Tails-U-Win! April Newsletter

INTERVIEW WITH THE EDITOR
Millie talks with Instructor, Penney Baker

How did you get started and how long have you been training dogs? I have always had dogs growing up. It started with Pokey, who I don't remember much about her, then Betsy, Bootsie, Lila. Fred was my first dog that I got after I moved out of the house. In between was a dog called Ginger that my parents had after we all moved out. Fred came from the humane society and I learned a lot about housebreaking from him! Lila was a dog owned by a person who I worked for and we ended up adopting her when she was no longer wanted by the owners. We ended up with 3 dogs all around 11yrs old. Lila was a labrador cross and where I got my love for my labradors. I started training my oldest lab who is now 14 as a puppy for Hunt Tests. I started at Tails U Win training agility with that same dog about 10 yrs ago and have been training ever since.
What do you believe are the three most important things to teach a dog?
House Manners, Settling at Home and Tricks!
When you come home from a long day at work and are tired and hungry, the last thing you might want to do is train or worry about a dog. With each dog that has come into my house I have modified my life somewhat for the first year to make sure there is time for the dog and me to be together - even if it was just for playing ball and getting exercise. What a great excuse to quit the gym! I love it when folks come over my house and when they leave mention that you would never know that I owned 5 large dogs.
What types of situations do you find most challenging? What techniques have you found helpful in dealing with those situations? Rescue Dogs - Folks that take on this task are a very special group of people. You have no idea what the dog has been exposed to, for how long and why. I ask a lot of questions, try to get a good feel as to what the dogs new environment is like, what their day is like. I take advantage of the great staff we have here at Tails and bounce questions and challenges to them so that I can bring back experienced answers. Sometimes there is no one answer and that can be difficult for the owner because human nature is such that we just want to fix it! One of my labradors is somewhat challenging due to being a single pup and I have learned a lot about that.
What advice or tips would you give other trainers about working with dogs and their owners? Smile, Breath and Have Fun. Remember that everyone loves their dog as much as you love your own. Remember why your dog came to you. Figure out what is important to the person you are working with. Sometimes as a trainer you want to push certain things because they are important to you, but another person might not care. Remember why you wanted to be a trainer. For me, its because I love it when people come back to class the next week and say "hey, that worked!".
What are some of your other interests? My husband and I enjoy going to plays (musicals are the best!), hiking with our dogs, canoeing and kayaking on occasion. Being outside. Reading, Gardening. Sitting on the deck with the sun warming me and the dogs who are all snoozing on the broken hot tub!