“A Sound Education For Every Dog”
We strive to teach wonderful basics to puppies and young dogs, improve foundation obedience in older dogs, offer problem-solving courses for reactivity, aggression, and fearfulness, and send happy dogs who know their jobs out to compete. We meet people where they are, and help them reach goals they set for themselves.
PoeticGold Farm is a happy working training center reflecting the values of hands on learning, deep respect for living things, great sportsmanship, and a sound education for dogs of all backgrounds, ages, and sizes.“
As a dog trainer, Jill believes in meeting clients where they are, and helping them reach personal benchmarks with their dogs. Whether a rescue dog strives to learn impulse control and polite greeting to be part of his new family, a loved older dog exhibits troubling behaviors that must remit quickly, a competition team tries for a Rally Advanced Excellent title in twenty straight qualifying legs, or a first time dog owners steers a course for therapy dog certification, Jill believes that training is a life-long conversation between dog and owner, and she supplies tools for topnotch communication.
Believing that dog training supplies a vocabulary for a lifelong conversation between dog and owner, Jill makes sure that each team is able to read the signals and body language of one another, as well as focusing on an extremely strong curriculum of rock solid skills and manners.
Jill believes in positive training, and agrees with the sentiment coined by Susan Garrett that “positive does not mean permissive”.
Jill thinks of her human clients as their dog and puppy’s teachers, and empowers them to communicate effectively. It is helpful to think of dogs as not being ” good or bad” , but whether they are rewardable at a given moment. It is essential to catch dogs being right! To have good timing, to be a generous leader, to recognize effort, to use the concept of “planned spontaneity” in teaching your dog, to give the gift of your undivided attention to a brief training session- all of these concepts are bedrock to training a dog well.
As a young English Teacher, Jill was privileged to participate as a leader in Project Adventure, an experiential education group. There she learned the notion of “Challenge By Choice”. In a situation in which there is no effort and zero stress for dog and human alike, no learning takes place; if there is too much effort without results or enough stress that anxiety takes over, no learning takes place. The Challenge By Choice zone is the sweet spot in which a good effort is made by human or dog, and that effort is rewarded by joyful learning, success, and improvement.