Toronto Area
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I was in the construction industry, working as a customer service representative for a large residential homebuilder. One day, my wife and I decided we were ready to have a canine companion. I remember being at the pet store and saying to my wife "Lets get them both, that way they can keep each other company", not realizing the trouble we were getting ourselves into. Through disappointment and failure with training, I decided to educate myself about dogs. The only problem was, that everybody I talked to was just as misinformed as I was. At that moment, I decided I wanted to help others like myself…. but how? One evening I was watching TV, and came across a show. The guy in the show seemed a bit abrasive, but you could tell he was sure in his ways and soon enough I was at one of Brad’s seminars. The passion he had was impressive, and he was the first person I heard say “Everything that I will tell you, I can back up!". The truth; it is what I was trying to find but never could. But this is what Brad teaches - nothing but the simple truth and that is, with hard work, honesty, and good fun we can all learn to be better companions to our dogs. This is what I bring to my class and students, having a good time and the truth about training is what brings success. And we should all be succeeding when it comes to educating our dogs. |
Sarah Eben |
| As a child I was drawn to the wilderness, regularly bringing home injured birds, stray kittens and anything else that needed help. Growing up, I never had a dog, so I spent most of my free time walking the neighbourhood canines and vowed that one day I would have my own dog. Two years after moving into my new home, I went to a pet store, intent on buying fish, and walked out with the cutest Boston Terrier pup I had ever seen! We named him Paco and as the months passed I soon realized this pup was a demon in the body of a cute, furry dog! He wouldn’t listen, he was annoyingly bossy, and had no manners to speak of. I went to several different trainers who all gave me similar advice that never seemed to work for me. Before I knew it, Paco had me wrapped around his paw and I had become a portable treat dispenser! None of the training techniques I had learned felt right to me and then, by chance, I caught an episode of Brad’s show ‘At The End Of My Leash.’ I thought, “Now here’s a guy that tells it like it is!” No sugar-coating, just the honest, sometimes hard to face truth. I was in awe of how quickly he could get dogs to pay attention without having to bribe them! I watched as many episodes as I could, read his books and started applying his methods. Within days I started noticing a wonderful change in my dog. Paco seemed more relaxed as though a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. But how could this be? Why were Brad’s methods working? I needed to learn more and that’s when I came across the CTE course. I pounced on the opportunity and never looked back.
My understanding of dogs has reached a new depth, one so profound and beautiful that I need to share it with everyone. The human-canine relationship is truly a gift from Nature. It is a life-long journey deeply rooted in mutual respect, solid commitment and understanding. The trust and unfaltering companionship that results leaves me with a sense of awe and wholeness. I look forward to helping dogs find this enlightening bond with their people. |
I’ve always loved animals, especially dogs, and when I had dogs of my own as an adult, I had a thirst to understand more about them. With every issue and problem that arose with my dogs, I would research ways to resolve them. But so many training methods really didn’t make sense to me, and it wasn’t until I saw Brad on At the End of My Leash and learned about his methods that it really started to fall into place. After taking the Street Safety Training for myself, I realized that this was what all dog owners needed! To get a better understanding of their dogs, and to have fun at the same time! I knew that this was something I wanted to share with other dog owners, and I’ve always loved to teach others. The CTE course was amazing for me with the amount of knowledge and understanding that I gained. But the best part was the incredible bond that I developed with my dogs. I have learned to truly understand my dogs and earn their respect, and I so look forward to working with you and getting the same result for your dog. I want all my clients to be able to say “my dog rocks!”
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Working in the film/TV industry the hours were long and unpredictable. I didn't have the time and wasn’t ready to own a dog. I volunteered with various rescue groups to get my “doggie fix.”
When I bought my house I had the resources for a dog to be part of my life. I decided to “rescue” a dog so it would have a better life. My first dog came from the Toronto Human Society having lived with dogs all of my life I would train her myself. She was a large dog that lunged and barked at other dogs and I had trouble controlling her. I taught her the basics; sit, stay, heel but getting her to come when called always seemed to be an option based on her terms. I always had to be wary with her around other dogs and animals and I found myself adjusting my activities to my dog in order avoid situations that might "set her off" I didn't how to address the problems my dog was experiencing. When she passed away I had knew if I wanted another dog I needed to look at my lifestyle and research the type of dog that was best suited for me.
