Life & Work with Renee Joseph

Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee Joseph.

Hi Renee, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Nearly 20 years ago, I was looking for a change in job and wanted something more challenging than just a regular “job”. I decided to start my own pet sitting business.

I’d always loved animals and had, at one time, wanted to become a veterinarian. I began my business by posting flyers all over town to advertise. It took a couple of years, but over time, I had more business than I knew what to do with.

I trained other pet sitters and started a pet-sitting co-op due to the number of clients I had. I took care of dogs, cats, birds, horses, and even a 1,000 lb pig!

In working the business to this level (about 50 hours per week including overnight pet care and daily visits), I learned a great deal about dog behavior specifically. Often, the dog(s) were fine with me when I first did a “meet and greet”, but once the owners left town and I let myself into their home, it was sometimes a different story. I started to realize that while not all dogs would respond in a guarding way, many did because, really, I was just a step above an intruder in their eyes! No one gave them the “memo” that I had a house key and was supposed to be there.

I began to study dog behavior just based on experiences I was having as a pet sitter. I learned to watch for what I needed to watch out for (lip lift, growl, tucked tail, lowered head, etc.) and how to really SLOW DOWN my attempt to “make friends” with a dog who was fearful or aggressive. Without realizing it, I started getting really good at not only “reading” dog behavior, but learning what techniques worked with dogs (and what didn’t!). I developed a love of dogs that was nothing like I’d ever experienced before. I began reading books about dogs, taking classes, and continuing to run the pet sitting business.

When I’d been running the pet sitting business for about 5 years, clients started saying things like “I know you aren’t a dog trainer, but you’re so good with my dog… what do you think I should do about ____________ (fill in the blank… pulling on the walk, biting, barking, potty training, etc). I would make a suggestion and people were so happy with the results that they would then say “so if you were going to work with my dog…what would you charge”? While I was a little nervous taking on this new endeavor, I found that I loved it and really wanted to add it to the pet sitting business.

I had taken some basic courses and done quite a bit of reading, but nothing that really addressed the more difficult issues I might come across in working with dogs with more serious behavioral issues. I continued to train dogs but felt I needed to learn much more.

In 2013, I made a decision to sign up for an intensive dog training program through Animal Behavior College. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Now I was learning not only how to teach and communicate with dogs and their owners, but I was also learning the reasons behind why the techniques I was using worked.

Although I had been training dogs for a few years at this point, there was still so much to learn! Animal Behavior College covered so many topics that I began to feel like maybe I’d “bitten off more than I could chew”. The course involved a year of intensive online studies and testing, an internship at an animal shelter training dogs to be more obedient in order to improve their chances of being adopted, as well as helping a current dog trainer with a series of classes. Part of the class training was to take a dog through the class and do the work alongside the trainer’s clients.

In 2014, I passed all testing with Animal Behavior College and became a Certified Dog Trainer (ABCDT). I was thrilled to be able to really feel like I knew what I was doing, but there was still so much ahead. I began phasing out the pet sitting business and only taking dog training clients. It took a number of years before I really began to build solid confidence that I knew what I was doing and that I was making a real difference to my clients and their dogs.

I began offering private lessons in homes as well as teaching training classes with 4-8 handlers and their dogs. A church near my home actually encouraged me to do classes IN their sanctuary, as they had a few service dogs in their congregation as well as a program in which young boys in foster care could read to dogs that had been cleared to be a part of the program. It was at this point that I reached out to friends and family for a catchy name for my business. A friend, Kyle, came up with not only a great name but a great logo to match. The name of my new business was to be Spot On Obedience Training.

I put together an intensive evaluation for all dogs being considered for the reading program. They had to be evaluated for obedience commands, self-control, and reactivity to things they aren’t usually exposed to such as wheelchairs, people with glasses, hats, and children. We had to be certain that no child would be harmed by a dog during our reading sessions. At one point we had 7 or 8 handlers and their dogs participating in the Animals 4 God reading program here in Surprise.

I taught classes and participated in the church reading program for several years. Eventually, I decided to transition to teaching classes in local parks. The basics of obedience and lose leash walking as well as dog-to-dog and dog-people socialization were covered in the classes. I continue to evaluate dogs for the reading program as the need arises.

In 2017, I was approached by an organization that needed dog trainers to work with military veterans to be able to either adopt and train a potential service dog or use their own dog as a service dog if appropriate. Training with these veterans involved anywhere from 15-20 sessions over several months in order to get their dog ready to be evaluated for service dog work. I was able to work with a few veterans and found it very rewarding.

During my training journey, I found myself gravitating toward working with dominant and/or aggressive dogs. I found it very challenging and discovered that I was good at reading the behavior of dogs needing much more than basic obedience.

After a few years, I found that I was able to make recommendations for veterinary intervention in the form of medication for serious behavioral issues as well as to offer specific techniques to really make a difference in the lives of dogs with special behavioral needs and in the lives of their owners. The feedback from clients was quite good and I enjoy the challenge that working with dogs of all kinds brings.

