Lori’s Journey to “Dog Trainer & Behavior Specialist”

Lori’s Journey to “Dog Trainer & Behavior Specialist” Join me on my journey to becoming a certified Dog Trainer and Behavior Specialist. I’d like to share this experience with anyone interested.
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I hope to use my training to start my own business helping dogs and their owners.

04/28/2022

OK…It’s been a year since I posted, I better get posting again!

My first year being open (anniversary 11-30-21) was WAY more successful than I could have ever imagined!

I have met and worked with some wonderful puppies/dogs and their owners. Making what I believe will be some life-long friendships along the way.

I have watched some AMAZING transformations as puppies/dogs went from: shy to confident / shut down to outgoing / power pullers to polite walkers / disruptive to obedient / distracted to focused

I never imagined when I hung my first graduation pictures on the wall (to help with the echo) that I’d fill a wall in one year…

I never thought I’d be starting group classes for my graduates to give them opportunities to continue educating themselves and their dogs.

I’m so thankful for my husband who has picked up ALL the slack at home so I can focus on my business. He has been patient and understanding and without him I couldn’t do what I do.

I’m so thankful for all the successful trainers who are willing to invest in me.

I’m so thankful I’m learning how to set limits and manage my time better.

I’m so thankful for understanding that it’s ok that I can’t help everyone. I have partnered with some wonderful trainers that specialize in the areas that I don’t want to focus on.

MORAL OF THIS STORY… Trust your God-given passions to take you on a journey of a lifetime!
Lessons That Last Dog Training, LLC

04/03/2021

Well, where has the time gone?! I can’t believe my last post was on January 10. So, much has happened. I should catch everyone up.

Since January I have been blessed with a hugely successful business (considering I just opened on November 30, 2020). One that has taken off so much faster than I ever imagined. So many wonderful clients!

All in all the start of 2021 has been a roller coaster ride for me...full of ups and downs (fortunately way more ups), a few loop-da-loops, and tons of surprises!! The ride has been memorable and I know it’s just the beginning... stay tuned for more to come. 😀

01/10/2021

Last year at this time I celebrated my birthday in Texas with my sister, LouAnn. It was 2 days before school was about to start and I was nervous.... LouAnn was sick (probably had Covid - before it was a thing). She did her best to help me have a good birthday in spite of how she was feeling. All this after driving all the way from Wisconsin to Texas with me, while not feeling well. She is a blessing to me.

So, last year I turned 52 in Texas...
52 was a year full of blessings, big changes, numerous challenges, amazing growth, unmatched learning, new friends, lots of excitement, some anxiety, unforeseen delays, various trials, unexpected accomplishments, big decisions, great joy, many tears, and ultimately even more blessings!!!

I guess all in all I’d say I had a VERY FULL year! I’m so thankful for family and friends who have walked with me through this journey. Their encouragement, guidance, patience, support, listening ears, wisdom, discernment, comfort, and love helped to get me through the year.

I could not have done it without each of you!!!
THANK YOU!!!

I can’t wait to see what 53 has for me.... BRING IT ON!!! I’m ready. If 52 taught me anything it was that I can do more than I ever thought I was capable of. I just need to trust that God’s plans for my life are far greater than my own could ever be.

So, my journey took a turn yesterday.  I had to put my dog to sleep.  VERY sad day.  He was only 11 and had a lot of lif...
12/30/2020

So, my journey took a turn yesterday. I had to put my dog to sleep. VERY sad day. He was only 11 and had a lot of life left in him. Those of you who follow my other pages, I’m sorry to post yet again about Duggan...

I’m so thankful I get to work with other people’s puppies/dogs to help fill my void until I get another puppy. Probably wait until closer to Spring, unless the perfect one “pups” up in the meantime. 😉

Yesterday was a day of grieving. And I do mean grieving!!! I could not stop crying. I’m so very thankful for all the time we got with him. The memories are quite numerous. The only regret I have is never having signed him up for agility. He would have been really good at it. He was SO fast!!! Our daughter used to call him a “zipper”ke (for those of you who don’t know he was a Schipperke). He was so fast and could maneuver so well, he was actually able to run rabbits down and he was quite good at it. I know, sorry for the bunny lovers out there. Just know that around us, rabbits are way too plentiful and they do more damage than good. Moving on...

