I've always lived with dogs, my family had them around since I was a baby. But I didn't wonder about training until one of my poodles, Max – a lovely black as night poodle -, ran out the door and was struck by a car. I don't remember doing anything about it at the time, I was around 7 or 8 years old, but I do remember an eagerness to always make sure the doors were properly closed at all times.
It wasn't until 1994 that I became serious about researching it. I had this wonderful mix breed called Rocky, he was lovable and he was a great watch dog. If someone new came along or someone he did not like, he would bark, growl and salivate like Cujo. I did not even think about it, when he attacked my maid once. I just thought he did not like her. I tried basic obedience and clicker training, but I was not perseverant. I would keep him in a large run we had in the back yard, but that only made him angrier and more violent. I asked about dog trainers but here in Panama they take your dog, "teach" it the commands, then send him back home. I did not like that, Rocky was already aggressive, I did not want them to turn him worse. Rocky was the first step, he went on to severely attack my maid, later on and then attempted to attack my cousin Nicole who was 2 years old at the time.
My breaking point, however, was many many years later when for several reasons I ended up with three dogs in my household and chaos has been our name ever since. None of them come when I want to, none of them are properly housetrained, none of them can stop barking when someone comes to visit, making my home the equal to a badly run kennel and driving my friends away.
Enter Penn Foster Career School. I am currently mid way through their Dog Obedience Instructor / Trainer course and I have learned so much about dog behavior. As much as I have read through the years, there are a lot of things that you can be doing mistakenly wrong. Their Program outline is very thorough, but sometimes I get edgy because in the beginning they have to lay out a foundation of dog behavior and many of the terms and approaches used in training animals (You can view their program outline here).
Right now, I am beginning the "Commands" study unit, and I cannot be more excited! I already have three students in line: my own 3 year old mix breed Fifi, my best friend's Dachshund, Ginger and for a graduation test run I have my aunt Edna's beagle Chispita (Sparkles in Spanish). As beagles are a bit of a challenge, I am leaving her for last.
I am six modules away from graduation, and taking it one step at a time, but I like the fact that I can take this class as slow as I want or as fast as I can. Penn Foster also has a grooming course and a veterinary assistant course as well. I plan on taking on grooming as soon as I finish this one and then the veterinary assistant course. You can take most of your exams online and download your study guides as well, but there are a few graded projects you need to mail in in order to have them graded.
