Animal Behavior College Mentoring

I have the pleasure to help aspiring dog trainers studying with ABC begin to make their dreams a reality by guiding them through the 18 week hands on program as their trainer, mentor and friend. These 18 weeks include 6 weeks of observing my classes, 6 weeks of training a dog of their own in my classes and finally 6 weeks of student teaching. I am fortunate that the students who come to me arrive with open minds and enthusiasm to learn and grow their understanding of animal behavior, teaching and handling skills. I have been very pleased with their willingness to embrace the power of positive reinforcement with training animals and am proud to say all of my students completing the 18 week program under my wing have graduated! Even if they are still on their journey to success I feel great to have made a difference in each and every one. Below is a most recent note from one of my students Liz.

"Sarah- I just wanted to shoot you an email to let you know I graduated today! I am so grateful to have had you as my 'mentor', I learned so much invaluable information from you. Thank you so much for your time and your great teaching. Without your mad clicker skills I would have never fully understood the importance of clicker training. Thank you again!" - Liz Buchanon

Amy and Ramona

Always nice to share great clients' great comments about their positive experiences with positive reinforcement!

Amy Chase & "Ramona"
A few months after bringing home Ramona, our adorable and sweet Golden Retriever puppy, I began to have concerns regarding her interactions with my three children, ages 11, 9, and 2. We have had the heartbreaking experience of unknowingly adopting dogs who had extreme fear based aggression, and because of this I was a bit uncertain about what might be normal puppy behavior. Ramona was extremely mouthy, vocal, and tended to chase the children and pounce on them even while they sat calmly on the couch. We desperately wanted to raise a happy, confident, well behaved dog. All my friends with dogs recommended techniques that would force submission and compliance, none of which I felt comfortable with, knowing my goals would definitely not be realized. I did not want to damage our fragile human/canine bond in any way and the methods suggested to me would have only ensured that result. Luckily for all of us, I found Sarah’s card at my vet’s office. Since meeting and working with Sarah, both at her puppy classes and at home with her private lessons, I have been amazed at how well positive reinforcement and clicker training works with Ramona. I am more confident with her interactions with our children, especially the toddler. Ramona is more confident too, and LOVES to train. We still have issues to work on, but I am so grateful to Sarah and Whole Dog Training for teaching not only Ramona, but my family as well. We now have a better understanding of canine behavior and have the necessary tools to reach our goals. Sarah is simply amazing, you can tell she really loves her profession and as a result dogs happily respond to her. We love training with Sarah so much we plan to attend her Puppy Level 1 class at a future date!