About Me:

Background and my approach to dog training.

EENT…  Most people think of an eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist when they see these letters.  In all the classes, activities, and just life in general with my dog, I have learned to look at him – REALLY LOOK – at his eyes, ears, nose, and tail – EENT – to see what’s going on with him at any given moment, and to assess how receptive he is – and how successful I will be – in making our time together fun, productive, and something we both enjoy and look forward to.

My Story:
While I was working as a Program Analyst, my favorite projects were those that involved looking at a problem, finding out why and/or how it became a problem, identifying what needed to be done to turn the problem into something positive and useful, and showing my clients and customers that the new method (process/system) or tool would make their jobs easier.  Though it was frustrating at times trying to find just the right words that would convince a particular client or customer, it was always rewarding when they understood what we were trying to accomplish and joined in the effort.  Fast forward 10 years to when I brought home Lewis, my 8-week-old Basenji puppy.  Two Puppy K and Obedience classes later, I was still trying to figure out what made Lewis tick.

Using what I was learned in agility, nose work, and tracking classes and activities, coupled with the learning theory, techniques, and methods in the CATCH Canine Trainers Academy program, it turns out that my prior work experience was very similar to dog training:  look at a behavior (problem), find out the triggers (why & how) for the behavior (problem), and use reward-based training (process/system) to motivate an owner/handler and dog (client/customer) to turn the problem behavior into something acceptable (positive or useful).

If you are wondering where to begin with your new puppy, want to fine-tune your dog’s foundation skills or teach an older dog some new tricks, or need help transitioning a rescued or adopted dog to his or her new home go to the Contact Me Tab and let’s get started.

Lesley Ward, Owner/Trainer
Student dog Lewis