Hi

[JaymeLee]

Hi,
My name is Jayme and I'm from NSW, Australia. I have always loved animals of all shapes and sizes and spent my childhood hooked on 'Harry's Practice', a vet show in Aus. They used to show tricks each week and I as a child I trained the family dog to do each one! I still have a lot to learn and am always happy to seek advice from others. I have a degree in Animal Science and an understanding of animal behaviour but want to get as much experience and knowledge about training as I can. I have three dogs:
Shadow, a 13 year old Japanese Spitz, who I rescued from a puppy mill when she was 10. She was due to be euthanised because she had a phantom litter and was no longer 'productive'. She is the sweetest little thing on 4 legs, she's taken a lot of work to get her confident around other people and different situations but with time, patience and praise she has come very far, although her age is starting to have an affect.
Brandee is a 6.5 year old Belgian Mallinois x Kelpie, who was born in the pound and rescued by my husband. She is a great dog as my husband and I put a lot of effort into her training in her first few years of life followed by a couple of years of agility training. She is very obedient, her biggest challenges are separation anxiety and a phobia of storms and the sound of gun shots (we used to live near a military base).
Ellie is a 1.5 year old Staffy x whippet (best guess!), and is an absolute nutter! I got her from a family who had bought a puppy and then decided that they couldn't handle a puppy. From all I could see she had been bought and left alone in the backyard, when I went to see her she was cowering in the middle of an exposed yard on a shred of blanket (there was no shelter). She has turned into a great dog as we have given her an outlet for her energy through obedience and agility training, she has very strong food and prey drives. She has insecurity issues when it comes to unfamiliar settings, and is very anxious about meeting people in these environments. The dog club we are members of is full of great people who are willing to help her settle in so we are working together to make sure she gets the confidence she needs.
I also have 2 cats, one of which I am in the process of clicker training. He can sit, touch and turn so far!

[mansbestfriend]

Hi and welcome.