Dog Training with Michelle Jackson

Date: 3/11/2010

It all started with a poorly behaved poodle. Michelle Jackson, one of Pender’s pet obedience training professionals, is a lifelong dog lover who fell into her line of work almost by accident. Fifteen years ago, Michelle’s strong-willed standard poodle would take her for walks, as opposed to the other way around: “When I’d walk him, he’d leave me falling flat on my face! He definitely needed some training.” After enrolling her poodle in puppy classes, Michelle found her passion in training her pet and continued on to receive AKC and UKC dog training titles in obedience and agility.

Michelle’s pet dogs continue to play a role in her training, too: Casper, her 5-year-old Coton De Tulear, is often her model for the rest of the participants in her puppy classes at Pender. Ever the trusty demo dog, Casper was a little over eager during class one day: “I carry Casper in a mesh crate that zips up,” she says. “He’s learned how to unzip the crate, so now I lock it to keep him from escaping. One day in class, I was in the middle of training when Casper heard my voice and started hopping in my direction while still locked in the crate!”

When asked how teaching puppy classes at Pender differed from working independently, Michelle had nothing but praise for her employer: “It’s great to be in a veterinary building, where veterinarians and other specialists are always around to answer questions and help with problems should they pop up.”

For more information on puppy classes at Pender and information on other veterinary training programs, Contact us today and check out our events page for an up-to-date schedule of classes and seminars at Pender.