Who We Are
Hello and thank you for stopping by! Riverside Dog Training offers group class and private lesson options to help you create a better working partnership between you and your dog. Group classes are taught by the mother-daughter team of Emma Wikstrom and Gail Roderick with private lessons available with Emma. Gail started her career in dogs in 1975 at the age of seventeen working at Wyndeen Kennels. She then transitioned into grooming and opened The Puppy Tub in 1986 in Lowell Michigan. Along with that at nineteen she took over leadership of Working Paws 4-H Club and continues to be the Key Leader as well as the Superintendent of the Kent County Youth Fair Dog Project to this day. Emma's story starts practically from birth. Emma spent her pre-school years at the grooming shop learning how to read dog behavior and learning from her mom on a daily basis. In 1999 she joined the Working Paws 4-H club at the age of 5 and really started learning how to train. Through her 14 years in 4-H, she trained and worked with six different dogs of her own as well as helping to mentor the younger members in her later years in the club. As she moved into her teens she began showing through the American Kennel Club and was the #1 ranked Junior Performance Handler in the AKC in 2011 and 2012. Currently, Emma is a leader for Working Paws 4-H and the Assistant Superintendent for the Kent County Youth Fair Dog Project and entering into her 20th year showing and training dogs. With over 65 years of combined dog training experience, we know you will leave your classes with a balanced working partnership between you and your dog.