I regularly participate in continuing education through classes with expert trainers as well as fine-tuning my skills for working with aggression or other difficult issues. I’ve become a mentor trainer through Animal Behavior College and have helped to mentor several students going through their program.

Over the years, I have added approximately 25 step-by-step written instructional handouts and about 20 instructional video clips to enable clients to learn to work with their dogs on whatever the dog’s issues are. These handouts & video clips include basic obedience, loose leash walking, car and separation anxiety, socialization, desensitization, reading dog behavioral signals, and much more.

In 2015, I had a client with a 10 week old English Cream Golden Retriever named Ivy. She needed basic manners, however, the client was indicating she had aggression issues already at this very young age. At first, I found it difficult to believe that this adorable, sweet puppy could be aggressive. As time went on, I began to identify that Ivy had some serious fear issues as well as, perhaps, a mental issue.

Ivy’s behavior would change in an instant anytime her owners would try to take anything from her that Ivy decided was hers. The name for this behavioral issue is Resource Guarding. At the time, I had very little experience in this area. After a couple of months of working with Ivy, we were able to eliminate many of her extreme fear behaviors and really felt we were making significant progress.

At just 5 months old, the owners sent me a picture of a terrible bite wound the owner had received from Ivy when the owner tried to take a peach pit wrapped in a paper towel out of Ivy’s mouth. She had to have numerous stitches on her hand. The owners announced that they would be putting Ivy to sleep the following day. Their concern was that with her significant aggression and guarding behavior, she could never be re-homed for fear that she might injure someone else or more importantly, a child.

I approached my husband about the possibility of taking on Ivy. We debated, but in the end, decided it was a chance we were willing to take. Her owners surrendered her to us in 2015. Ivy has been one of my greatest training challenges and one of my best teachers. My work with her in learning about the nuances of Resource Guarding has made me a much better trainer and has enabled me to work with serious aggression in dogs.

Today, Ivy is as well-adjusted as most dogs, provided she has some specific rules for dogs with special needs. She does very well in most situations and I couldn’t be more proud of her progress.

Our other dog, Jaxson, (a miniature Swiss Mountain Dog), was a rescue from a shelter and was one of a litter abandoned at the shelter. He has had his own set of issues due to his very early abandonment, around 5 weeks of age. He too has made me a more well-rounded trainer and has made significant progress over the years.

I feel extremely blessed and grateful to have a “job” where I can’t wait to go to “work”. I love meeting new clients and really enjoy challenging cases. Working with puppies on obedience that are just weeks old is the icing on the cake.

I live with my wonderful husband, Garry, whom I’ve been married for 26 years. We enjoy bike riding together, being involved in our church, and doing volunteer work in our community.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This business has been fairly smooth along the way, but it’s taken a great deal of work, training, and trial and error to continue to better me as a professional dog trainer.

At first (when working with my mentor trainer in her classroom), I was so nervous that I wouldn’t sleep the night before I had to help her train during class. I almost became paralyzed with fear. Over time, as my confidence grew, fear and self-doubt about my abilities as a trainer all but vanished.

I’d say, one of the biggest struggles for me has been when I work with clients that have put themselves in a difficult situation by not doing their research before adopting a dog or not thinking through the decision. It can be very frustrating when people work excessively long hours, don’t spend quality time with or have little patience for working with their dogs.

Rarely, there are situations in which we cannot find a suitable solution and unfortunately, it’s the dog that loses. Many dogs end up being needlessly re-homed or abandoned because of irresponsible dog owners.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I take my business very seriously and do my best to be reliable and always have accurate information for my clients. I am a “positive reinforcement” trainer, meaning that I do not condone the use of electronic shock collars, choke chains, or any other harmful methods of training.

I try to go that extra mile by recognizing what other issues might be going on in my clients’ lives that could be affecting their dog’s behavior. Oftentimes, if someone has had significant stressors or is grieving a very painful loss, this can directly affect pets in the home.

This is usually evident when I hear someone say “He’s never been like this before… he just snapped”. This is often indicative of a deeper issue going on with the person or family. I try to look at every angle so we set not only the dog but also the owners and family up for the best possible success.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I would say that working with dogs that have fairly significant aggression could be seen as risky.

I’ve literally walked into a home with a 4 or 5-month-old puppy more than once, that I thought I would be teaching manners and basic obedience to, to find that the dog nearly attacked me due to never being properly socialized. This was especially common during the Covid-19 pandemic in which many people were not having visitors into their homes and dogs were not meeting enough people to become properly socialized.

I think trainers will be seeing the fallout from the pandemic, presenting as serious anti-social behavior in dogs, for some time to come.

Contact Info:

• Email: spotontrained@gmail.com
• Website: www.reneejoseph.thedogtrainer.org