Kelly McFarlane sets out some brief guidelines for speaking to the media in a professional capacity

Taking Responsibility

Julie Humiston entered the world of dog training after a career in the arts, and now runs her own business offering a variety of dogrelated services. In our ongoing series of PPG member profiles, this month BARKS features Julie Humiston of Puppy Love Dog Training in Medina, Minnesota

Q: Can you tell us a bit more about yourself, how you first got into animal behavior and training and what you are doing now?

A: I worked in the graphic arts for many years and was considering a career change. When I got a new puppy in the mid 90s, I decided to open a dog walking/pet sitting business. I also began volunteering at a local humane society. I spent the next few years studying dog behavior and training and "practicing" on my clients' dogs, and, in 2004, I sold my dog walking business and switched to dog training. I also worked for several other local dog training businesses over the years. Now, Puppy Love Dog Training offers private lessons, day training, small group classes, and behavior consults.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your own pets.

A: My dogs are Emma, a 9yearold border collie who has dabbled in obedience, rally, agility, and herding, and currently does mostly nose work. Pi is my 2yearold border collie who loves obedience, rally and parkour. Jack is an 11yearold Lab mix that I adopted from a small rural shelter. I had originally adopted his mother, Angie, who was at the shelter with her litter of puppies, but, sadly, she died of cancer a year later. A year and a half later, perusing Petfinder, I was shocked to find one of Angie's puppies still living at the same small shelter. Jack was 3 years old when I finally got him and even though he had some “issues” in the beginning, he is now such a good boy! I also have two cats and six sheep.

Q: Why did you become a dog trainer or pet care provider?

A: Of course, I love dogs. But after volunteering at a shelter I wanted to help keep perfectly good dogs from being surrendered and even euthanized, often just because they didn't get adequate or proper socialization and training as puppies.

Q: What do you consider to be your area of expertise?

A: Puppy training and socialization, reactive dogs, and fearful dogs.

Q: Are you a crossover trainer or have you always been a force‐free trainer?

A: I probably jerked a leash or two before I ever went to my first training class. But I don't really consider myself a crossover trainer because once I started formally training my own dogs, I rejected all the "traditional" training advice I got. I walked out of a few classes and seminars, which was not always easy to do. Even though I didn't know much at the time, I knew I didn't want to do hurtful things to dogs. Luckily, I live in a fairly large metropolitan area, so I had lots of choices of places to go, and clicker training was becoming better known at the time. Julie Humiston with border collie Emma (left) and Labrador mix Jack © Julie Humiston

Q: What drives you to be a force‐free professional and why is it impor‐tant to you?

A: I believe if we tame an animal or use him/her in any way for our own purposes, we must take full responsibility for his/her quality of life. Dogs, especially, give us so much — we owe them a lot. I also think being nicer to dogs (and all animals) can help you be nicer to humans too, and the world certainly needs more of that.

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

A: Just making any amount of progress and knowing that people are seeing that their dogs actually can be trained. I've even had people say, "Wow, I guess he's not hopeless after all!" Also, when I can convince a student/client to wait patiently and quietly while their dog figures something out and then the thrill they get out of seeing how he can be successful without being controlled or pushed around. And, of course, puppies!

Q: Who has most influenced your career and how?

A: I've learned from so many people: Kathy Sdao, Patricia McConnell, Kay Laurence, Jean Donaldson, Sophia Yin, Suzanne Clothier, Ken Ramirez, Suzanne Hetts, Emily Larlham, and many others. I've learned from some less than forcefree trainers too, if only what I don’t want to do. I try to take the good each has to offer and combine it into my own style and philosophy.

“I believe if we tame an animal or use him/her in any way for our own purposes, we must take full responsibility for his/her quality of life. Dogs, especially, give us so much — we owe them a lot. I also think being nicer to dogs (and all animals) can help you be nicer to humans too, and the world certainly needs more of that.” - Julie Humiston

Q: What awards or competition placements have you and your dog(s) achieved using force‐free methods?

A: I'm not a big competitor – I mostly just like to play! But Emma has a couple of obedience and rally titles (some first places and a national ranking in rally), one agility title, one nose work title, and is an Expert Trick Dog. Pi has novice titles in obedience, rally and parkour.

Q: What are some of your favorite positive reinforcement techniques for the most commonly encountered client‐dog problems?

A: I used to use negative punishment in the form of removing attention for dogs that jump up. Now, I try to click and treat the dog before he even has a chance to jump. I saw this effectively demonstrated by Steve White at a seminar with a really “wild” dog and loved it. I also do a lot of shaping because I think it makes dogs both smarter and more cooperative. I especially like to use it to crate train dogs and to get them comfortable with grooming and handling. I love Doggy Zen, i.e. games to teach impulse control, too, because people are always amazed at how fast their chow hounds will politely leave a handful of food alone. Q: What advice would you give to a new trainer starting out?

A: Work with as many different dogs as you can. Volunteer with a shelter or rescue. And never stop educating yourself.

Q: How has PPG helped you to become a more complete trainer?

A: I love all the educational opportunities PPG offers. I'm an education junkie! n Puppy Love Dog Training ( puppylove.biz ) is based in Medina, Minnesota. To be featured in the BARKS Profile section, please complete this form : bit.ly/2y9plS1

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