As a kid I just couldn't get enough of
dogs. I knew every dog in the
neighborhood by name. When I was
little, I loved the Pound Puppies and
adopted one of my own, my first "dog",
Muffy. When I got a little older "The
New Lassie" tv series came out, and
I was hooked. I watched it faithfully
every Sunday morning. I wanted a dog
just like Lassie. A dog that would "get" what you said to her, and
wanted to respond. I loved how her people (well, the trainer off
camera) could communicate and how connected they were! I read
every book I could find about dog training at the library (the
internet wasn't really around yet!). Eventually my family gave in
and let me adopt a "free to good home" dog listed in the Want
ADvertiser. Her name was Sheila, and she was a beautiful two
year old keeshond. I loved her immediately, not just because of
her beautiful black spectacles or soft fluffy coat, but because she
was my very own dog! I finally had a dog of my own to share
secrets with, hug to pieces, and to develop the special kind of
communicative relationship I wanted so much through training.

Sheila was a willing and patient partner during all of my early
years of learning how to be a dog trainer, and she never
complained about all of the practice or any of my mistakes. She
did have one big problem though. She was very dog-aggressive
from the beginning. I don't think she was around many other
dogs from the time her previous owners took her home as a
puppy. At first it was bad news because it meant that she wasn't
welcome at my training classes, which meant I would have to
work with another dog. But the problem did give me a valuable
early opportunity to learn about leadership, handling an
aggressive dog, and rehabilitating an adult dog with careful
socialization and conditioning.

Sheila was an important part of my life, my best friend. I still love
her and miss her. She has since passed away and I've grown up.
I've continued to spend lots of time on dog training! I was an
animal science major at Norfolk County Agricultural, became a
certified animal control officer, studied and practiced different dog
training methods, and taught all kinds of puppy and dog classes
as an accredited (certified) trainer for the PETsMART training
program. I have also had the exciting opportunity to work as an
on-set trainer in the production of a movie in which my dog
starred a major role. Several years ago I settled into my favorite
work: private in-home training. I love working with dogs and their
owners on real-life training!

My wonderful husband Jimmy and I are blessed to be dog parents
to Rizzo, a silly medium sized mutt
who I adopted as a puppy from an
animal shelter. He is such a goofy,
wiggly dog! He's always a willing
volunteer to test out new goodies
that I might use with or recommend
to my clients, or to make friends
with a shy or unsure doggy.

  • AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Approved Evaluator

  • Accredited, Certified through leading national retail chain
    dog training program

  • Certified Animal Control Officer with ACOAM

  • A formal education - Graduated an animal science major with a
    concentration in canine and equine sciences. Courses of study included
    canine behavior and health, anatomy and physiology, obedience,
    breeds and handling, and more

  • Credited motion picture dog trainer/handler

  • 18 Years of dog training experience

  • Thousands of hours accumulated instructing both classes
    and private sessions with dogs and owners

  • Committed to continually furthering education in canine
    behavior, including earning Continuing Education Units
    (CEUs)
Private dog training and behavior modification
How I Got Started
Copyright 2008 www.dogsuccess.com
Kerri Kershaw    (401) 206-1484    trainer@dogsuccess.com