• Address: Anoka, MN 55303 (map)
• Date Posted: 12/07/09

(owners who have unruly dogs, this is for you also but with a very, very low fee since I'm not pro yet & don't feel it's right to overcharge).

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***** IT IS LONG BUT PLEASE DON'T FLAG BECAUSE OF THAT*** I just need to help and this is important. I need to feel like I have a purpose and I have talent and NEED to share or I'll keep going down this twisted tunnel into a deep, dark pit with little chance of getting out. That's Depression to me. I've been to the worst with this illness (it's not a choice to be sad or hurt, it's a chemical imbalance in the brain . . . a real illness) and back again. I know when I'm in that tunnel and I'm there. I don't want to go back to the pit :( I just want to help & learn b/c that is what makes me happy. Please don't flag b/c of this. Thank you for not doing it. *****

Now I don't even know where to begin. The beginning is always the toughest part when writing and then I can't stop once I've passed it (as you scroll down and drop your jaw you'll see what I mean! :P ). I've edited this over and over trying to make it shorter and it keeps getting longer lol! I wanted to make sure you know who I am prior to meeting me . . . b/c I am afraid of something and that something can easily hold me back. However, I tend to do better and exceed my own expectations when I know that someone on the other line is expecting something of me and knows my situation. I know I can't have that for everything in my life, but this is a good start for me to branch out more.

I am diagnosed with Chronic Depression & anxiety and I know that I will have it for the rest of my life. It goes up and down but it's better when I have something to do and keep busy with. I thought I wanted to be a vet when I was younger. That's what kids think of - they like animals and the only job they know is a veterinarian. I learned that there are more options out there. Thankfully :) b/c my grades in high school weren't that great. So, I thought "Well why not vet tech? Still get to work with animals and I love animal medicine." So last year when I posted about pet sitting and training I had "in-training" to back up my experience. Then in the beginning of this year I dropped out not only because I couldn't afford it anymore, but I had very low grades in all classes as well. I knew why I received those grades. I lost interest in what I was going to school for. I was paying for something that I dreaded doing. Don't get me wrong, I thought I was interested and vet tech is good for a lot of people, but there was something about that job that didn't click with me. Whatever it was it made a big enough impact on how I feel about it. It also made me think back to another possibility. Something that was always there, present in my life, but was covered up by what I thought I loved - animal medicine.

While growing up I was the neighborhood kid taking in strays that people found and eventually turning them over to the only shelter in town or trying to rehabilitate the injured wildlife (if I knew I could, nothing like a broken leg) and release them, feeding feral cats from nearby fields or their kittens that happened to be under my deck left abandoned, and even . . . grabbing snakes out of the hands of bored boys who were twirling them like ropes or cutting off their heads or skinning them alive (sometimes I wasn't fast enough to save them...). Had some mean kids in my neighborhood back then :( I also grew very fond of training people's dogs. Offering advice that I learned from Trial & Error with my own dogs' behavior problems and even simple obedience (so far, the only thing I haven't mastered is a good, solid off-leash recall).

So what is this other thing? It's animal behavior. THAT has always been the passion in my life and I know that now. It's not just working with animals (namely dogs, because that is what I know....but I'm not closed off to others) that gets my heart to race out of excitement from the challenge. It's working with their owners. It's listening to the people talk about how they can't seem to train their dog and putting that ounce of hope into me. So I take in what they say and see how they behave around their pets and family, then I go through the huge library of information in my head (gathered from since when I could see, hear, read, and understand - I'm writing a few books even) and draw it out to make a plan that will likely work for that animal and it's family. It's combining both human and animal lives, not just working with one. I love dogs, I really do find them fascinating creatures, but what I love more is seeing the expression on the owner's face when they taught their dog something with my help. THAT is what makes me happy. THAT is what makes me feel like I have a purpose. Helping them. Being the bridge that connects both animal and human worlds making them get along and understand each other is my passion. It has *always* been my passion but it took me the majority of my life to figure that out (I am 22 now).

