MEMBER PROFILE
D
The Joy of Learning
In the ongoing series of PPG member profiles, this month BARKS features Donna Savoie of Pack of Paws Dog Training
onna Savoie was inspired to become a dog trainer by Gretchen, one of her own German shepherd dogs. Gretchen was poorly socialized and prone to aggressive behavior.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your own pets:
A: I have three German shepherds – Panzer, an 11-yearold male acquired as a puppy. He is an awesome dog and loves people but is not a fan of other dogs. We have worked hard on this all his life and he is now tolerant and can even enjoy events. He loves to learn. Panzer is definitely a training geek! Then I have Gretchen, a nine-year-old acquired as a sixmonth-old adolescent. She was not socialized at all. She is highly intelligent, very food motivated and only loves her mom, her dad and one of her mom's trainers. Gretchen is my reason for pursuing behavior modification using positive methods. She has a strong prey drive and is aggressive towards people and other dogs. Through relationship building and positive training, she is now a highly trained Donna Savoie has used positive reinforcement to help her dogs overcome various behavioral issues
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BARKS from the Guild/July 2014
dog who can tolerate most situations, including guests in her home. She is a testament to what positive training can do. Finally, I have Moxie, a six-year-old female acquired as a rescue when she was two years old. She had been crated 20 out of 24 hours a day and not even allowed out to eliminate. The man who owned her thought it would be cool to do "bite work" with her but without any obedience or relationship building. She was a challenge – she was a vehement resource guarder and did not want to be touched or handled in any way. Through patience and relationship building plus positive obedience training she has turned into an awesome and friendly dog.
Q: Why did you become a dog trainer or pet care provider?
A: There was a huge need for positive trainers who could/would work with an aggressive dog. While I did not know the term "positive trainer" at the time, I did know that the trainers I contacted for help with Gretchen were