Emi-Jo Barkley Certified Dog Trainer
I have been in love with dogs my entire life and training for competition since I was 10. I believe that everyone has their "calling" and I am positive that this is mine. I have worked with many different breeds and trained them for many different reasons including, Pet training, Obedience, Rally, Hunting, Flyball, Agility, and Conformation. Many dogs I have trained have gone on to do amazing things. I have trained dogs that have earned the national title of number one obedience, agility and flyball dog in their breed. Even though I have a deep love for competition training, I have also volunteered at the humane society working with dogs to get them ready for their new home and many people that are just looking for a well behaved companion. I have my certificate, but I don’t believe that is what makes me the dog trainer I am. The experience and love of what I do is what really defines me. I try to go to as many seminars as I can to make sure I stay up to date on new and upcoming training methods. I listen to what everyone believes in, but I do not have one set way to train a dog. Since no dog learns the same as the next, I strive to come up with a method for each dog specifically that will make training easy and fun. My goal is to keep their tail wagging and their mind working. The saddest thing for me to see is a dog in any home or sport with its tail tucked. Would you want to do something if you were nervous and confused every time you did it? My favorite part of training is that look your dog will give you when the light comes on and they go "oh that’s what you wanted!"