Duggan got to have many adventures in his life. He traveled the US with us and hiked & swam in some of the best rivers & lakes around. He was good with other dogs and smart as a whip. He LOVED his peanut butter Kongs! He went tubing and canoeing. He loved his walks and being outside, even in the winter. Then he’d come in and sprawl out in front of the fireplace. Granted, he had his problem areas too...but we’re just going to forget about those. 😉

Here’s to you Duggan!! No more pain and full vision!
I’d like to believe that he will be one of the blessings waiting for me in heaven. Along with Bella and at least some of my other 12 dogs... Oh my, I’ll be able to open my own kennel up there 😉

12/18/2020

Good news!! New training programs coming in 2021.

During the first quarter of 2021, I’ll be rolling out some half-day programs, a full day program, new puppy socialization experiences, and group lessons.

I can’t get over how blessed I’ve been since opening! I’ve been blessed with amazing pup and clients!! I appreciate the grace as I’ve been working through the hiccups of opening.

My first pups graduate next week... well since Duggan took up a day, they actually finish after Christmas. So happy with their progress! Then it’s on the mom’s and dad’s. 😉

Our instructors always used to say that the dogs don’t lie. Meaning you can tell if the owners are consistently working with the dogs. I’m proud to say that the pups are telling me that so far the moms and dads have been doing a pretty darn good job!

Can’t emphasize the importance of CONSISTENCY!

Anyway, before I start a lesson...

Well, my facility opened a week ago.  Hard to believe but it’s true!!  It was a great week.  I have been truly blessed!!...
12/06/2020

Well, my facility opened a week ago. Hard to believe but it’s true!! It was a great week. I have been truly blessed!!!

One of my primary puppy programs (Elementary) is booked into February and I have a waitlist. I had no idea things would take off so quickly...

I’m actually considering modifying my younger puppy program so I can add another Elementary program. I hate pushing people out to February, but as only one person I can only handle so many pups per week. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY!

I have had so many learning experiences already. My days are long... some are complicated... some are emotional... all are very rewarding!!

More progress being made on the building!  Was super excited today to see the dry wall up.  I actually have a Demise Wal...
10/23/2020

More progress being made on the building! Was super excited today to see the dry wall up. I actually have a Demise Wall, Kennel Room, and Storage Closet.

Still a lot of work to do, but it sure is fun seeing the progress.

More progress being made on the facility!  Little things are done, like the old flooring is removed and the floors have ...
10/17/2020

More progress being made on the facility! Little things are done, like the old flooring is removed and the floors have all been smoothed and prepped for the new flooring. They have also been prepping the electrical.

I eagerly check on the building every day, but I was so surprised when I stopped in last night and they had the Kennel Room framed in, the side wall framed in and the window hole to the front cut out. SUPER EXCITING to see the progress!!!

More good new.  We FINALLY got the OK from the state to start the buildout process!!!!  It’s been 8 weeks since I signed...
10/08/2020

More good new. We FINALLY got the OK from the state to start the buildout process!!!! It’s been 8 weeks since I signed the lease...

More waiting, as now we need to get scheduled with all the subcontractors to get them in to do the necessary work. Things such as flooring, plumbing, electrical, painting, etc.

There’s A LOT of work to be done yet, but at least we’re finally moving in the right direction. I will be posting pictures as the work is done, so you can all share in the buildout process. [Note: the ramp and ramp wall are gone and so is the desk unit in the future kennel room. They have also cut the preliminary whole in the wall where the window between the reception area and the training area.]

SUPER EXCITED to be moving in the right direction.

