Suzanne Clothier makes training fun for dogs and people
Magnes is just 4 months old, but owner Sarah Tomakich has ambitious plans for him. She’s a psychotherapist, and she hopes her black miniature black poodle can earn certification as a therapy dog and go to work with her when he’s about 2.
Ms. Tomakich traveled from Lansing, Mich., to Pittsburgh’s North Hills to spend a weekend working with Suzanne Clothier, an internationally acclaimed dog trainer and author.
More than 30 owners, some of them professional dog trainers, also came. The emphasis was on training dogs for therapy visits — animal-assisted therapy.
“Treat the animals like you would like to be treated,” is one of Ms. Clothier’s mantras. “Take the feelings of the dog into question” is another phrase she frequently repeated at the seminar at the Animal Friends shelter in Ohio Township.
Magnes and other dogs traversed a course filled with “distractions,” such as a pile of cups and a person using a crutch. The point was to see if each dog continued to focus its attention on its handler.
Ms. Clothier watched carefully, and her comments to the people were always positive. “Relationship Centered Training” is the registered trademark name of what she does.
It’s all about the dog and handler working “to build a connection,” she said. It’s also about making things fun for the dog you are training, according to information on her website.
All of the dogs I saw were clearly having fun. Magnes traversed the course, his tail wagging and his eyes focused on Ms. Tomakich. He demonstrated what he already has learned in beginner obedience training classes — walking nicely on a leash and sitting on command. Other owners applauded his performance.
Notti, 4, a miniature schnauzer, cried in the arms of Jessie VanSwearingen of Green Tree as other dogs navigated the course.
“He just really wants to be out there working,” said Ms. VanSwearingen, a physical therapist and professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Notti already is a certified therapy dog, but he and his handler were there to learn more. When it was his turn on the course, Notti aced it, in my unprofessional opinion.
I also enjoyed watching the continuing education of Duncan, 2, a mixed-breed dog certified in the Animal Friends Therapet program. She was there with Carey McDougall of Beaver, director of academic affairs at Penn State University’s Beaver County campus.
The dogs got time to socialize with people — and other dogs. Magnes especially enjoyed Cliche, 1, a standard black poodle with Amber Sipes of Brookville, who is a trainer, groomer and owner of Vintage Country Pet Resort.
Zoe, an Animal Friends shelter resident who looks like a Labrador retriever mix, bounded into the training room, pulling hard on the leash held by a volunteer.
“Give her more leash, not less,” Ms. Clothier said, as she snapped a 30-foot leash on the dog’s
collar. “Now she has a large amount of freedom.”
The dog played and romped, but within 10 minutes or so she was moving toward the handler, then walking nicely by her side. It was dramatically different than any training session I’ve seen.
This was Ms. Clothier’s third trip to Pittsburgh, thanks to CARMAA — the Coalition to Adopt, Rehome and Match Abandoned Animals.
“Her book ‘Bones Would Rain From the Sky’ changed the way I look at dogs,” said April Minech of Sheridan, a dog trainer and president of CARMAA. She rescues and fosters dogs, especially Boston terriers and French bulldogs. She’s an artist who donates half of the sales of her
LadybugDelightz artwork to rescue.
The full title of that book is “If a Dog’s Prayers Were Answered, Bones Would Rain From the Sky.” CARMAA gifted me with the book, and it’s so good it will be fodder for a Pet Tales column in the near future.
Ms. Clothier is as kind to people as she is to dogs. I mention this because in my experience, many dog trainers do not have good people skills.
Ms. Clothier lives on a farm in upstate New York with 15 Scottish Highland cows, seven dogs, three cats, one pig, a flock of chickens and two each of these: horses, donkeys, parrots and tortoises. She has bred 10 generations of Hawks Hunt German Shepherds.
She’s been training animals since 1977, and her resume includes consulting with many service dog organizations, including Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
She gives away plenty of free advice on suzanneclothier.com. Especially helpful is “10 Tips for Problem Behavior.”
For instance, she says that instead of “simply yelling” at a dog who jumps up on you, “try giving your dog something positive that he can do for you, such as sit” on command. Then give praise.
“Understanding why your dog does what he does ... can help resolve problems quickly,” she writes on the website. Her seminars, books and website help people understand their dogs.