A great afternoon with Suzanne Clothier and John Rice

Yesterday we had fun! We accompanied  Darren Doran from New Jersey (and wirehaired dachshund Karl) at his consultation session with  Suzanne Clothier and John Rice. Suzanne, a renowned dog writer and professional trainer, is my guru when it comes to dog assessment and psychology. I took several of her workshops, and currently I am enrolled in her CARAT program. I think that when it comes to understanding animals, Suzanne is a genius. John Rice, Suzanne's husband, is a retired forest ranger with an extensive background in K-9 Search & Rescue. For more info on his approach to tracking click here. Both Suzanne and John's training emphasizes the handler/owner's relationship with his dog.

Darren, upon my recommendation, asked Suzanne to help him with a specific issue that Karl has showed in his tracking. So the whole session was very educational for me, especially to be able to hear Suzanne's analysis of Karl. Four hours flew by. 

I took some pics and video with my digital camera, but I certainly missed my DSLR! The quality is just not the same.

Darren and Suzanne who communicates in a very clear and animated way.

John Jeanneney and John Rice, two tracking experts, had a lively discussion.

Karl made a very good impression as his behavior and manners were impeccable.
He also played very well with Mila, a nine-week-old German Shepard bred by Suzanne and John.


A big thank you to Darren for having us there, and to Suzanne and John!
 

Today John (my husband) and Darren are on their way to Ontario, Canada, to give a blood tracking workshop at Laurel Whistance-Smith's place. It will be a good opportunity for John to see dogs sired by our Joeri and Tommy.