| Holly Schmidt-Davis Dog Training Instructor Sunny Acres Pet Resort Durham, North Carolina Glenwood Animal Hospital Raleigh, North Carolina |
Training philosophy I love to watch a unified dog/handler team, the kind where each seems to anticipate the other’s next move, where they read each other’s emotions and radiate joy in their relationship. You can find these teams doing almost anything – therapy work, agility, obedience, search and rescue, and just walking around the neighborhood. But as easy as these teams make it seem, almost no one finds achieving this kind of relationship effortless – it takes well thought out, consistent work. One of the most difficult aspects of this work is for us as humans to understand that our canine partners are dogs, not humans in fur suits! Sometimes I think our dogs are better at understanding the differences in species than we are – so many dogs put up with things from humans that they never would from another dog. But it’s our job as dog owners to learn to read our dog and to teach them the skills they need to survive in order to live with human beings. As an instructor, I want to teach dog owners how to train their dogs in a fun, positive way. All of us have moments of frustration with ourselves and with our dogs, and I want to be there to support my students through these times and to help them work towards a stronger, more joyful relationship with their dogs. Formal Education Masters in Education University of North Carolina at Greensboro Continuing Education January 2006, Heal Your Healing, Carol Maupin, 5 hours November 2005, Canine Freestyle, Carolyn Scott, 8 hours October 2005, Bringing Your Clicker Training Skills to the Next Level, Sherri Lippman and Virginia Broitman, 16 hours July 2005, Rally Seminar, Sue Vickery, 8 hours July 2005, AKC Rally Judges Seminar, 8 hours June 2005, Dealing with Distractions, Sarah Wilson, 3 hours June 2005, Beyond a Bait Bag, Sarah Wilson, 3 hours January 2005, Turkey Creek Winter Seminar, Cheryl Kennedy, 20 hours November 2004, Search and Rescue Seminar, Cheryl Kennedy, 20 hours August 2004, Relationship Games 1, Sarah Wilson, 6 hours February, 2004, From Pups to Problems, Trish King, 16 hours February 2004, Search and Rescue Seminar, Deborah Palman, 18 hours October, 2003, Beginning Airscenting Dogs, Buzz McKenzie, 32 hours July, 2003, Fundamentals of Search and Rescue, Todd Brown, 40 hours April, 2003, Advanced Training Theory, Pamela Reid, 16 hours November, 2002, The Other End of the Leash, Patricia McConnell, 8 hours August, 2002, Multi-Dog Households Issues and Behavior Modification, Lori Frear, 8 hours June, 2002,Temperament Testing and its Applications, Lori Frear, 8 hours May, 2002, Principles of Operant Conditioning, Lori Frear, 8 hours March, 2001, Advanced Clicks and Tricks, Virginia Broitmman & Sherri Lippman, 8 hours February, 2001, Coaching the Canine Athlete, Chris Zink, 16 hours Teaching experience Field Trip Class: Teamworks Dog Training, 2004 Obedience Games Classes: Teamworks Dog Training, 2004 CGC I and CGC II: Teamworks Dog Training, 2001-2003 Well Mannered Pet 1: Glenwood Animal Hospital, 2005 Well Mannered Pet 2: Glenwood Animal Hospital, 2005 Fun Clicker Tricks: Glenwood Animal Hospital, 2005 Awards AKC Rally Novice Title, Ender, Border Collie, Carolina Border Collie Rescue adoptee AKC Canine Good Citizen Certificate, Nate, Shetland Sheepdog, Triangle Sheltie Rescue adoptee AKC Canine Good Citizen Certificate, Ender, Border Collie, Carolina Border Collie Rescue adoptee NASAR Search and Rescue Technician II |
 |
| This picture was taken by Diane Lewis, a wonderful photographer. Check out the handsome Sheltie on the dogwalk! |