The Dog Trainer's Crucible

Sue Alexander has always had a deep and personal relationship with the dogs who have been a part of her life. As a child, she wandered the fields and woods around her home in the company of her good friend Thurber. Thurber taught Sue that dogs have thoughts and ideas, and that dogs and humans could communicate with one another and share wonderful adventures together. This background is what drove Sue to learn more formally about how to train a dog. When Sue was in university, she began teaching obedience classes. When Sue started teaching obedience classes in the 1990s, there were few credentials available, and opportunities to learn formally about dog behaviour. In the early 2000s, certifications began to evolve, and Sue began to formalize her understanding of dog behaviour by earning these certifications. Sue has been working with families whose dogs have serious behaviour problems for almost 30 years. In that time, she has amassed a broad understanding of canine behaviour, and how to effectively help families to address those problems. Sue founded Dogs in the Park where she has been teaching puppy and adult dog training classes as well as meeting one on one with families whose dogs need help. In 1998, Sue trained the first psychiatric service dog in Canada and with the help of several friends founded K9 Helpers to train and place psychiatric service dogs with people who need them. For many years, Sue also ran a service dog seminar for owner trainers who came from all around North America. Over the past twenty five years, Sue has delivered two and three day in person workshops for trainers and in the past five years, she has been delivering online programming, including a 13 week online training mentorship for Shelter Behavior Hub in the United States. Most recently, Sue has begun offering her skills to the dog training world at large. Sue enjoys mentoring new trainers, writing, and delivering both online and in person programming to her colleagues, both those who are experienced and those who are new to the field. To learn more about Sue’s credentials, please visit the Counsel for Certification of Professional Dog Trainers, and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.