Who's Who....

Our owner and primary behavior counselor is Karen Reardon Taylor, CPDT (formerly Sumner). Taylor's training career began at the tender age of seven with her first dog, Sparky.  Mom & Dad said, "Train Sparky or she's off to the shelter."  Karen had wanted a dog ever since she could remember... it must have been in her blood because her Granddad and his father used to run a training kennel in the early 1920's & 1930's!  Mom and Dad weren't being mean ... they were simply fed up with the chewing, barking and peeing in the house.  Sparky, a Pit Bull mix, was going the way of many other, so called, untrained and unruly dogs; shelter bound with no chance of a full life!  So she and Sparky joined a 4-H Junior Dog Obedience Course and the rest is history! 

As a teen, Karen stayed out of trouble by training neighborhood stray dogs and placing them in new homes (after diligently trying to get Mom & Dad to let her keep them instead).  From that point forward her mission was clear... TEACH DOGS TO RESPECT THEIR OWNERS AND THEY WON'T END UP ON THE DEATH ROW!  Simultaneously, Karen began studies in horsemanship and eventually worked at various breeding, riding and boarding stables in Maryland training and exercising horses.  Karen also took numerous Dog training courses with the Montgomery County Maryland Recreation and Parks Department, with Dog Sense Unlimited, and the Montgomery County Maryland Humane Services organization.  She then began college at North Carolina State University to pursue a Veterinary Career ... but, alas, the scholarship ran out!  As a young U.S. Navy wife, she moved to Florida and found herself training dogs with Five Flags Dog Training Club in Pensacola.  With the support of her club and their dog show expertise she titled her Pomeranian, Frodo (see his picture in our Logo), in obedience and received the FFDTC's award for Highest Score in a trial!  They were so happy they even let her teach!  Shortly after moving to Los Angeles Karen split with her husband and returned to College to begin her studies in psychology and behavior.  Being single, going to school, and keeping a full time job was taking it's toll physically and financially; so she finished her current courses and, at the urging of some friends who had just gotten puppies, started a small dog training class at a "pseudo" dog park in Venice, California.

Karen never really thought of herself as a dog expert or trainer, just a training hobbyist who liked dogs!  But her students felt differently and sent their friends to Karen's class.  Then, people who stopped just to observe asked to join in!  Hundreds of happy, well trained humans and dogs later, Karen realized she had inadvertently come across her "calling" and made dog training and behavior a career.  Of course, being an instructor is more than just having some knowledge and experience... Karen wanted a whole lot!  So she started reading everything she could get her hands on, watched every video she could find, and joined the Society of North American Dog Trainers... and, later, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.  These organizations regularly coordinate national and international speakers to provide continuing education for their members.  Karen started MY BEST FRIEND OBEDIENCE in 1992 and is a member of the Los Angeles area Better Business Bureau.

Karen's Seminars and Intensive Workshops include:

1. Jean Donaldson's Swimming Upstream: Training Against the Genetic Grain

2. Wayne Hunthausen, D.V.M.'s  Fears & Phobias, Compulsive Disorders, Aggression and Medical Causes of House Soiling

3. Patricia McConnell, Ph.D.'s  Diagnosing and Treating Aggression in Dogs

4. Dawn Jecs' Learning the "Choose to Heel" Dog Training System

5. Sue Sternberg's Recharging Your Instructing Skills, Reading Dogs and Defensive Dog Handling

6. John Fisher's The Nature of Dog to Dog Aggression, Living with the Emotional Dog and a New Perspective on Dominance

7. William Campbell's Consultation Skills

8. Jean Donaldson's Treat, Manage or Execute

9. Leslie Nelson's Can You Use All Positives in a Group Class

Additional Seminars attended include a week long intensive program given by John Rogerson on Behavior as well as behavior seminars given by Ian Dunbar and Roger Abrantes, and one given by Debra Potts on T-Touch, a dog massage technique that incorporates the use of "pressure points" to alter dog behavior and the APDT's Annual Conferences in Phoenix, San Diego, Chicago and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Karen's achievements include:

• Appearing on Amazing Animal Rescues on Fox Television and KABC Los Angeles Channel 7 News as a Dog Behavior Specialist. 

• Providing dog behavior counseling services to other dog trainers, groomers, dog day care owners and veterinarians.

