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Susan Shearer, a Senior Canine Educator
& AKC CGC Evaluator She has fostered
over 20 dogs initially considered unworthy
of adoption. Her efforts to rehabilitate
these challenged dogs resulted in their
successful placement in loving homes instead
of being euthanized. Susan is skilled in
many different training methodologies,
including helping dogs that are overly
assertive. She is well versed in working
with all breeds, ages and temperaments of
dogs. She serves as a mentor for Great Dog
training assistants and interns. Susan has
been our senior most canine educator since
our doors opened in 2001. She has designed
and delivers our Basic Obedience, Puppy
Steps, Growl to Great Dog, and our Canine
Good Citizen Preparation classes. She also
specializes in dog with behavior challenges.
Susan is an Agility, Rally O, and clicker
enthusiast with a special affection for the
herding breeds. Susan is a certified AKC
Canine Good Citizen evaluator.
Judi Anderson-Wright, MA, CPDT,
Evaluator for Connecting Canines®™ and
Delta Society Pet Partners®™ and
co-owner of Great Dog and a certified
professional dog trainer. Her diverse career
has included serving as the Director of
Corporate Training for a mega corporation,
which gives her insight into the best way to
reach our human learners; and working with
service animals and countless canines which
has prepared her for designing and
implementing the Great Dog Canine Education
curriculum. Judi has designed, implemented
and teaches many of our classes including
Super Puppy, Short Stuff Agility, Terriers
Need Tactics, Terrier Games, Proof It!
–Intermediate Obedience, Tricks with Clicks,
Dog Park Primer, and our Therapy Animal
Preparation Class.
Judi has attended a number of seminars on a
wide variety of canine behavior and
education topics. She specializes in
reward-based training and is a clicker
training enthusiast. She believes that early
socialization for puppies is one of the most
essential aspects of successful
co-habitation between people and dogs. Judi
has attended training with internationally
acclaimed John Rogerson and Dr. Ian Dunbar.
She has also trained under such local
highly-praised professionals as Kathy Sdao,
and world renowned Movie Dog Trainer, Anne
Gordon. Judi attended the 2007 Association
of Pet Dog Trainers International Convention
and walked away even more inspired to offer
innovative programs for us! Judi is skilled
at temperament testing puppies and in
evaluating shelter dogs hoping to find new
homes. She is a teacher for Project
CANINE®™ Healing Species and Bridges to
Compassion classes. Judi also co-directs the
Project CANINE®™ therapy dog training,
certification and visits. Opie, her JRT,
was selected as the 2006 Therapy Dog of the
Year by the Washington State Board
Veterinary Medical Association and was
inducted into the Animal Hall of Fame at
Washington State University.
Miriam Rose, CPDT,
is a Senior Canine Educator and
certified professional dog trainer through
the Association of Professional Dog
Trainers. Miriam joins us with dozens of
years of experience handling, training and
working with dogs. Miriam is dedicated to
improving our canine client's skills so that
they can lead more enriching lives. Miriam
has trainer under both John Rogerson and Dr.
Ian Dunbar. Miriam attended the 2007
Association of Pet Dog Trainers
International Convention and walked away
with some great new ways of enhancing your
learning experience at Great Dog! Miriam
has designed and teaches our Noses Know:
Scent Games and More Noses Know: Advanced
Scent Games. She also co-teaches our Growl
classes.Click
here for more on Miriam!
Leslie Csokasy,
APDT member, Evaluator for AKC CGC
and Connecting Canines®™, founder &
co-owner of Great Dog, has worked in the
canine industry for years. She is well known
for her commitment to rescuing Greyhounds at
the end of their racing careers. Over the
years she has successfully placed hundreds
of retired Greyhounds in loving homes all
over the Puget Sound area. She is a
reward-based teacher tapping into her
clicker skills and is an advocate of shaping
theories. Leslie is especially focused on
helping the Great Dog staff and public
understand pack dynamics and canine behavior
challenges. Leslie has completed extensive
training with John Rogerson and Dr. Ian
Dunbar.
Leslie specializes in sighthound training.
She has designed and teaches our Back Yard
Agility, Dog Park Primer and Greyhound
Obedience classes. She implemented and
assists with our Rally O classes. Leslie has
worked magic with her Greyhound, Eddie, who
has received his Novice leg in Rally
Obedience and is planning on competing in
Agility this summer. Her dogs, Sam & Eddie
are both certified Therapy Dogs through
Connecting Canines®™. Hoppie is just a
princess. :) Currently she is designing
and preparing to launch a new program:
Canine Urban Living®™© which will address
the needs of dogs and humans living together
successfully in our urban environment. Look
for this course to debut in late spring
2008. Leslie attended the 2007 Association
of Pet Dog Trainers International Convention
and walked away with some really inspiring
stuff! Leslie is a Canine Good Citizen
evaluator for the American Kennel Club, a
member of the APDT and plans on taking the
Certified Pet Dog Trainer exam in the Fall
of 2008.
