Background

Jana feels fortunate to have been raised with horses, dogs, cats, and many other animals; her daily life has always revolved around the well-being of animals. Her mother was a horse trainer which allowed her to not only live with, and love horses, but also to develop a deep respect for them.  She developed a passion for taking care of, and helping with, all the horses that came into their lives. She was raised with the understanding that "horsemanship" wasn't limited to how you work with horses, but how you live your life. She was taught that how you interact with your animals cannot be separated from who you are. Although she was always surrounded by family pets, in the fifth grade she got her own puppy.  (She would boast she didn’t have to share with her sister.)  Kali was an Australian Shepherd/Blue Heeler. She loved taking Kali to training classes, 4-H and agility training. Kali and her spent a lot of time together and in January of 2009, Jana and Kali (joined by Duke, the family Golden Retriever) headed to Triple Crown Academy. After becoming a certified Canine Training and Behavior Specialist, and a short stint living in Hawaii, Jana came back to Wisconsin. She found a passion in helping rescue and shelter dogs, working with dogs labeled as difficult, and helping people build better relationships with their dogs. Her training approach has evolved over the last ten years; she continues to learn as much as she can by working with different dogs and people as well as continuing her education as much as possible. She is a strong believer in the quote, “We do what we know and when we know better, we do better.” She feels she owes it to the dogs and people of her past, present and future to strive to be better so she can help them better.        

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Our Training Approach:

The foundation of our training approach is based on relationship building.    Through observation, awareness, and application of basic dog behavior, we strive to develop a mutually beneficial relationship - one that provides both you and your dog with a sense of security, inclusion, and fulfillment. 

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A Dog is a Dog

We choose to honor our dogs for what they are:  dogs. As a valued member of our families we feel the utmost respect we can offer is to acknowledge their perspective and learn to communicate in a way they understand.  We do not attempt to convert our dogs into a mini human; we love them wholeheartedly for who they already are. 

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Endless Learning

Living with dogs offers us continuous learning opportunities.  There is no end point in which we sit down and say, “We did it- we’ve learned all there is to know.”  Though all dogs may share certain characteristics to some degree or another, the individuality of dogs keeps us in an enthusiastic, learning state of mind.  It is not just our job; it is our lifestyle, and we strive to keep our minds open and receptive to the feedback they provide.

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To Label is to Limit

We choose to not label ourselves as an advocate of any one particular training style.  We acknowledge there are several different named training styles such as positive, balanced, etc. and while we do understand the simplicity of applying those labels, for the reasons stated above we wouldn’t know how to label ourselves.  With that said, we can offer you this: we feel any relationship requires give and take. Our approach does place expectations onto our dogs as well as ourselves.

 

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Love

We often hear people say all that dogs need is love.  We love our dogs.  We are 100% committed and dedicated to dogs, but what is love to dogs? We challenge that it is through love, or with love, that we fulfill their needs and create a relationship in which they can be included safely and enjoyably in our everyday lives. 

 

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