Karen Arnoff, owner of Cleveland Dog Training Classes, has over 40 years experience with dog training and behavior. Initially she was a dog trainer.
She then became a trainer of people who wanted to become dog trainers.
Now many people recognize her as the most experienced and successful dog behavior specialist in northeast Ohio.
She is also an investigator and expert witness in legal cases involving dogs.
–
In the following paragraphs you may learn about:
1. Karen’s early dog training experiences.
2. How Karen became a better dog trainer and dog behavior specialist
3. Some special cases
4. Karen’s dog training classes
5. Karen’s private in-home classes
1. Karen’s Early Dog Training Experiences
When only a teenager, Karen Arnoff began as a beginning dog trainer by training her own dog, Mickey.
Since then she has continued her studies about dog training and dog behavior through numerous seminars and higher education classes. Karen began conducting dog training classes in the Cleveland area. For the most part, her clients were recommended to her by more that 100 Cleveland area veterinarians.
2. From Dog Trainer to Becoming Cleveland’s First Dog Behavior Specialist
Karen continued here studies one-on-one, with esteemed Northeast Ohio veterinarians and, most noteworthy, she was mentored by the author of the first of several books on dog behavior, William E. Campbell. With her early experiences and continued education, Karen became Cleveland’s first Dog Behavior Specialist. Because veterinarians primarily deal with the physical needs of dogs, how to prevent and cure diseases, how to set bones, surgery, and the like, they most often refer dog behavior problems to others, especially when the problems are not easily fixed. Consequently, as a dog behavior specialist, Karen fills a need by meeting with individual veterinarians and speaking before groups such as the Ohio Veterinarian Medicine Association. She helps them learn more about dog behavior problems.
–
Through case studies, she demonnstrates how she deals with complex behavior problems and how she consults with dog owners to help them avoid behavior problems.
3. Special Cases
On one consult, Karen was called to help a family whose dog appeared to have trouble being trained. Karen met the family and their dog. As she observed the dog’s behavior, she suspected the dog had a physical illness. She then told the dog owner that, before she could help them further, they needed to take their dog to a veterinarian. She was correct. Part of the problem was that the dog had been ill.
Later she returned to help the family train their dog so that he became the well trained family pet they really wanted.
Through observing a dog’s body language and behavior, she has often alerted on a dog’s previously unknown physical illness that needed to be corrected before effective dog training could begin.
Karen has also worked with families with multiple pets, dogs with fears or phobias, geriatric dogs, show dogs, geriatric owners of dogs, handicapped persons with dogs and children and dogs. She also worked on a program that used dogs to motivate hospital patients to work on they own recovery.
Many dog owners who were expecting a baby have contacted Karen to help them prepare their dog for the ‘newcomer’ to assure the baby’s safety.
–
4. Cleveland Dog Training Classes
In 1978, Karen created the Dog Owner Connection and established dog training classes at five locations in the Cleveland area. She identified good dog trainers to whom she gave additional training so that they became excellent dog trainers who delivered dog training that met Karen’s highest standards. She created curriculum for courses ranging from basic to advanced and specialty courses such as: Obedience Plus, More Obedience Plus; Special Needs, Canine Good Citizen, Agility and more.
5. Private In-Home Dog Obedience Training Classes
For many reasons, dog training classes do not work for many people. Karen also knows that when training a dog, all family members need to be involved so that training will be effective. She knows that if dog training is conducted in a class, that training needs to be reinforced in the dog’s home environment in order for transfer of learning to take place. So many of Karen’s clients elect to have dog training classes at their homes with thefamily members making up the class.
–
Karen’s knowledge and experience, her use of her five-step model (See The Arnoff Model) and her 30 years of client successes is why you’ll succeed with Cleveland Dog Training Classes (formerly the Dog-Owner Connection).
