If you are a regular blog follower you know that I spent some months last winter and spring training with Suzanne and Sundance; that ended with a Tracking Dog title for Sundance.
In the summer I was asked to help a person with draft training — but she is 500 miles away. We used technology to facilitate our work together, and that team is having fantastic success.
I do not, of course, take credit — it is the teams that did the work and earned the titles.
But it is great fun to have a part, however small, in supporting the adventures of dog/person teams. Even more, it is an honor to be invited on the journey (as a sort of annoying back seat driver).
Training dogs is actually the much smaller part of working with teams — the expertise required to effectively support dog/human teams includes more about working with humans than I could list here (and keep your interest).
I literally teach that stuff to graduate students.
Educating humans how to work effectively with other humans is my professional thing — I have tenure at a university and a professional mental health license to prove it.
And training dogs — my passion for over two decades.
How grateful I am to Suzanne and Crystal for reminding me how enjoyable it is to companion teams as they set and achieve goals.
I want to do more of it.
And so I will.
Starting in January.
Dog training that is focused on the human side of the team — in kind, respectful, supportive, and informed ways.
Online.
Small groups.
Four months (think 2020 Specialty).
And because giving back and creating community matter to me…
Seriously. Free.
Additional details in late November — but you may request that the additional information be emailed to you when it is available (sontag.bowman@gmail.com).
Notes: Limited to Berner Peeps for now.
P.S. And speaking of building community — Secret Santa coming soon (not limited to Berner Peeps!).