• Performing low cost Behavior Consulting for Perfect Pets Rescue, Amanda Foundation, NEVA, Pet Adoption Fund, Pet Orphans, Villalobos Pit Bull Rescue, Husky Rescue, Golden Retriever Rescue, Labrador Rescue, Much Love Rescue, Angel Puss Rescue, and the Santa Monica and West Los Angeles Animal Shelters, among others.

• Serving as an expert witness, and providing written reports on dog behavior, for owners of "aggressive" dogs and "barking dogs" for Los Angeles county and in Animal Control hearings.

• Writing a monthly dog training column for a popular Internet publication called Valley Pet News. (see our links page).

• Training Knuckles the bulldog on the X-Show (for men and the women that put up with them) that ran on FX-FOX Cable Network from 1999 - 2001.

Karen was the first obedience instructor for the Pets in the Hood program, the brain child of Tia Torres of Villalobos Pit Bull Rescue.  Los Angeles probation camp adolescents learned to train and care for dogs by working with Pit Bulls from the Rescue, thus making the dogs more adoptable as well. (for more information see below and the other offerings page).

Karen Reardon Taylor now brings her expertise to you and your dog, while, of course, always continuing her education, as every good dog training and behavior modification specialist should.

Karen is currently a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and a Member of the Southern California Better Business Bureau.  In her limited free time, Karen can usually be found hanging out at home with her husband, Doug Taylor, and her dog Chance (an American Water Spaniel) and Screamer (the black cat),,, not to mention a whole bunch of her clients dogs who need a little extra training!

	Crash, the rescued Collie, and Karen learning to herd. Pictures shown below are Landis the rescued shepherd pup (Barbara’s dog) learning to herd with Karen Wessinger.

Barbara Schwerdt, CPDT

When Barbara Schwerdt began taking her (then) German Shepherd/Rottweiler mixed-breed to obedience class in 1997, she had no idea that a series of events would eventually lead her to a career in dog training.  She found time in her busy schedule to tell us a little bit more… 

How did you get started and where has your career taken you?

I think, as in the case of most professional dog trainers, I started out by owning a dog that needed some work. When I saw how the trainer was able to sort out the issues and then work with me to resolve them, I knew I wanted to learn how to do the very same thing for other pet dog owners. That was in 1997. Since then, I have put in hundreds, possibly thousands, of hours training my own dogs both young and old, handling both clients’ dogs and rescue dogs, attending seminars, reading, watching, listening, and asking questions. In November 2006 I became a Nationally Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT).  Most recently, I became involved with the National Canine Scent Work Association. I appear in the photo above with my new German Shepherd, Landis (a shelter dog), who at 16 months old, won two ribbons (one for 5^th place team and one for 1^st place Odor Recognition Test) as well as a trophy & ribbon for 2^nd place overall in the Inaugural Fun Nose Work Competition held in August 2008. 

How long have you been in business, and what kinds of services do you provide?

I’ve been with My Best Friend Obedience since January 2000, starting out as an intern and then working up to an apprentice trainer. Three years later I became one of Karen’s primary trainers. I teach a number of classes each week including basic and intermediate obedience.  I am an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, so we offer evaluations. I also do private in-home sessions ranging from basic obedience to first-time owner or new puppy sessions. I also work with owners on dog behavior issues. 

Describe your personal training philosophy or approach:

I am a firm believer in positive reinforcement training. I want to find out what is motivating and rewarding to the dog, and go from there.  I also believe in the use of a clicker (or marker) to let the dog know “yes…that’s what I want!”  My personal approach, which I learned from Karen Taylor, is to first find out what the client wants, and what they’re willing to do to get it.  

Who and/or what have been the biggest influences on you as a trainer?

I would have to say Karen Taylor, John Rogerson, Mona Webb, Jill-Marie O’Brien, Amy Herot, Ron Gaunt, Val Pollard, Moira Cornell, and Jeff Campbell, all of whom I regard as exceptional trainers and mentors. And every single solitary dog that’s ever crossed my path has influenced me in one way or another, including the hundreds of dogs I’ve gotten to handle as a volunteer at a local private rescue. I have also trained/studied with: Sue Sternberg, Pia Silvani, Bob Bailey, Donna Duford, Dr. Emilt Weiss, Dr. Sofia Yin, Dr. Pamela Reid, Steve and Jen White, Kat Albrecht, and Dr. Roger Abrantes. 

What do you like most about being a trainer?

I really enjoy teaching people how to understand their dog, and what a blast it is to get to work with dogs all the time, too! 

What do you find most challenging about being a trainer?

