TEACHING ALL DOGS NEW TRICKS

Interview with Top Dog Trainer, Myra Markley

By Laura Harvey

When I set out to interview Myra Markley, founder and trainer of an obedience/service dog training school, I didn’t realize the depth in which her instructional studio went to facilitate dog owners to be self-reliant and self-sufficient.

Her program is much more than teaching your pet to sit and stay and roll over; it involves life-saving knowledge on both the dog’s part, as well as the owner’s part.

I sat down with Myra at her training studio after the last four-legged client had exited the building. I began with questions to find out more about her unique practice.

Q1. How did you get started training dogs?

I started my dog training career rather by accident. Being physically disabled myself and when I began living on my own, I realized I needed help, and other people were not always around when I needed them. I had heard of service dogs for disabled people and had even encountered a few when I would be going to my appointments at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. The dogs are always very well-behaved, and for the most part, I barely noticed they were there.

So here is where it all started for me. There was one day in particular when I was bringing in groceries and putting everything away when I dropped a bottle of ketchup on the floor. Nothing spilled, but I could not pick it up. I am unable to bend down to the ground to pick things up; all of the tools that I use to pick up fallen objects could not grip the heavy, awkward plastic bottle. After many failed attempts to pick it up, I thought to myself, “If I had a dog here, I would have had this thing off the floor by now.”

Eventually, I did call a relative who came over to help. But it was at that moment I realized I needed to do something. Having never owned a dog and definitely never trained a dog, I really didn’t know what I was getting into, but I was determined to try. After all, I thought to myself, “How hard could it be?”. Spoiler alert; It’s not that easy. So I searched rescues and the pound, and I finally found a young golden retriever.

Q2. What makes your training unique or different from other trainers?

I think what makes my training methods different from others is the fact that I myself am physically disabled, like many of my clients. Physically disabled people cannot physically train a dog like an able-bodied person. We have to make accommodations for our disability while still being able to effectively communicate with the dog. Also, there are many different types of physical limitations, so I had to learn to think outside of my personal box; not only to figure out how to train a dog to do something using my limited physical abilities, but I also had to learn to teach others how to work within their own physical disabilities to teach their dog the skills, and the behaviors, that they needed. This often meant I had to do everything one-on-one with each individual client. There are so many different ways to teach a dog to sit (for example). An able-bodied person simply lures the dog’s head up. A person sitting in a wheelchair will usually end up with a dog in their lap if they try this. It’s all a matter of position and movement, and it’s always individualized.

I immediately started learning as much as I could about dogs in general (books, videos, articles, etc.), and I started taking classes with a dog trainer to learn how to turn this dog into not only a well-behaved pet but a service dog to help me.

Teaching a dog to pick up an item when you can’t pick it up means you cannot show the dog what to do easily. And, of course, dropping something means you might not be able to pick it up again for a long time, especially if the dog doesn’t do it for you. These are challenges that have to be worked around, given each individual’s abilities.

Then, there’s always the challenge of does the dog have the drive and desire to do the job. There are some dogs that just don’t want to be service dogs, they just want to be pets, and that needs to be identified and respected, or you’ll end up with everyone being frustrated. It’s also the fact that not all dogs learn the same way, so if you don’t have several different ways to teach an individual behavior to the dog, you may not be successful simply because the dog does not understand. I always take time to try to learn the dog’s personality and language, as well as the client’s personality and language, to figure out how to teach both of them to work well together.

Q3. What are the benefits of professional training?

Teaching a dog to be obedient on your own is fantastic if you can do it. Getting information from a book or watching videos is a great place to start. However, nearly everybody will come across some aspect of the training that is just not going well, and both the human and the dog might become frustrated.

Many people will work with a trainer right from the start to hopefully avoid a lot of frustration. Having a trainer right there, onsite, to point out something you’re doing at the moment that’s confusing the dog can be extremely beneficial. Also, trainers can read the dog’s body language better than most owners and can tell the owner why the dog is having so much trouble. The trainer can then suggest another method or two to try. This way, we’re not only training the dog but working on the relationship between the handler/owner and the dog.

Q4. Can you really teach an old dog new tricks?

