed writer's block as I got to the part where our methods to address his reactivity veered into the controversial.  After being bashed in a Facebook group for posting a picture of Tristan wearing a prong collar, I provided the following update on this blog: I've been somewhat discouraged by how much arguing and shaming there is among trainers online. I've left most of the online groups that I had joined, including one that helped me a great deal with walking Tristan but bashed me when they saw that I combine their method with another because that is what works best for my dog. There seems to be pressure to "take sides" as a trainer, and your "side" becomes your religion. I've stopped following any trainer that makes blanket statements such as "this is the only way" or "that should never be necessary." In my heart, I believe the trainers that are doing the most good are the ones that aren't famous outside of their own communities, who don't take sides and who see each dog as an individual. They match their use of tools and methods to each unique dog's needs. With my own eyes, I have seen what works at the shelter and it's not limited to only one tool or method. With respect to sharing my own experiences and insights, I'm no longer interested in having any kind of audience beyond my own family and friends (and maybe their friends as long as they aren't rude). The topic is too emotional and controversial, and I had more than one lifetime's worth of that (on an entirely unrelated topic) in the few years preceding my retirement. So, even though this blog and the connected Facebook page never had a large audience anyway, I'm no longer sharing it in public forums in hopes of increasing it. I just hope my interested friends and family and their friends enjoy it and get something out of it. Meanwhile, I have furthered my interest in dog bite prevention, and have been sharing quite a bit from the "Doggone Safe" website on my own Facebook page.  I am also licensed to use their materials for in-person presentations, and I hope to find opportunities for that in the near future.

Skills: Positive Reinforcement Obedience Training - Basic Manners Shelter Dog Handling, Training and Behavior Modification Shelter Dog Temperament Testing Dog Bite Prevention Education Education and Training: Animal Behavior College Training Shelter Dogs, certificate awarded 8/3/2015  Animal Behavior College Basic Obedience Training, diploma awarded 9/14/2015  Doggone Safe Learn to Speak Dog! Canine Communication & Social Behavior, certificate awarded 7/11/2017  Doggone Safe Licensed “Be A Tree” Presenter since August 2017 Regular weekly participant (May-January) since 2015 in shelter volunteer training program, including safe dog handling, dog body language, and safe dog-to-dog greetings and interactions