![]() Eventually moving to a pet store in Santa Monica near the Civic Center, and then Brennan's Pub’s turtle racing area, a store in Brentwood and meeting on the VA property (which is now the dog park), and finally moving to the Valley where an old friend allowed her to teach at the church where she was a Pastor in Tarzana. So, at the urging of some friends who had just gotten puppies, Karen started a small dog training class in Mar Vista, California. After moving to LA due to a military transfer, Karen her ex split and she returned to Community College, but she needed extra money. With the support of her club, and their dog show expertise, she titled her Pomeranian, Frodo (see his picture in our Logo), in obedience and received the FFDTC's award for Highest Score in a trial! They allowed her to assist classes and helped her learn how to teach people to teach dogs! This helped her pass the time without hubby and she liked it! Back then, on the east coast, dog training wouldn’t pay the bills, so a dog training career wasn't even a thought. She got a scholarship thru the Raleigh Business and Professional Women's organization and attended North Carolina State University in then moved to Florida, as a Navy wife, and found herself training her dogs again with Five Flags Dog Training Club in Pensacola. She enjoyed training, but not that way! There had to be another, better, way. Sadly, training was mainly aversive back then. Karen also took her dogs through numerous Dog training courses with the Montgomery County Maryland Recreation and Parks Department with Beverly Leucke, and Dog Sense Unlimited, and the Montgomery County Maryland Humane Services organization. She even spent time working at a Cattery and a local dog kennel. teach them to coexist properly with their humans, and they can stay part of the family!!! Simultaneously, Karen began studies in horsemanship, and eventually worked at various breeding, riding and boarding stables in Maryland training and exercising horses. From that point forward, her mission was clear. In her early teens, Karen trained neighborhood stray dogs and placed them in new homes (after begging to keep them didn’t work). they were simply fed up! She couldn’t let her Pitt mix go the way of many other “untrained and unruly” dogs! Mom and Dad got her a book, and she tried on her own, but then she followed a friend to a 4-H Junior Dog Obedience Course…fast forward 50 years, and here we are! It must have been in her blood because her Great Granddad came here with his whippets to breed from England in the late 1800’s and later owned the Whippet Tavern in Washington, D.C. Taylor's training career began at the age of seven. After eating Dad’s work boots, Mom & Dad said, "Train that dog or she's out of here!" Karen had wanted a dog ever since she could remember, now she couldn’t live without her! Mom and Dad weren't being mean. Our latest fun thing was to assist in some the planning for the California Science Center’s DOGS! A Science Tail Exhibit! We achieved first place in LA’s Hotlist in 2018, third place in 2014, and fourth in 2013 (there was no contest in 2016&17). We are listed in Google, Facebook, and Yelp to name a few. Karen started MY BEST FRIEND OBEDIENCE in 1993 and went full time in 1995. Currently these organizations host seminars to provide continuing education for their members. ![]() and, later, became a Charter member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, Southern California Dog Trainers Forum, Dog Trainers Alliance of Southern California, and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Karen wanted to feel she was providing her students the best they could get, so she started reading everything she could get her hands on, watched every video she could find back in 1992, and joined the Society of North American Dog Trainers. Of course, being an instructor is more than just having some knowledge and experience. They even encouraged their friends to join in! People stopped just to observe and asked to join in! Hundreds of happy, well trained humans and dogs later, Karen realized she had inadvertently come across her "calling" and made dog training and behavior a career. In the beginning, Karen never really thought of herself as a dog expert or trainer, just a training hobbyist who liked dogs! Her friends at work asked her advice about their dogs, and pressured her to do a class to help them, the rest is history. Our owner and primary behavior counselor is Karen Reardon Taylor, CPDT-KA (formerly Sumner).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |