Jennifer Skiba-Owner & Trainer
Jennifer shares her life with a wonderful husband, Michael and three wonderful dogs.
“I discovered my passion and gift with dogs a little late in life. When I was a child we always had a family dog so I thought I knew what it meant to have a dog. It wasn’t until I was grown and my first dog entered my life that I really understood.
My first dog, Maverick, was an easy puppy and through training him my passion was sparked and started to smolder. I didn’t know how to train a dog but knew that he needed to listen to me because he was going to be a big dog. So, I signed up for my first (of many) training class. Training came very easy to me, it made perfect sense to me, and training him was a breeze. I remember being in his obedience classes thinking, “Wow, this dog training thing is so easy, why doesn’t everyone have a well behaved dog?”
Foolish, foolish me. We then decided he should have a companion, a buddy, a brother and we welcomed Jasper into our lives. Let’s just say that Jasper was the exact opposite of Maverick. He isn’t a BAD dog-but he certainly isn’t an EASY dog either. It was then that I discovered that I barely knew anything about training a dog. Jasper forced me to learn, grow, and become a better trainer, leader and guardian for him.
The more I worked with Jasper the more I learned about different styles and methods of training. I had to learn to read dog body language, including signs of stress. I had to learn how to work with a “reactive” dog. I came to really understand how important early socialization is for all dogs. I had to learn to be patient. As I worked with both of my very different dogs I realized that as much as I was teaching them, they too were teaching me. As I watched our relationship develop that passion that had been smoldering started to burn. I wanted everyone to experience what I was experiencing. A RELATIONSHIP-not just ownership. To hear what our dogs are trying to tell us. To learn from them. To enjoy our dogs. “
All my dogs work with me in some capacity.
Maverick was a confident easy going dog. He specialized in teaching puppies boundaries and was a cool cucumber with over reactive dogs. (My beloved Maverick passed away July 8, 2016. His legacy lives on in so many ways and I just can't bring myself to delete his profile.)
Jasper is very intelligent and excels at tricks. He is the dog I use when I want to challenge a reactive dog as his energy signal is very different from other dogs.
Stanley is the youngest of the group but outweighs his brothers by 20 pounds. He is 6 years old and is definitely the clown of the family. He is very welcoming to dogs of all ages and can often be found in puppy classes helping encourage shy puppies to play. He has a very loving, gentle soul and loves all people and dogs.
Jennifer shares her life with a wonderful husband, Michael and three wonderful dogs.
“I discovered my passion and gift with dogs a little late in life. When I was a child we always had a family dog so I thought I knew what it meant to have a dog. It wasn’t until I was grown and my first dog entered my life that I really understood.
My first dog, Maverick, was an easy puppy and through training him my passion was sparked and started to smolder. I didn’t know how to train a dog but knew that he needed to listen to me because he was going to be a big dog. So, I signed up for my first (of many) training class. Training came very easy to me, it made perfect sense to me, and training him was a breeze. I remember being in his obedience classes thinking, “Wow, this dog training thing is so easy, why doesn’t everyone have a well behaved dog?”
Foolish, foolish me. We then decided he should have a companion, a buddy, a brother and we welcomed Jasper into our lives. Let’s just say that Jasper was the exact opposite of Maverick. He isn’t a BAD dog-but he certainly isn’t an EASY dog either. It was then that I discovered that I barely knew anything about training a dog. Jasper forced me to learn, grow, and become a better trainer, leader and guardian for him.
The more I worked with Jasper the more I learned about different styles and methods of training. I had to learn to read dog body language, including signs of stress. I had to learn how to work with a “reactive” dog. I came to really understand how important early socialization is for all dogs. I had to learn to be patient. As I worked with both of my very different dogs I realized that as much as I was teaching them, they too were teaching me. As I watched our relationship develop that passion that had been smoldering started to burn. I wanted everyone to experience what I was experiencing. A RELATIONSHIP-not just ownership. To hear what our dogs are trying to tell us. To learn from them. To enjoy our dogs. “
All my dogs work with me in some capacity.
Maverick was a confident easy going dog. He specialized in teaching puppies boundaries and was a cool cucumber with over reactive dogs. (My beloved Maverick passed away July 8, 2016. His legacy lives on in so many ways and I just can't bring myself to delete his profile.)
Jasper is very intelligent and excels at tricks. He is the dog I use when I want to challenge a reactive dog as his energy signal is very different from other dogs.
Stanley is the youngest of the group but outweighs his brothers by 20 pounds. He is 6 years old and is definitely the clown of the family. He is very welcoming to dogs of all ages and can often be found in puppy classes helping encourage shy puppies to play. He has a very loving, gentle soul and loves all people and dogs.
Sharon England - Administrative Assistant
Sharon is the person who keeps things running smoothly. She handles all the behind the scenes tasks that allows Jennifer to focus on training. She handles correspondence and scheduling, and so much more! All those important things that need to be done but that eat away your day leaving you exhausted thinking, “What did I get done today?” She shares her life with her husband, John, two amazing kids, Matthias and Arabella and their young dog, Zali. She is first and foremost a fabulous mother and when she does manage to find spare time you will find her spending it with her family and friends.
Sharon is the person who keeps things running smoothly. She handles all the behind the scenes tasks that allows Jennifer to focus on training. She handles correspondence and scheduling, and so much more! All those important things that need to be done but that eat away your day leaving you exhausted thinking, “What did I get done today?” She shares her life with her husband, John, two amazing kids, Matthias and Arabella and their young dog, Zali. She is first and foremost a fabulous mother and when she does manage to find spare time you will find her spending it with her family and friends.