So why am I writing here? I hope that someone out there can, or at least try to, understand where I am coming from with Depression & Anxiety and wanting to share what I believe only because I enjoy it and of what people say - "a gift." I want to share my knowledge and LEARN from those who are out there doing what I so often crave to do . . . but I hold back b/c I'm afraid of failing. I don't mind sharing this with everyone who reads it. I have nothing to hide. I just want help. Yes I am looking for a real paying job, but most of this post is to volunteer with a rescue or a few to gain experience and to test myself. I want to help train dogs/pups so that they have a better chance of getting adopted. So many potential adopters out there are looking for dogs that already know commands and are well behaved. While most of us (those who work with canines and know about them to that degree) know that is highly unlikely, it still doesn't hurt to attempt training. Even just the basic commands like 'sit' and 'come' have an advantage to the dog that knows it versus the one that doesn't. I can teach all basics except a firm 'come' off leash, but I have a strong interest in aggression & dominance (they are different). I'm a problem solver when it comes to "problem dogs" (as some call dogs who are difficult to train due to negative behavior) pulling all of what I know and seeking help from knowledgeable sources to plan and pursue a goal behavior.

So anyone who works in a rescue who feels that their dogs would benefit from someone who is willing to train them for free, please contact me. I combine Positive Reinforcement with every method I teach. I am knowledgeable of more than one style of training as well. I can go into details if you like, but to sum up what I know I'll put it like this: Everything Cesar Milan teaches people, I learned on my own like he did. Trial & Error means everything and just because one method works on most dogs, does not mean it will work on ALL dogs. There are more styles of training out there than Positive Reinforcement and Cesar can call them what he likes, but by dictionary terms what he does is Natural and Dominance Training. ***Now it's NOT the kind that was used back in the 50's . . . so there is nothing to be afraid of. Making the dog lay on its side until it fully relaxes is a form of Dominance training. It does not hurt them. I am sure there are trainers out there that would never write this b/c they fear people will turn their services down, but I believe that people have a right to know the source (we've modified it over the years and we will continue to do so b/c that's what humans do with everything - we like to fix and change things :] One of those things is behavior).

I want to help where it is desired. I know it is, but I don't know how to go about it or who to speak to about it. I know I could just call a place (but where?) but I cannot explain myself like this over the phone. I am good at writing it. And as you can tell, I get into it. I feel what I write and can get carried away (obviously :p ). I believe I stated earlier (like in the morning when you started reading haha) that I don't mind who sees this. I can't say all of this over the telephone and I want whomever I'll be working with to know ahead of time. I don't mind it because it is me at my core. I am told I am "poised and professional" in the public eye, determined when I have my mind set on something, and not once have I ever gotten bored with animal behavior. I love the challenges it brings and am very good at researching. I would like to attend Triple Crown Dog Training Academy (for dog trainers) (aka Triple Crown) in Texas someday but do not have the funds currently. I have attended a personal tour of the school and absolutely loved it :) Though, I don't think that in order to be a good trainer/behaviorist you must have a degree because the degrees vary and usually only include one or two styles of training (not every dog or owner can work with that). My knowledge and the knowledge I seek are well rounded and keep growing because like so many dogs, I am eager to please :) Triple Crown is the best in the U.S. and well known around the world. I will go there someday. I will. For now, though, I need to work on experience and I can't stand to not share what I know so far because every time I do something positive happens. Seriously, my heart is hurting and it's stressful because I should be out there helping & learning and my . . . problems are keeping me back. I have had enough. I just want to help.

So again, for the last time, (hoping this will indeed be the last paragraph :p ) if anyone out there wants help from someone who is often told she should create a business with the knowledge she has (I'm already working on writing books about my own methods), then please email me. I will respond, even though I'm afraid of taking chances sometimes because I fear failure . . . but I didn't write all of this for nothing.


Have a wonderful week and thank you for taking time to read all of this.



~C.