About the Trainer

                        
                             Sam, Ozzie, Beth and Lavy

My mom likes to tell this story: as a toddler, the only time I would walk was to reach the horses and if I was not allowed near them, I would scream my “fool head off.”  Even as a child, I had an uncanny ability to settle almost any horse and was drawn to the unruly ones.  I was always trying tactics and approaches different from conventional trainers’ techniques, and I knew that there had to be a better option than using force.

Fast forward to my first dog as an adult, a very loyal but independent Siberian Husky called Windy.  I took her through basic training classes and found myself paying more attention to how the trainer was interacting with other pet parents and their dogs.  I kept searching for ways to challenge our learning.  Because Windy was a dog that loved activity, I decided to find her a "job".  We found her a job that challenged her to think, focus, and use up all that excess energy: Search and Rescue.  Unfortunately, time commitments wouldn't allow us to continue on the rescue team, so we sought out agility and obedience, at which she also excelled. However, due to cancer, we were unable to make it far into the competition ring, though we had a couple of titles in obedience and agility.  Windy died at the age of six, after a short battle with liver cancer.

             
                                    Elmo
Then came Elmo, the dog that cemented my career as a trainer and taught me patience.  Elmo was a Rottweiler from Wisconsin Humane Society, who found his way into my heart and home at 8 months of age.  Because he was a Rottweiler, I threw myself into training and was consumed by making him an "Ambassador to the Breed".  I found myself apprenticing with a local training school and working hard on Elmo's obedience titles and therapy certifications.  At two years old, Elmo had achieved certifications for Delta Society and Therapy Dog International, so we began our work with epileptic children and found that he was a seizure alert dog.  Much to my dismay, we lost Elmo at six years old due to cancer.

                          
                                    Ollie
I spent about six months without a dog, while I was searching for just the right "kid" to join me on my dog training journey.  That young man came into my life in August of 2005.  His name was Ollie, and he was an American Bulldog/Pit Bull Mix from Elmbrook Humane Society and was supposed to just be a "foster".  Well, that didn't last too long, and he became a permanent fixture in my home.  Suddenly, I knew what it felt like to have a partner in my dog training career.  While Elmo had always been a fantastic demo dog, Ollie was my partner.  He reflected everything I ever worked toward as a dog trainer and more.  He and I worked as a team and rarely had a misunderstanding.  In his short two years by my side, he taught me more than any animal I have ever worked with, for that I will be eternally grateful and have rededicated my training and behavior modification programs to him.  Ollie taught me how to handle an aggressive dog without anger or fear, he taught me how to think outside the box, and he pushed me to be creative.  I found myself thinking ahead and watching his body language.  I learned from him how to get through to clients with problem dogs easier and more effectively, especially dogs with dog-to-dog aggression.  Now, Ollie wouldn't have hurt a person or child, the worst he would do was lick you all over.  But dogs were a challenge because of a sneak attack that was out of my control, which taught me how to rebuild confidence while managing an issue.  We made it through....only to have him stolen from me much too soon.  On June 16, 2007 we lost Ollie (at two years old) due to Pancreatitis after a week long battle and thousands of dollars; I did all I could save him.  I have lost other animals in my life, but none that have left me feeling as though a part of me is missing.
                    
                                   Lavy
In July of 2006, the tornado that I called Lavy came flying into my life as a foster from Elmbrook Humane Society.  After a couple of months of fostering, I decided that she should stay, as Ollie and Lavy were two-peas-in-a-pod.  Lavy was my special needs "kid", coming to me with demodex manage and needing shots.  Lavy went every where with me the first year of her life, being socialized and exposed to everything, unfortunately she became reactive to other dogs outside of the home.  The weird thing about Lavy was the fact that she was a dream with any dog inside her house.  In fall of 2007, Lavy started to develop seizures (petit mal and focal) that we got under control fairly quickly.  Unfortunately, on April 7th, 2008, Lavy lost her battle with epilipsy.  She is whole and happy, enjoying her re-union with Ollie.
                
                                    Ozzie
After I lost Ollie, I went on the hunt for a new demo dog.  What I found was cute little spotty puppy that we called Ozzie, a llewelin English Setter.  I wanted a laid back dog, but got a busy little dude that keeps me on my toes.  Fortunately for him, he is very cute and learns exteremly quickly.  He is shaping up to be a fun little dog to work with.  Watch for him at classes and events.

Hopefully, with that bit of background into my ownership of dogs, you can see that I am dedicated to their training, as well as to the training of my clients’ dogs. 

I look forward to speaking with you about your dog and what I can do to help.

With the love of dogs,
Beth Madunic