I thought I learned everything in vet school, but I didn't, because I had no answers for them. So I started in obedience and what started to happen was people would come up to me, they knew I was a vet, they were asking me questions. What was really interesting is I started competing … at that time there was only obedience and a few other things that were specific to breeds, like hunting tests, etc. I'm one of those kids that always wanted to be a vet since they were the littlest, or at least work with animals since they were the littlest, and veterinary medicine seemed like an obviously good way to do that. What led you to become a vet in the first place and then to choose that as your specialty?ĭr. But you specialized specifically in sports medicine and rehabilitation. Melissa Breau: You mentioned about school, you mentioned how you got into obedience. Melissa Breau: It evolves as you train with them.ĭr. ![]() Every dog is an individual, and I want to have a relationship journey with every one of my dogs that suits them. I realized very, very quickly that she was a very sensitive dog and that there was no relationship between the amount of drive a dog has and how sensitive they are. I mistook drive, which she came with lots of, for toughness. I've learned that just like every single person is individual, every single dog is individual, and I need to learn what their own needs are and how they express themselves, and modify my training so that I can communicate with them for the best that suits them. They've got their instincts and they've got their own little personalities. They come to you with all kinds of behaviors, some of which are trained, some of which are innate and genetic. Chris Zink: There's of course been many evolutions in my training philosophy, just as there has been in training in general, but the one think that I guess I've learned the most is that every single dog is an individual. How would you describe your training philosophy today?ĭr. Over that period of time, I'm sure things have changed a lot. So I've been doing all kinds of sporting events since 1978. That was my first competition dog, and she was wonderful. However, I wanted a dog so badly that I had ordered an Irish Wolfhound to be ready for me for when I graduated from vet school. I didn't have a dog when I was in vet school because I didn't believe I could take the time. I decided to do that, and I borrowed a Poodle from some neighbor and trained it and did the obedience. ![]() What they did was they would have vet students who wanted to do this borrow dogs from the neighborhood and train them in obedience, and then have a demonstrational obedience trial. Chris Zink: It's really interesting, because in veterinary school, in a decade long, long ago, the school had open house. ![]() How did you originally get into the dog world?ĭr. It's like going from the sublime to the ridiculous. And I have Helix, who is a Norwich Terrier, and he's just about to turn 6. I've got Hobby, who just turned 10 years old. Chris Zink: I have two wonderful boy dogs. To start us out, do you want to share a little about you, your current pets, and what you're working on with them?ĭr. I'm excited to chat, get to know you a little bit today. Thank you very much for having me, and thank you very much to the Fenzi Dog Training Academy as well. Chris Zink here with me to talk about her training journey and evaluating puppy structure when choosing your next sports puppy.ĭr. Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast brought to you by the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, an online school dedicated to providing high-quality instruction for competitive dog sports using only the most current and progressive training methods.
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