July/August 2010 - Dogs Naturally Magazine

Susan with Caleb
I realize a lot of Caleb's early health issues
were due to being vaccinated while
having ear infections. He was almost 3
when I finally got in with a holistic vet
that helped me rebuild his immune system.
One of the reasons I began looking
into Micah's breeder was because she
weaned to raw and did minimum vaccines.
It was one of the hardest steps I
have ever taken. It is so against my
"teaching" about health care for my
pets. But I had already eliminated vaccines
from my personal life so why
would I vaccinate my dogs?
What is your greatest accomplishment?
Some would say almost having my Obedience
Trial Championship would be
the greatest accomplishment since I
own a training center and actively compete.
But, I must say my greatest accomplishment
is Caleb's. He sired a
littler of puppies for Leader Dog for the
Blind and now has dogs in harness. One
of the puppies that did not make it as a
Leader Dog is helping abused children
talk about their abuse and will actually
sit in the witness stand as they testify
against their abusers. They want Caleb
back for another donation and plan on
including Micah in the program once his
OFA's are done.
What are your goals for the future?
Once Caleb finishes his OTCh I want
to get back into tracking. I have
never gotten a TD and would like
one on both of the boys. This fall
Micah should be making his AKC
Novice debut. I have been amazed
at this boy. The lady I train with
thinks he will be able to go right
through all three titles and be very
competitive at the top levels of obedience--and
not just the Labradors,
but all obedience. He has been a
challenge for me but oh do I love
that boy! I also know with Caleb
being over seven now I am facing
his retirement which breaks my
heart, but knowing that he's raw fed
and minimum vaccines I do expect
him to be healthy enough to keep
competing for a while.
What advice would you give to people
starting out with Natural Rearing?
The thing that helped me the most was
having a good mentor who didn't
"push things down my throat" but let
me read and learn for myself and
then was there for me when I had
questions. I think now at the training
center most of the regular people
are feeding raw now and doing minimum
vaccinating. Also find a good
vet that you can work with and talk
to. I left a vet because he told me
that people who fed raw are killing
their dogs and that the next thing
that happens is that they stop vaccinating.
I calmly told him that I had
been feeding Caleb raw since he was
six months old. That was my last
visit there. About five years later I
had a client come in and ask me
about feeding raw and that her vet
told her it is a good way to go if you
have a good mentor. I thought,
"Wow!" and asked who her vet was:
it was the one who had told me I was
killing my dog by feeding raw! My
how things change!
What advice would you give to
people wanting to get involved
with obedience?
Find someone who has trained to advanced
levels and has trained multiple
dogs. Ask anyone who trains, what
might work for one dog might not work
for another. You want someone who
has multiple tools in the their tool belt.
Most importantly it must be fun for you
and your dog. If you and your dog are
not having fun (and yes we all have bad
days) something has to change. For my
boys it's all about having fun, we play in
our work.. They fight to get to be the
one who gets to "work" first and the
other moans and whines waiting their
turn. They love to work!
Finally, be able to laugh at yourself and
your dog. Have fun! I love obedience.
I've done some agility but my
heart is obedience. It's only boring if
you make it boring! I'm blessed to be
able to train myself under one of the top
instructors in the nation. When I
started you had to be invited to come to
their classes. So that means I am still
being challenged to grow as a trainer
which makes me continue to grow as an
instructor.
www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com July/August 2010 | 9
Susan with Michah