When people are not patient enough, expect a quick fix, or don’t do what you’ve suggested they do after leaving a session and going home to (hopefully) practice with their dog.  

What advice would you give to people just starting out in the dog training business?

Come train with us!  Seriously, I would say to handle hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of dogs, take a dog through a class, work with a trainer that you respect and admire, read (lots of books), ask lots of questions, go to seminars, and come train with us!  We have opportunities for up-and-coming trainers! 

Anything else you’d like to share with us?

I currently share my life with an incredibly supportive husband, Gerry. Without him, I could not and would not be as accomplished as I am. We share our lives with three canines: Shadow, an old Australian Shepherd mixed-breed rescue; Jarrah, a Guide Dogs of America “career change” Yellow Labrador; and Landis, our newest household addition, a German Shepherd from a rescue. We also have three cats: Samson, Mr. Moses, and Parker.  Gerry and I own and run Safe at Home Pet Care, a Professional House and Pet Sitting Business. As if that weren’t enough, I also work full time as a corporate trainer (so I train humans in addition to canines, and I’m always learning something in both environments!)

Guest Trainers

FUN NOSE WORK

Instructor Bios

Amy Herot, Fun Nose Work Instructor

Amy has had a life-long passion for animals and has been professionally working with dogs for ten years. She is nationally certified through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), a graduate of the Balu Academy for Dog Trainers, and a John Rogerson associate. She also holds a Bachelor of Science from NYU and continues to attend workshops and seminars on canine behavior and training.  Amy and her dog, Maya, (a Dutch Shepherd/Malinois cross), are a nationally certified Narcotics Detection team.  Amy is also an instructor for basic and advanced Narcotics Detection at Sirius K9 Training.

Amy’s other canine working partner, Jesse, (a German Shepherd mix and Canine Good Citizen) who assists Amy in many training classes regularly works as a canine ambassador for Humane Education and the spcaLA training department.

Memberships include the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), Southern California Dog Trainers’ Forum (SCDTF), and West Los Angeles Obedience Training Club.  Amy is also an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator and certified in Pet First Aid and CPR.  Other achievements have been the spcaLA 2005 Outstanding H.E.A.L. (Helping Enhance Animals Lives) Volunteer and spcaLA 2006 Volunteer of the Year. In 2006, Amy and Maya took 3rd place in Narcotics Detection at the Gold Coast K9 Working Dog Trials. She also lectures and conducts regular demonstrations with both of her dogs for the Humane Education Department’s TLC and Camp Pedee programs at spcaLA.

FUN NOSE WORK

Instructor Bios

Ron Gaunt, Fun Nose Work Instructor

Ron Gaunt has lived and work with dogs the majority of his life. Ron began working with dogs and training for police work in 1970. He has trained, worked and managed service dogs for more than 30 years consecutively. During Ron’s 12-year tenure in the K9 unit with the Inglewood Police Department, he had the honor of working with three different K9 partners. Among Ron’s many accomplishments are multiple national certifications in detection, both explosives and narcotics. Along with many years of training detection dogs, Ron has trained hundreds of dogs for police work encompassing all aspects of K9 police work. One of Ron’s many accomplishments was that of Master Trainer. In 1981 Ron was the K-9 Program Director with the Inglewood Police Department and the training director of the Los Angeles Schutzhund Club.

Currently, Ron is the owner/operator of Travel’n Man Dogs, a private security firm established in 1995 with the purpose and objective of providing a service to private business and corporate America. His goal is to augment current security systems to facilitate the ultimate in personal safety and protection. Presently he is a working manager/handler of multiple Explosive Detection Dog teams deployed in the private sector; many of his clients are “Fortune 500” companies.

Ron has bred, raised, and trained in excess of 100 working dogs that have obtained degrees in both sport and police trails. Ron’s years of experience includes multiple breeds, but in recent years he has concentrated on German Shepherds, Labradors and Belgian Malinois for service detection work.

Jill Marie competes and trains in agility with her dog, Beckett. Beckett and Jill Marie are a nationally certified Narcotics Detection Team.  In addition to her work with Beckett, Jill and her other dogs have earned many training titles and have competed at the USDAA's Grand Prix of Dog Agility two years in a row. Jill Marie has added a new member to her canine pack, Raven a 7 months old Belgian Malinois who will some day be a working partner and detection dog. 

Jill Marie shares her life with her new son and wonderful husband for whom she thanks everyday for their patience and understanding as she continues to build and develop her understanding and skill in working with dogs and their people.