Building update:  STILL waiting on the State of Wisconsin to approve the requested buildout of my facility.  Until that ...
10/01/2020

Building update: STILL waiting on the State of Wisconsin to approve the requested buildout of my facility. Until that happens, nothing much can be done. They have started some demo, like removing the “ramp wall & ramp” but thanks to Covid, we have to wait two weeks for that to resume. 😞

After MUCH thought and research, I have picked out my flooring types. Rolled rubber in the training area, rubberized vinyl in the reception area, and epoxy in the kennel, mop and storage rooms. Now I’m waiting for pricing quote to confirm we are still within the budgeted allotment.

I have also learned that signage is expensive. 😉 I’m planning on having a large sign over the front doors, window signage, and parking signs.

Thought I’d include some “before” pictures...will continue to post pics as the construction/changes take place.

SUPER EXCITING!!! I’ll take every baby step. Trusting that God’s plan and timing are far greater than my own.

08/24/2020

GOOD NEWS!!! It’s official...
Lessons That Last Dog Training LLC has a home base!! My lease agreement has been signed. That means I’ll be able to train rain or shine (or in Wisconsin rain, sleet, snow, blizzard, and the occasional shine). I also have an outdoor fenced run and a lot of additional open grass space. I’m SUPER excited to have this huge step completed!!!

That doesn’t mean my roller coaster ride is over yet, just that I went through an awesome loop-da-loop. NOW, the buildout process begins. A whole new waiting game. I just found out today from the contractor that we are waiting to have the construction plans developed. Then they need to be sent to and approved by the state and that could take up to 6 weeks. Yes, six weeks! All of that has to happen BEFORE they can start construction. UGH! SO yes, for those that are good with dates... that means, kiss the October 1 move in good-bye, since construction could be going on yet (in fact, it could just be starting). [Please be praying that things go smoothly with the state and the buildout, so I can move in October 1 but no matter what, that I continue to trust God’s plan and timing.]

Now all of this poses a whole new set of problems for me. It means I can’t plan my Open House since I can’t promote an Open House without having a set date. Most importantly, it means I can’t start scheduling clients for training in the building. For those of you PATIENTLY waiting (especially for 1/2 day Boot Camp training), I truly appreciate your patience!! I promise it will not be in vain.

I’ll keep you posted as things move along. Thank you everyone who has been praying for me, encouraging me, walking through this process with me in one way or another. I appreciate each of you so much!!!

07/06/2020

What a journey it is to start a new business. At school they told us that in order to start a successful new business, you need: Confidence, Willingness to Take Risks, Problem Solving, Creative Thinking, Perseverance, and Continued Education.

I can see why they said that now. WOW! The amount of thought and work that goes into starting a business is amazing! Thank you Will & Derek for not sugar coating it. I have a new found respect for all the people I know who have started or run their own business. I had no idea until I started living it myself.

In one of my last posts I gave a list of things I have been working on. Some have been checked off and others have been added. My biggest step is attaining a building to train from. This has been a process! I have submitted a revised Letter of Intent (LOI) and I’m praying that it will be accepted. I removed several of the things I asked for in my first LOI because I was shooting for the moon and I knew the odds were not in my favor for getting them. You can’t get what you don’t ask for, so I felt I at least had to try. This LOI is much simpler. The biggest thing I’m asking for is A LOT of additional outdoor fencing. (The space already has nearly 4,000 sq feet of fenced yard, so even if my request for additional fencing doesn’t go through, I still have some area to work with.) IF my LOI is accepted as is I would have almost 14,000 sq feet of outdoor fenced yards. I am envisioning a potty yard, a large run, and an agility field. Dream big!!!

I would also have about 1,300 sq feet of indoor training space, as well as a small kennel room, an office and display area, two bathrooms and a mop room and I’m asking them to add a storage room from some of the office/display area (we’ll see if they accept).