A few years later I acquired Shih-Tzu/Poodle mix a rescue from a puppy mill. He loved people but didn’t like other dogs. This time I signed up for obedience classes. The class was in a church basement, the first purchase was a large bag of treats. My dog was not treat motivated; shoving a liver treat into his face had no effect. He behaved well when walking in a circle in the class but the minute we were outside "forget about it". I spend the next few years researching canine behaviour. There were so many different opinions. I tried it all; treats, a bark collar, harnesses, if it was on the market I was ready to give it a go. I knew something was missing but didn’t know what, or how to find it.
When my latest dog came into my life she joined my pack, now I had three small dogs Bugi a Shih-Tzu/Poodle age 15, Ellie a Shih-Tzu age 8, and the latest Tinker age 10mos! She had issues and I didn't had the knowledge to solve. I tried the standard methods, but to no avail. Two years went by my eldest dog Bugi passed away and I was still negotiating with other two dogs to get them to behave. A friend mentioned a TV show called “At the End of My Leash” the minute I saw the show I found all of the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. I started implementing the training I saw on the show and my dogs began to change. But I needed to know more. I attended a Street Safety class Brad taught in Toronto one cold February weekend with my youngest dog Tinker and worst behaved. I couldn’t believe the change in two hours. I was hooked….not only for my own dog(s) I wanted to be able to show other dog owners what was possible.
A year later Tinker and I signed up for the CTE course. It was a challenge that tested both my physical and mental abilities. My dog rose to every challenge and constantly amazed me. She was so eager to learn and to be guided by me. The bond with my dogs is now based on trust and respect.
I want to share that knowledge with other dog owners, to teach and educate on how to have the best relationship with their dog. To raise the expectations of our dogs to be well mannered members of society but also have the experiences of being a dog, the smells and sounds and the joy of frolicking in nature and getting mucky paws. Spending time with your dog will build a bond of trust, respect and a lifelong companionship.
Life with a dog is truly a gift that keeps on giving.
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| Growing up, there were always one or two dogs in the house. Since my father firmly believed that “dogs are dogs and can’t be treated like humans”, our dogs were always reasonably well mannered.
As an adult, I always wanted a dog, but knew what a huge responsibility I would be taking on. When I finally made the decision to get a dog, I wanted to make sure that I started her off in the right direction. So, I started researching trainers. Treats, special collars, clickers, every trainer seemed to have some variation of one of these “tricks”. I wanted somebody who could show me how to train my dog without any of these. I started watching a TV program called “At the End of My Leash”. That kind of training was exactly what I was looking for. I signed up for Street Safety Training in my area and was amazed how much I learned about myself and my dog. I knew I wanted more. I wanted to be able to show other people how to build a wonderful relationship with their dog. So I signed up for the CTE Course. The course was tough, constantly challenging me to go beyond my comfort zone. As the course progressed, I saw even more changes in the way my dog looked at me. We started with the basics and built on that. I realized that I was 100% responsible for the relationship with my dog. I am truly blessed that I am not only able to help people train their dogs to be well mannered members of society, but I’m able to help them create a bond with their dog that is based on trust and respect. |
Kathy Verch |
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I’ve always had a tremendous passion for animals, especially dogs. For a few years I worked in the racing industry, with both standardbreds and thoroughbreds, but I knew that eventually I wanted to work with dogs.
I heard about 'At The End of My Leash' and started to watch the show. I was immediately impressed with Brad’s no nonsense approach to dog training and his genuine love of dogs and his passion to improve dog’s lives. I took a Street Safety Training class and knew it was something I wanted to explore further. I have learned so much from becoming a CTE and the bond I have formed with my dog is incredible. I want to help educate and motivate people, that with patience and consistency, that they too can have an incredible dog they can be proud of. |