Laurie Hardman, APDT member, Evaluator for
Connecting Canines®™ Delta Society Pet
Partners®™ and AKC CGC.
has extensive experience as a trainer and
valued resource for many service dog and
therapy dog organizations. Laurie has been
professionally training since the 80s. She
co-teaches the Therapy Animal Preparation
Course and is also the program director for
Connecting Canines and sits on the Board of
Directors for Project Canine. Laurie has
designed and implemented an innovative
program in the Shoreline School District
that pairs high school students who have
special needs with appropriate dogs to
become therapy dogs. The students then visit
local elementary schools with their dogs.
She brings a wide range of expertise to
Great Dog's educational program. Since
becoming a licensed evaluator for Delta in
1997, Laurie has evaluated hundreds of
animals, from dogs to miniature horses.
Laurie has trained so many therapy dogs we
can't name them all. Laurie has shown her
champion Portuguese Water Dog, Pickles, at
the Westminster Dog Show. Pickles is also a
service dog that can detect seizures and is
a fabulous therapy dog. Laurie has two other
therapy dogs, Kitty and Billie. Laurie is
held in high esteem for breeding Porties
with superb temperaments and
conformation. Laurie’s first therapy dog
Mandy was selected as the 1998 Delta
Society’s Beyond Limits Western Region
Therapy Dog of the Year. Laurie also has
been in the show and obedience ring for over
20 years. She has completed training with
John Rogerson, and many locally well-known
trainers.
Christine Bunke, Canine Educator is
well versed in canine communication, pack
dynamics and has strong education skills.
Christine completed her canine education
internship at Great Dog in 2006 and through
her mentorship with CPDT, Judi and Senior
Educator, Susan, she has an incredible
wealth of knowledge on how to teach a fun
and informative class. Christine brings
these skills, in conjunction with a kind
heart and passion for dogs to her Basic
Obedience, Puppy Steps and Super Puppy
classes as well as her private training
clients. Christine is exceptionally skilled
with the big rowdy or goofy dogs that are
sometimes a bit much for even the most
experienced dog enthusiast. Christine is an
advocate of the Dr. Ian Dunbar learning
program and she has completed John Rogerson
workshops on enriching games, obedience
class training, aggression, cognitive
development through the play experience,
etc. At Great Dog Daycare, Christine is our
Canine Education Administrator and a senior
member of our management team. Christine's
positive reinforcement and reward-based
training makes her a natural as a Canine
Educator for Great Dog!
Julie Sharp, Canine Educator and
APDT member, is a rapidly rising star
in Seattle's Canine Education world. Julie
joins us having completed training with John
Rogerson, Pat Miller,
and Ian Dunbar. Julie embraces kind and
humane practices and coupled with her
patience and skills, she leads an incredible
series of classes for shy, small, reactive
and aggressive dogs. Julie also has one
incredible little Chihuahua/JRT mix that has
overcome a host of issues, so Julie is a
natural to educate dog enthusiasts with the
smaller set (Itsy Bitsy). Linty is a
registered Delta Society Pet Partner and a
talented agility dog.
Julie is constantly coming up with some of
the most innovative ways to teach troubled
dogs and has already obtained quite a
following among Seattle's dog loving
community. She designed and implemented our
Reactive to Refined Dog class, the Small Dog
Social Hour, and teaches Shy to Sensational
Dog and Itsy Bitsy Obedience. Julie recently
attended the APDT international conference,
of which she is a member. Julie plans on
taking the certification exam in the autumn
of 2008.
Lisa Marie Ford, Canine Educator: Agility
has trained and competed in agility and
obedience for more than 10 years. Her Cairn
Terrier Toby has earned the title of Master
Agility Champion (MACH), the highest level
of achievement in the American Kennel Club,
and he was only the 7th Cairn to ever do so.
Toby also starred in the Fifth Avenue
Theatre’s production of the Wizard of Oz.
Lisa Marie’s Australian Shepherd Simon is
just discovering the thrill of agility
competition, and both dogs participate in
rally obedience. Lisa Marie thinks agility
is the best team sport there is, and she
focuses on helping people discover the most
encouraging and rewarding ways to interact
with their dogs.
Walter Kilmer,
Canine Educator: Rally, a
sanctioned Rally Judge He specializes in
Irish Water Spaniels and several have been
nationally recognized in conformation. Some
of you might recognize him in his day job at
Critical Care in Ballard. Walter and his
canine companions have excelled in the show
and obedience ring. Walter knows the insides
and out of winning at Rally O! |
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