Yes, you can absolutely teach an old dog new tricks. Over the years, I’ve worked with some dogs that were pets for the first six years of their life. A few of them even became service dogs. Others I worked with were just to help teach a few fun tricks to give the dog and owner something amusing to do.

Q5. What are the benefits of pet owners training with their dogs?

Having the owner train the dog with the guidance of a trainer is the way I prefer to do dog training. I want the owner as involved as possible. Not only does it teach the owner how to communicate with their dog, but also how to listen to what their dog needs. Once they understand how to teach the dog to do something, they can teach their dog to do just about anything. Communication is absolutely essential, and if the owner doesn’t know how to communicate with the dog and maintain the behaviors, the dog will

I’ve made a positive impact in their lives andtaught them some new skills that will continue to benefit them in the future.

Q7. Are different breeds better for service and/or therapy dogs?

Breed really only matters depending on the type of job you want to do. You can’t expect a small dog to brace somebody without getting hurt. Tiny dogs can do retrieving, provided they can physically pick up the items. Again, sometimes this is a problem. If the dog is being trained for more anxiety or psychological disability, small dogs are much easier to travel with than larger often regress back into doing anything to get the owner to interact with it again. Sometimes these behaviors are problematic.

Q6. How have you made a difference in your community?

I have worked with many disabled individuals over the years, and I have seen them grow in confidence as they work with their dogs. They also grow in confidence when being in public because now they have the assistance they need and don’t need to rely on other people as much. Being independent is a wonderful thing. I hope dogs. Dogs have already been selectively bred for many different jobs, which is why we have so many breeds to choose from. It’s best to select a breed that already has the desired job in its traits. The obvious example is retrieving and thus getting a retriever. If you need bracing, you will need a nice, large, sturdy dog.

If you’re looking for more of a medical alert, such as a diabetic alert, a dog with a really good sense of smell, such as a beagle, can work very well, although many other breeds can do the job just as well. Dogs bred to be friendly and outgoing companions can make wonderful therapy dogs.

You also need to consider the personality of the individual dog. Shy and nervous dogs don’t do well in crowded public places and should not be expected to work in situations that make them uncomfortable. They just won’t do a good job because they are too uncomfortable. Not all dogs want to work and are not enthusiastic about doing the things the owner asks of them.

These things should not be forced; encouragement is fine. It’s also a matter of relationship between the dog and the owner. If the two have a very good bond, the dog will want to help the human. If the dog wants to help you, the dog will find a way to do it and may overcome some of the fear and insecurity of being out in the world with the person.

Q8. What tips do you have for pet parents?

If you’re getting a dog to become a service dog or a therapy dog, don’t pick the dog simply because it is cute. A common mistake I see is that they pick a dog that is shy or a little timid, and the person feels like he or she needs to take that dog to protect it to make it feel better. That’s totally noble and ideal if you just want a family pet. If you want a working dog, you need to find a very outgoing and confident dog, but also the dog that wants to be with and help the individual. Additionally, while training, being patient is vitally important.

Q9. How has your style or practice of training changed or evolved over the years?

My style doesn’t change very much. I’ve always been very flexible, and I try to take time to figure out the personality and drive of the dog and the owner so I can figure out how to help the two of them work well as a team. A lot of the methods that I have used over the years have changed because every team is unique, and not everyone trains the same way. I have to figure out how to help that person communicate with that dog, given the fact they don’t speak the same language. Often I have to help build a language for both of them through not only verbal but physical signals that they can both understand. This also means that the human has to learn to read the dog’s language and understand what the dog is saying, which can be complicated because dogs are not verbal like humans, and most humans misread the subtle physical signals from the dog.

Q10. What’s the most rewarding thing about being a trainer?

The most rewarding thing is definitely seeing a successful team working well out in public. I’ve run into several of my clients in random places, like Walmart or the grocery store, over the years, and it is always a delight to see the person and the dog doing so well with their daily lives.

More About Myra

The commitment Myra has to her program and her clients, both human and canine, is truly commendable. I have a whole new perspective on what it takes to train a dog to be a service or therapy animal.

If you’d like more information about Myra and her training practices, check out her book; Managing Mutts: Training a Focused K9, that’s available on Amazon.

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