There are so many advantages to the location too! To start with, it’s one mile from my house, yes, literally right around the corner. I could walk Duggan to work. Next, it’s right across the parking lot from my vet’s office, Neenah Wellness Clinic. People would walk out of the vet and see LESSONS THAT LAST DOG TRAINING, LLC. Can you say great advertising?! My neighbor has been renting in the same complex for over two years now, so has been a good source of knowledge for how the landlord is, etc. Lastly, she has two dogs that she’d like me to work with during the day while she’s at work. She can walk them across the parking lot to me, since she takes her dogs to work with her.

I have had many blessings in this process and I am so thankful to God, my family (especially Robert), friends, classmates, new business partners, etc. So thank you everyone for your support and encouragement! For some of you, thank you for your patience, as this process is taking longer than I expected. I believe in the end it will be worth it to have done it right from the start. Thank you God for instilling this life-long passion in me and for the blessings I have had and continue to have as I pursue it!

My journey isn’t over yet... it’s just morphing into Lessons That Last Dog Training, LLCYes, that’s right, my very own b...
06/04/2020

My journey isn’t over yet... it’s just morphing into Lessons That Last Dog Training, LLC

Yes, that’s right, my very own business. I knew it would take time to get started but I didn’t expect it to take this much time. The hours of research into everything (insurance, lawyers, competition, finding another balanced training to be comfortable referring clients to that need board & trains, time developing paperwork like contracts, waivers, and policies, lesson plans, setting prices (still my biggest struggle), finding a building to lease, talking to other renters and business owners, building a website, and let’s not forget CoVid...

I did however have my first consultation appointment today. Still have a ways to go before I’m officially open for business but it was nice to work with a dog other than Duggan for a change. Thank you Wendi for letting me work with Shelly today. Glad I could help.

I also want to thank those who are patiently waiting for me to “officially” be open for business. Shouldn’t be long now. I still have some paperwork I need to get back from the lawyer and a few other details...

Oh, and I’m turning in my letter of intent for a building lease this week. I should know if it’s accepted soon. If so, I could be in by August 15. More to come on this.

MEET SHELLY (Wendi & McKenna) - My Consultation Dog from this morning

It’s been a LONG time since I’ve posted.  I wasn’t sure if I should continue posting since my school journey is over...t...
05/14/2020

It’s been a LONG time since I’ve posted. I wasn’t sure if I should continue posting since my school journey is over...then I realized that’s only part of my journey.

As I was looking over pictures from school, I thought I’d share some of my memories. The first picture is from our Canine Good Citizen test preparation. We were getting all the dogs used to converging together into a tight circle. I have to say, I will never be able to get future dogs the exposure (26 dogs at one time) that the dogs got at school.

The second picture was during preparation for our Intermediate Obedience test. The dogs had to heel over food and toy distractions. It was amazing!

04/19/2020

Some have asked what all we covered at school. That is a complex question. We covered A LOT! We started out learning how dogs learn. This was amazingly insightful! I had no idea how much I didn’t know. As I like to say, “you don’t know what you don’t know until you know you don’t know it”.

We learned basic obedience, intermediate obedience, advanced obedience & competitive obedience. We learned scent discrimination, narcotics detection, tracking & trailing. We also learned how to train service dogs for various tasks. We learned remote collar training, home manners, and Canine Good Citizen. We also did fun things like learning clicker trick training and agility.

For each of these areas we learned we were responsible for teaching at least one of our rescue dogs. Often times, like with basic obedience, both of our rescue dogs had to pass. That’s the key, not only did we have to teach it but we were then tested as a team (handler & dog) and we had to pass with a 60 or better. Sounds easy, right?! Well, as a team, both participants have to score well... have you ever had a bad day? I know I have. Well guess what, dogs have bad days too and sometimes, they weren’t on their “A” game either. I only had one close call, where I was certain I had failed because Benson broke all three of his 30 foot stays (place, sit, down). Every part of me wanted to breakdown and walk out of the test but I persevered and was pleasantly surprised to find out we passed with a 68!! But I digress...

