I hope I can share some insight about Animal Behavior as well as guide you with your decision whether or not to have a pet. I save animals lives by means of humane education and behavior modification training. I have been involved with raising, training and competing with German Shepherd Dogs since 1999. I have also been involved with Animal Rescue since 2000. I have worked and donated countless h
ours with the largest municipal animal control facility in the State and have first-hand experience knowing why families surrender their pets to shelters and how we, as a community, can reduce the amount of animals being euthanized each year. What I am about to share is lengthy and if you do not have the time to read every word, then I am going to suggest you are not ready for a new cat or dog at this time. However, when you are ready, I suggest you come back and read so you can truly understand how important training is to every single pet. It is also important to know about a dog trainer so you respect their path and how they came to be where they are. HOW ANIMALS ARE BORN INTO THIS WORLD:
Breeding animals should be left to those who have the time to dedicate to bloodline research, proving a dog’s breed worthiness by means of titling the dog to prove its genetic make-up and health. Each breed of dog typically has medical and temperament challenges which are genetics. Most families do not understand this as rarely does the backyard breeder, commercial breeder, and irresponsible breeder take the time to educate their potential client. Traditionally the “hobby breeder”, the one who does not make a living on breeding, are the ones who are the best choice to get your new family pet from if a Shelter does not have the right fit. Although I highly suggest obtaining from your local animal shelter, I will refer families to a responsible breeder, one, like myself, who provided health warranties, contracts as well as life-long free dog training for their new fur kid. Breeding is a HUGE responsibility to be taken seriously. Families who do not sterilize their pet aka Spaying or Neutering, because they want their children to experience raising a puppy or a kitten from birth, are typically setting an irresponsible example for their children. The typical pet home is not aware of the costs a litter can bring or the responsibility it should carry for the entire life of that new puppy that goes to some random home. There are so many homeless animals in this world and over 3 million animals are senselessly euthanized each year, because of irresponsible families allowing accidental breeding’s and/or purposeful breeding’s of their pets, not to mention lack of training. There are many backyard and commercial breeders who also are responsible for the deaths of countless animals because they do not take the time to educate their families and explain to them how important not only training is, but sterilization and abstaining from breeding a pet. ARE YOU READY FOR A NEW PET:
If you are looking to get a new dog or cat there are questions you need to ask each adult member of the family before bringing a new pet home. Spouses should not “surprise” their spouse by bringing home an animal that they are not going to be the one taking care of such. Children should not be a part of the decision making, however, can certainly be a big part of responsibly taking care of the pet, under adult supervision. There are just a few questions listed below to help you to decide if you are ready. What are you looking for in a pet? Do you want a male or female? Have you ever surrendered an animal to a shelter if so, why? Do you own or rent your home? Will your landlord provide you a letter stating you are allowed to have a pet? What size is your home? Does it have a fenced in yard? Will you fence in the dog to keep it safe? Is there a special room a dog crate will be able to fit in your home? How many hours per day will the pet be alone? How many hours a day do you have to dedicate to training and teaching your new pet its boundaries? Who will be feeding and watering the new pet? Who will be walking the new dog? Who will be cleaning p**p? Who will be taking care of the kitty litter? Did you know an intact female dog’s urine kills your green grass, will this be a problem? Will you be using a crate to responsibly train your pet how to be potty trained as well as provide structure? If not how will you be teaching your pet how to not soil in the home? How will you be implementing leadership? In the event your spouse changes job and you must relocate, do you understand this pet is a part of the family and should be going? Do you have enough funding in the home to provide emergency Vet care with a bill that can cost up to 3,000.00 for one visit? Do you realize the important of a high end pet food to provide proper nutrients for good health? Can you afford 60.00 a month for dog food alone? How about a routine vet visit which can cost between 65.00 and 300.00 per visit? Can you afford a dog trainer to come for 100.00 per hour if you make mistakes with your new pet by not providing leadership? Are you willing to do what it takes to help your pet who is scared or nervous? Do you realize it’s your responsibility if your pet bites someone and you can lose your homeowners insurance? WOW, you are still here, so far so good you may be ready to responsibly own a pet. TRAINING THE NEW PET:
Did you know that every single pet you bring into your home needs to know you are the leader? It’s not fair to expect a pet to know they are not allowed to p*e on the rug or they are not allowed in the garbage. Remember, animals are animals, not people. We cannot humanize animal behavior, because they are not humans. Animals need fresh water daily, they need proper nourishment to be healthy. They require exercise physically and mentally. Dogs need to eat at least twice a day. They should not be left a bowl of food to graze on throughout the day. They should be given their bowl to eat their food for 5 minutes twice a day. This helps to teach a dog boundaries and also can help you to cue in when you are dog is not feeling well if she does not engage in her meal immediately. Dogs need a den area aka crate, to sleep; they also need a “place” to think and relax and unwind when things get stressful for them in the house. They should be kept safe from harm and from harming strangers that enter in the house if your pet has a less desirable temperament. You are the one in charge of this pet ownership and you should take this position seriously. Animals need to be taught what is expected and shown what is expected to make them good citizens in the community. Traditionally, animals are the smart ones it is us humans who need the training class. MY BIO:
