I have cared for many types of dogs along the way, but have a real affinity for dogs with the focus and motivation of Herding Dogs. I am also quite familiar with the "quirkiness" of these breeds
and have found great ways of managing this in a playgroup setting. This includes, but is not limited to the following: Cattle Dog, Australian Shepherd, Kelpie, Border Collie, Mc Nab, Canaan Dog, Sheltie.

Dynamite Doggies is dedicated to Merlin.

Merlin came into my life in October of 2001. I fell in love with his picture on the SF/SPCA website. It was initially the ears that hooked me. Merlin’s personality was shy and quiet when we first got him. Within about 6 months (at approximately 1.5 years old) he started to display signs of fear aggression with dogs and some fear/warning behavior with humans, specifically tall men who were wearing weird outfits. Sound familiar? A lot of herding dogs are sensitive in this way. We hired an SPCA trainer who helped us start the process of conditioning Merlin to be more comfortable in his environment. We spent a couple of years really concentrating on this. Meanwhile, I was really taking an interest in dog training concepts and wanting to improve my dog knowledge.

I attended the Academy for Dog Trainers during the summer of 2004 and received Certification in Training and Counseling. Since then I have kept up my dog walking business, but have also trained many shy or fear/aggressive dogs. Many of which are herding dogs.

I really look forward to working with you and your dog.