We also learned protection training, canine first aid, kennel management, and business techniques, including how to do consultations, group lessons, private lessons, and board & trains.

We learned about training equipment, behavior problems, aggression, and defensive handling.

We learned about breed characteristics, puppy stages, puppy imprinting, crate training, and temperament testing (puppy & adult).

It was stressful, it was exhausting, but it was also rewarding, and SO WORTH the time and effort, not to mention the financial investment. I learned so much that it was like getting years of experience in just 11 weeks. I learned about dogs, about people, and about myself in ways that I never would have learned without going. Part of me wishes I had done it 20 years ago. It would have been much easier physically in 30’s than in my 50’s... but I DID IT! I’m proud of myself, I’m so thankful God had this plan for me and I’m glad I was obedient to it.

I’m so thankful for Robert, who sacrificed with me by letting me go that far from home for that long. I’m thankful for his support, encouragement, commitment, love (I could keep going... ). God has truly blessed me with Robert, what a gift he is to me!

I look forward to using my newly attained knowledge and experience to help people and their beloved dogs.

Been missing these three... I checked on their rescue sites yesterday and it looks like Benson got adopted, so that’s gr...
04/11/2020

Been missing these three... I checked on their rescue sites yesterday and it looks like Benson got adopted, so that’s great news! I have already been in touch with Nola’s rescue and her foster home. Yesterday I also reached out to Cash’s rescue and they asked me for some updated pics and videos which I gladly sent to them. It sounds like Cash has been in rescue for over a year. Poor guy. He’s such a sweet heart! Wish I could have brought him back and found him a good home.

Anyway, just thought I’d share some pics of the three I invested so much blood, sweat, and tears in... I had Nola & Benson from my first week at school. I was given Cash at the end of week 7, as his handler left school at the end of week 4. (The school had a photo shoot week 7, for all the rescue/shelter dogs, to help them get adopted.)

I’ve been home for a week... wow!!  I can honestly say, I’m not fond of the “new” Coronaverse!! One good thing is, it’s...
04/08/2020

I’ve been home for a week... wow!! I can honestly say, I’m not fond of the “new” Coronaverse!!

One good thing is, it’s giving me time to take care of some of details for starting my business...which is VERY scary. I don’t feel ready. Our instructors kept assuring us that even though we may not feel ready we are equipped with the knowledge and tools we need to start a successful business. (No pressure 😉)

So, I started looking into business cards, thinking that’s an easy place to start. Then I realize I need my website up and going before I print business cards so I can include it on the cards. Don’t get me wrong, I have a website that I’ve already started, I just need to modify it because it was before school. Then I need to purchase a domain name and publish my site. (Let’s face it, one of my problems is I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I want everything to be perfect before I start. Since it’s all gonna be a reflection of my business and therefore reflection of me and what I have to offer.) Lots to look into and get done during this time of quarantine.

Perhaps you could help me, I’m going to attach the four business cards (in no particular order) that I’ve narrowed it down to. I’d appreciate input if you’re willing to give it. Thanks everyone!

03/27/2020

Well everybody the virus finally caught up to us in Texas. They canceled our school, a week early, so tomorrow’s our last day.

We’ve had evaluations the last couple days on pretty much all of the things we would’ve been tested on next week (advanced obedience, competitive obedience, service dog tasks, & clicker tricks). The only thing we have left to be evaluated on is our narcotics and scent detection training, which will be tomorrow morning.

To be perfectly honest I have mixed feelings. It’s bittersweet and a little surreal. I’m grieving over not getting another week with the dogs and having to say good bye to all my new friends. I’m nervous about what lies ahead now that school is over but I’m also looking forward to the opportunity to recoup from 11 weeks of long days, high intensity, rigorous training. I’m heading to Dallas on Saturday to stay at my sister‘a for a few days. I’m looking forward to being alone, with no schedule or pressure, so I can sleep, process everything, (grieve), and decompress before I start the long drive home.

