Yesterday I took my computer exam to test my knowledge in order to hopefully become a Certified Pet Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed. And now, on the back end of my studying and preparing, I find myself reflecting back on the past 15 months of my "official" dog training experiences.
I say "official" because before I met Kerry and Eric, I was just a hobby trainer...having fun with my own dogs. I'm quite sure that both Kerry and Eric pegged me right away as one of those crazy dog owners and I am grateful that one Saturday morning Eric asked if I would like to help out with classes and perhaps become an assistant trainer. It was hard not to just splurt out, "OH my golly, yes, yes, yes!" so I did my best to have some impulse control and thanked him and told him I would think about it and get back to him.
Fast forward to a few weeks later and there I was...an assistant trainer with BehaviorWorks. I am grateful and honored that Kerry and Eric asked me to join them. Over time, they even trusted me enough to lead my own class and now have afforded me the opportunity to spearhead an entirely new agility class series.
Yesterday was a milestone in my life, both personally and professionally. Personally, it felt good to fulfill a desire I have to continue learning about dog behavior and never settle into mediocrity...you know, striving for greater knowledge. Professionally, I'm thrilled that if I do, in fact, pass the CPDT-KA exam, that I can represent a company that helped push me get where I am today.
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