Tracy began competing with her first dog in 1993. She has been teaching training classes since 1995. Particularly interested in positive reinforcement training, Tracy joined the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) in 1996. The Association of Professional Dog Trainers, APDT, is a professional organization of individual trainers who are committed to becoming better trainers through education.
Tracy became a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT) in 2006. Although Tracy’s main focus is teaching group obedience classes, she has enjoyed training her own pets for all types of things; Agility, Canine Good Citizen, Carting, Competitive Obedience, Conformation, Flyball, Freestyle, Frisbee, Herding, Packing, Pet Therapy, Rally Obedience, Tracking and Tricks.
Tracy loves all types of animals and has a background in veterinary technology. She has worked in many animal fields such as: exotic animal park, boarding, grooming, horse stables and veterinary clinic.
Training Philosophy
At South Paw, we believe in a ‘no force’ approach to training. We teach owners to train their dogs using positive reinforcement or clicker training.
Positive reinforcement is based on the premise that rewarded behavior is repeated. We use a clicker device to produce a sound, to mark the behavior we want. We find that the clicker is distinct and consistent, and the timing is more accurate than our voice. The clicker is a secondary reinforcer that is paired with a primary reinforcer (something the dog naturally likes; food, play, toy or praise). By clicking a behavior we are giving the dog information ‘I liked that’ and you’re going to be rewarded for it! Consequently, the dog will repeat the behavior again to get rewarded (rewards are slowly faded as training progresses).
Instead of forcing your dog to do behaviors with traditional methods (squishing, choking or pulling), you are setting up a win/win situation. Positive reward training helps build a strong trusting relationship with your dog. It also helps make your dog a happy, confident and obedient pooch!
Services
South Paw offers doggie daycare, overnight boarding and group training classes.
Daycare
- One Day Pass: $25
- Each additional dog from the same household adds $15 per day
- Five Day Pass: $115
- Each additional dog from the same household adds $15 per day
- Ten Day Pass: $200
- Each additional dog from the same household adds $15 per day
- Monthly Pass: $300
- Each additional dog from the same household adds $15 per day
Boarding
- Regular Den- 5’x5′: $55/Night
- Each additional dog from the same household adds $20 per night
- Large Den – 5’x10′: $65/Night
- Each additional dog from the same household adds $20 per night
Training
- 6 Week Introductory Group Training Class: $175
- 6 Week Intermediate Group Training Class: $150
- Ongoing Class: $60 per month
Training Classes
- 6 Week Introductory Group Training Class
- 6 Week Intermediate Group Training Class
- 6 Week Advanced Group Training Class
Certifications
Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT)
Specializations
obedience training, puppy training, agility training
Training Methods
positive reinforcement, clicker training