Oh the stress!!  It’s been a long week... going into a LONG week of training and tests. We have our Final Exam on Friday...
03/21/2020

Oh the stress!! It’s been a long week... going into a LONG week of training and tests. We have our Final Exam on Friday. Followed by a week of tests with our dogs.

We are practicing out of sight stays with our dogs right now. Quite stressful. We all go out of sight, except a couple spotters who stay to make sure everything is safe and the dogs are not breaking their commands. The dogs have to stay on their place beds for 6 minutes, sit for a minute, and down for 4 minutes. All while their handlers are out of sight. Oh and they are only on a light line so they think they are off leash.

Not only are the dogs a distraction to each other but there are dogs and people walking into the training building at any time. BIG TIME distractions. The bummer is not all of our classmates showed up to practice.

Cash is getting used to the wheelchair for our upcoming service dog task test.
03/16/2020

Cash is getting used to the wheelchair for our upcoming service dog task test.

03/16/2020

Clicker tricks are fun. Here’s one of Benson hiding. He just learned this trick this weekend.

03/16/2020

Another busy weekend. Plus I’ve been battling a terrible headache. Didn’t want to get out of bed this morning and I’m calling it a night when I’m done posting.

I’ll post a couple videos. Facebook a lonely lonely post one video at a time, so here goes.

How has it been almost a week since I’ve posted?! I just got home from school at almost 10:30pm and my school day starte...
03/14/2020

How has it been almost a week since I’ve posted?! I just got home from school at almost 10:30pm and my school day started at 6:10am. (Why am I not asleep?!?)

It is amazing to me how much we cover every week. First off, we had our agility sequencing test today and Nola & I passed. Yippee! To be honest I was a little concerned since she’s been missing down contacts and has been laying down in one of the tunnels not wanting to come out. UGH! She did well, all things considered.

Other exciting things from this week… we started narcotics detection and scent discrimination. We’ve also started service dog task training and learned some new clicker tricks.

We’ve also been working on advanced and competitive obedience. Yes they are two different things, both of which are off leash. Yes I said OFF LEASH. (They are dragging a 10 foot paracord just in case. Still makes me nervous.) So, what will we be doing off leash? Attention heeling with in motion sits and downs. Meaning we will be walking with them in a heel, we’ll say SIT and they will sit while we keep walking. Same with down.

Stationary obedience exercises are place, down, and sit, with all the dogs within about 12-18” of each other and us at a distance of 30 feet away. We actually started practicing this this week. (See the attached pictures.) They are called group stays.

Here’s the catch, the dogs will have to hold these group stays without us in the room. Yes, it will just be dogs in the room (well, and the instructors). We practiced this for a little bit today. All the dogs did well! We worked our way up to a three minute place and a two minute down. Hard to believe that from where Nola started nine weeks ago that she can be in a room surrounded by all these dogs and not be reactive. It is amazing to me!

I’ll post some more this weekend. For now this girl’s got to go to sleep....

Hey everybody...meet Cash. He was assigned to me last Friday (right before hell week). He’s a sweetheart whose original ...
03/08/2020

Hey everybody...meet Cash. He was assigned to me last Friday (right before hell week). He’s a sweetheart whose original handler didn’t go past week four.. So he has never even passed basic obedience.

He is the total opposite of both of my current dogs. He’s sensitive and skittish/nervous. Though you’d never guess it from the pictures.. He’s started taking on a whole new personality since I’ve been working with him. It’s fun to see him opening up and gaining some confidence.

03/05/2020

So far so good! I think I did well on my Business Exam (yesterday) and passed my Home Manners Test (today) with Benson.

So for the home manners test the dogs were off leash in the house (one dog at a time) and we had to go through the following 5 scenarios. We did each of these scenarios with a partner and they went like this:

1) My partner (Jen) went out and knock on the door. I had to send Benson to his place bed from 6-10 feet away. Benson had to stay there while walked over and answered the door, greeted my guest (Jen), welcomed her in and she walked to the couch and sat down. I then went and released Benson from his place bed and he had to go to greet my guest (remember he’s off leash - he did really well and didn’t jump on her or lick her face). Then the instructor says exercise finished.