I started to learn about animal behavior in 1999 when I got my first German Shepherd Wyatt. I showed him in the American Kennel Club conformation ring as well as did some obedience training. My next German Shepherd, KC, I also showed in conformation, obedience but I also got into Sheep herding and a tiny bit of Schutzhund too. When my KC was not able to compete any longer due to his elbows, I imported my first German Bloodline Shepherd female Creta and migrated over to the German Style show ring and started to really get into the sport of Schtuzhund. I then imported my next female, Catja, who was one of my foundation females for breeding as well as my step into more competitive Schutzhund. Catja is an excellent obedience dog and she is a true example of the breed with her clear temperament and drive. I then was able to import an already Schutzhund titled female Yani from Germany whom was my first foundation female. I learned a lot about genetics and good health with this female and I presently have 3 of her daughters who I train and showed with across the USA and Canada, which has made me the behaviorist and trainer that I am today. Animal behavior is genetics and we know how a puppy is going to be sometimes as early as 2 weeks old but typically they show their behavior at 4 weeks. This behavior is present usually until the time they die. That is why it is very important when choosing an animal that you pay special attention to how they respond to certain things so you know what you are up against and what type of training and attention you will need to fulfill your obligation as pet owner for the life of this dog. Although animal behavior is genetics, humans can certainly be the cause of a good dog presenting bad behavior as well as a dog with less desirable temperament to be a well-mannered dog in the public eye. There are too many expectations on animals, too many people humanize animal behavior and we cannot be successful if we do so, why? Because they are animals, not humans. They cannot think like us they do not understand what we are asking, but they can understand what we show them. It is not fair to correct a dog for soiling on the floor, after the fact. It is not fair to expect a dog to know what actual sentences mean because they cannot. Structure, as well as showing the animal what you expect and teaching the animal what you expect mixed with certain cues is the remedy for success with any animal. Not allowing them to fail is success. Consistent fair leadership is success. Redirection not correction is how we build confidence in a less confident dog. Everyone is so quick to correct an animal for something they have no idea what they did wrong. And then there are the cases of the animal that run the house because “we love them, we don’t want to hurt them” but correcting and redirecting is not hurting, it’s teaching them what is allowed and not allowed. When we allow a pet to be the leader, they are going to think like animals in the wild, they are not going to consider the expense of a dog bite from someone who is going to sue you when your dog bites them. MY BACKGROUND AND TRAINERS
I have a natural talent and understanding about animal behavior, which brings out the best in my own dog as well as the dogs I am training by using positive motivational methods. I use a method of hand feeding with cues and reward markers of positive behaviors as well as redirect less desirable behaviors in animals. I have been blessed to have trained with many National and World level Schutzhund competitors from the United States, such as Mike Pinksten who spent years in Germany, as well as Kevin Lanouette, who also spent time in Germany and then my absolute Mentor and dear friend who I feel is probably the ultimate animal behaviorist in the USA, Meridith Vallillo. I have attended top training seminars with the best of the best such as Bart Belon from Belgium, as well as Phil Hoelcher, Wallace Payne, Karoly Mezsaros to name a few. A lot of what I use in my daily training, I learned from my favorite mentor, Meridith, while working for her handling and training police dogs as well as companion dogs, at Connecticut Canine Services a business who imports the finest Police Dogs throughout New England and throughout the USA. Although I am a professional and I have been very fortunate to have trained and learned so much from all of my training instructors, I am still learning each day about animal behavior, things that may not have presented itself prior. There is no absolute perfect trainer, I will never say that my way is the best but I will say my methods of training have never failed me nor have they failed my students who did exactly as I taught them. CLUB AND RESCUE CREDENTIALS:
I am the founder and President of the Tri State GSDC from 2002 - 2006. I am the Founder, President and Training Director of a Non Profit German Shepherd Dog Club in CT, Ortsgruppen New England from 2006 until 2012. During this time I was the Chairperson in charge of all dog shows and competitions as well as the administrative contact for Germany, Canada and the USA when shows are booked and planned. I am a signer of the G.S.D.C.A. Breeders Code of Ethics, meaning I do not mistreat, misrepresent myself nor the breed of German Shepherd Dogs. I do not breed as a business nor do I harm any animals in breeding. I educate potential families about the breed and their genetics. I have owned and/or competed with over 24 dogs who were mostly German Shepherds, as well as Pitbulls. Since owning these breed of dogs, I have a vast amount of experience with animal behavior and genetic knowledge of bloodlines which places my training abilities at a better place than most. I am the President of a nonprofit Animal Rescue since 2000 who does networking, humane education and training. I provide educational training as well as coaching for training animals in need from those who adopt from shelters, at no cost to the Shelters. You DID IT! You are ready to find your new companion
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