Introductions

 

Meet Azul

Azul is an 18 months old, Husky mix and the main focus of all my training posts.  He is my Medical Alert & Response Service Dog providing assistance with migraines and multiple auto-immune issues.  I also use him as a Training Demo Dog to help clients learn how to use positive reinforcement techniques to train their dogs to be great family members, working dogs, and excellent community members.  Azul will also be cross-trained as Therapy Dog where we will specialize in educating children by providing resources in animal safety, understanding the role of Service Dogs, and how they can engage with their pets in age appropriate ways.

Azul loves to play tug, explore the outdoors, and socialize with people and dogs.  He also enjoys games and adventures that involve sniffing the environment or searching for treasures.

Meet Cam

Cam is my 7 yr old German Shepherd that our family rescued when he was 2 yrs old.  His previous owners were in way over their heads and had no idea how to deal with such a smart dog.  

Cam has made great progress over the years with the use of positive reinforcement training.  He knows several of the Service Dog tasks that I need assistance with.  But he also has a fear of other dogs which causes him some anxiety so he doesn't help me with much dog training.  I do occasionally use him for online training if I need a specific video to demonstrate a skill.

Cam loves to chase tennis balls, although he is slowing down so he can't chase nearly as many as he would like.  He also enjoys hikes in remote areas where we are not likely to run across several dogs during our hike.  Cam has actually been a great help in training Azul to do many of his tasks and basic obedience.  Cam is awesome at following off leash cues and has great recall so he has been helping to teach these skills to Azul.

Together we all live in Michigan's Upper Peninsula where we love to do most anything outdoors!  While I am disabled, which requires me to keep my client list small, I am passionate about reaching as many dogs as possible.  I'm a huge advocate of providing a teamwork based approach that helps everyone (dog & handler) to be successful together.  Science has proven that dogs have a huge impact on the health and wellbeing of their person and I believe we, as owners, need to also have a huge impact on the health and wellbeing of our dogs.

Please reach out to me if you have any questions or would like to discuss training needs.