2) Benson is put in a free. Jen knocks on the door. I have to have Benson heel with me (off leash with just saying heel) to the door, auto sit at the door, and stay seated while I open the door, greet my guest, and have her come in and sit at the dining room table. (Benson did well until Jen sat down and then he broke his sit - costing me 10 points.). Exercise finished.

3) I had to have Benson come into the dining area and “down”. He then had to stay in the down while I went into the kitchen to get Jen and me something to eat. I brought it back to the table, sat down and had a short conversation with her while Benson stayed in his down. (I lost five points on this exercise by giving an in advertent extra cue, I pointed at the floor with my finger.)

4) Was the “leave it exercise”. Which is just like it sounds. We had to drop off a large piece of food (chicken nugget) on the floor while Benson was in a free, I had to tell him leave it and he had to completely disengage from the food item. Needless to say that didn’t happen. Cost me 10 points.

5) The last one was send to crate. Benson was in a free, I told him kennel from 6 to 10 feet away from the crate. He went into the crate and stayed there while I walked over and closed the crate door. Then I sat on the couch for two minutes visiting with the instructor and my roommates. The instructor waited to see if he’d whine. After two minutes I had to open the crate door without him trying to step out until he was released. He passed this with flying colors.

Needless to say I ended up with a 75 on the test. Not my best grade since being here, in fact it’s my worst one. But at least it’s passing! One stressor down, four to go!!

Two tests tomorrow, CGC and the midterm exam. Then two tests on Friday and hell week will be over.

03/02/2020

Good News AGAIN! Got my test results back from last week.
I got a 98% on my Breed Characteristics Test and a 97% on my Canine First Aid Test.

Feeling happy!!

Now to focus on this weeks tests.

03/02/2020

Good News... I survived my crazy week and passed my clicker test with Benson with a 90%. I won’t know what I got on the First Aid Test until Monday but our teacher told us everyone passed! So that was wonderful news. What wasn’t such wonderful news was when we got to see our schedule for this week... UGH!! Makes last week look like a walk in the park. We are going into what the formers students who work at Starmark call “Hell Week”. I can see why...

We have 6... YES SIX... tests this week in addition to all our hands-on study and class room lectures. Our testing starts with our Business Exam on Tuesday morning (concerned about this test - he lectured on this on February 7, 11, & 14 - that’s a long time ago, I hope my notes are good). Followed by our Home Manners Test (with Benson - what was I thinking?!) on Wednesday afternoon, Canine Good Citizen Testing (with Nola) on Thursday morning and our Midterm Exam Thursday afternoon (I’m concerned about this one too), and lastly our Intermediate Obedience tests on Friday (one dog in the morning and one in the afternoon). Let’s be honest, I’m concerned about all my tests with Benson. He’s so unpredictable... when he’s good he’s good but when he’s hyper, he’s crazy!! My biggest concern is that if he’s “crazy” on test day, that he will be the cause of other dogs to break and then cause them to fail too.

One thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned before is that you can only have 3 failures of any kind and you’re done - failed out of the program - that very day - your so called torch is snuffed and you go home.

OH, and don’t forget I have kennel duty until Friday, meaning I need to be up at 5 and to the kennels by 6 to ensure they are cleaned before class starts at 8:00. That’s all time I could have spent working with my dogs or studying. So, needless to say, I’m going to have a long, stressful week with little to no sleep. Prayers for stamina, recollection, discernment, patience, peace, faith, health for me and the dogs (if they get hurt or can’t test, I fail whatever they were supposed to test in) and anything else you think would be beneficial. I truly appreciate all your prayers and thank you to those of you who have been sending me encouragements, they are more needed and appreciated than I let you know. Until next post

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