# I'm going to be a trainer!



## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

So ... after spending the last 10 years training with my own dogs, fostering, doing behavior evaluations, and talking to lots of people about dealing with major and minor issues with their dogs, I've taken the plunge and applied for a training job at a local facility that does boarding, daycare, various dog events, and rents out space for agility and obedience training to people. They have had a lot of interest from their clients for classes and had an ad up looking for trainers.

I started doing one-on-one training in 2008 for free with people I knew who wanted to know "how do you teach ..." and from there went to people they recommended me to and to people looking for dog help / training on Craig's List. I figured it's time to take the plunge and teach basic obedience to a group.

I told the people right up front that I have "certifications" to be a trainer, but was happy to give them a list of references (people I currently train with, people who know my own dogs and their training, people who know me through rescue) and they followed up on those and asked me a ton of questions about my training approach, what I would cover in classes, etc. My references had good things to say about me, apparently - I got the job.

I am going to be teaching a 2 hour seminar on basic obedience in June, to see just how much interest there is for them to offer obedience training at their facility. If people like it and it goes well, I will be doing other seminars or a regular (x number of weeks) kind of class. The one I am teaching in June will be introducing the clicker and training basic behaviors (sit/down/stay/heeling) using a positive approach, as well as basic problem solving (jumping/mouthing/pulling). It'll be 2 hours and lunch.


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## ZAYDA (Apr 22, 2010)

Congrats good for you..... Enjoy


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Yay!!! I wish you lived closer!!!


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Congrats!!!!! :happyboogie:


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

Thats so cool!! Good luck to you, someday I hope I too can do what I truely love.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Congratulations! That sounds so exciting!! The dog-world needs more people like you out there!


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## GSD MOM (Apr 21, 2010)

Congrats!!!!


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Good luck, there's never enough really good trainers out there.


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## Remo (Sep 8, 2004)

As someone who has seen, first hand, what a good job you have done with your dog (now dogs), this place is lucky to have you. No doubt in my mind that you will do an amazing job for them.

Anyone who has ever met Chris knows that whatever she does, she does it extremely well!


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## Vinnie (Sep 4, 2001)

:congratulations:


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## kaiapup (Jul 1, 2005)

:toasting:Congratulations!! 

All that hard work over the last 10 years has paid off! :happyboogie:


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## bianca (Mar 28, 2010)

Congrats! Good for you


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

Congratulations, Chris. I hope it's everything you've dreamed of and more!


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## DJEtzel (Feb 11, 2010)

Congrats! I'm hoping to get a part time training job at petsmart soon.  no one else will hire so young.


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

Congratulations!!! They are lucky to have you


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

I'm definitely looking forward to teaching my first group class - and if that goes over well, I will be able to teach some other seminars and maybe a regular (as in, once a week) class. I really want to teach a tricks class (shake, bow, that kinda thing) and maybe a CGC prep class if there is enough interest. We'll see.

My client with the Bulldog Puppy (I train with her over lunch on Wednesdays) reported today that they went to the vet yesterday and the vet commented on how well behaved the puppy was. Puppy went in, sat for the vet and offered to shake! *aww* I'm so proud of her. (And she is SO cute, too! Don't tell her owner, but I really go there to play with the puppy! *ROFL*)

The class I am teaching on the 12th will be obedience and problem solving. The first hour will be obedience - I will introduce the clicker and how to use it, as well as the "name game" and then show how to lure and train specific behaviors using the clicker and reward - sit, down, stay, come, and walking. Then we will break 30 minutes for lunch (hotdogs, burgers, and salads) and after lunch, the second hour will be problem solving, addressing things such as pulling, barking, jumping on people, and (I'm sure) begging for food will come up as it will be after lunch.


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

I am so happy for you. Can't wait to get to New York and meet you. I am sure I can learn a LOT from you.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

> I am so happy for you. Can't wait to get to New York and meet you. I am sure I can learn a LOT from you.


I bet you know as much, if not more, than I do!!!


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## Mrs.K (Jul 14, 2009)

AbbyK9 said:


> I bet you know as much, if not more, than I do!!!


Oh, I don't think so. Trust me. I can read dogs and have a good hand for abused dogs. Always had and taken onto the special cases but I've never trained a REAL SchH dog before. This is my first time. I've been watching for years and have a little advantage because I know what to look for in trainers and dogs and can read the pedigrees to some extent. 

I can tell you, just by looking at somebody elses perfomance what they could do better. Trust me, I am good in working puppies, socializing dogs and giving them basic obedience but I bet you, you are the better trainer to get them to the BH. 

So we could actually work together LOL. 
I do the puppy classes and once they are ready for the BH class you take it from there. 

My parents are the kick a$$ trainers & handlers and as I've said before I wished I would have started with SchH as a Teenager, but it's never to late, isn't it?


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

Schutzhund is going to be really hard for you to get into up here. The nearest club I am aware of is in Syracuse, which is about a 2+ hour drive from Fort Drum. Granted, it's highway time, but that's a lot of drive for weekly training.

I don't do Schutzhund with either one of my dogs and I also don't track at all. I do protection work with Ronja because I got her already with some training on her (which is a very long story ... she had been seized by animal control in an abuse case and there's a lot in her background that's unknown, but she can work that sleeve like there's no tomorrow) and I want to keep it up and continue it, but I have no plans to trial or title at this point. I mostly keep up with it because we do demos for the public at reenacting / living history events. People like seeing her go from "love me pet me" to the sleeve. (Need to work on the OUT!) I also use her for teaching Dog Safety.

I will be teaching basic obedience, adult and puppy, and I am hoping that it takes off so I can expand to other classes. I really want to teach tricks and CGC or Therapy Dog preparation classes. I'm hoping to eventually become a TDI evaluator - never hurts to have one local if there's an interest in Therapy Dog work in this area.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

That's Ronja in my avatar, getting a bite during an event we did at Sampson Park in Geneva, NY last year.


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