Welcome to the Greenside Canine Training blog! We would like to thank you for taking the time to visit our website.
Based near Indianapolis, IN, at Greenside Canine, we offer a variety of dog training services, including:
Our leadership team, Clay Ford and Robert Wright, are both experienced dog trainers who have graduated from the Master Dog Trainer program at the prestigious School for Dog Trainers. Over the coming months, they will be using this blog to share valuable dog training insights and a variety of tips to improve the life you live with your dog.
For this introductory blog article, Clay and Robert wanted to share their thoughts with you on a range of topics, covering their earliest experiences with dogs, their inspiration for becoming dog trainers, and how they would describe Greenside Canine’s mission. Learn more about our leadership team – and Greenside Canine as a whole – in this Q&A session.
What are some of the earliest experiences you can recall with dogs?
Clay:
My first memories with dogs include my childhood dogs Honey, Sam, and Cappy.
Honey was a beautiful Golden Retriever and the first dog I had as a child. I remember feeding him vegetables from the dinner table when I was a child so I could be done with dinner and leave the table (as a disclaimer, I do not recommend feeding your dogs table scraps. I was young and didn’t know better!).
Sam, a yellow Lab, and Cappy, an Olde English Sheepdog, were the other two childhood dogs I remember playing with as a kid! These dogs definitely helped my love of canines grow to where I am now.
Robert:
I have many great early experiences with dogs. I’ve always felt a sense of wonder when playing with them. I had a Great Pyrenees when I was about five years old, and he would tower over me. After that, I then had an American Bulldog – and I learned early that you can never expect a dog’s behavior to be perfect when he bit me in the face for taking his bone away.
One of the greatest memories was picking out my first dog with my Dad. It was a yellow Lab, and he gave me the choice to pick any one out of the litter. I remember being so happy as a kid with a puppy on my lap and my Dad giving me that ability to choose which dog we could bring home. As the puppy grew up, I would play with him in the woods a lot, and I always felt he was my guardian if any danger arrived.
Do either of you have a favorite dog breed, or a type of dog that you tend to prefer?
Clay:
I love working with all breeds of dogs! They each have their own unique quirks that you don’t see in other breeds. Specifically, I love working with dogs that I can “give a job” to. That can take many forms, whether that’s Service Dogs, Police K9s, Search and Rescue dogs, or even doing agility with a pet.
Robert:
My favorite breed is the American Pit Bull Terrier. I love how loyal they can be to their owners. I know they don’t necessarily have a great reputation as a breed – but I truly believe there are no bad dogs, and any dog can be a good K9 citizen.
What inspired you to become a dog trainer in the first place?
Clay:
Growing up, my family always tended to get dogs that had problems – whether that was destructive tendencies, aggression, or fear issues. Unfortunately, with our lack of dog training experience, this led to us having to rehome a lot of dogs with issues that most likely could have been resolved!
I didn’t like the thought of others having to have that same heartbreak. When I got my first personal dog in the military, I employed my military working dog handler friend to assist me in training my dog. From there, I fell in love with the psychology behind dog training and seeing what you could do with some consistency and hard work. I spent countless hours in the kennels working with the dogs, and after that I have just continued to further my education in dog training.
Robert:
What really inspired me was training my dog, Dice. I went to a trainer for him, and saw how the trainer talked and explained things to me. I found everything he did was so interesting. That, and taking walks in the woods every day with my dogs.
How would you describe Greenside Canine’s dog training philosophy, and what has shaped it?
Clay:
To me, our philosophy at Greenside is: We provide training that helps build the best relationship between you and your canine companion.
This isn’t always going to look the same for every owner. That’s the beauty behind training. Some people like their dogs in bed with them, but some don’t. Some people enjoy that big hug they get from their dog when they get home, but some don’t. We build our individual training plans around you and your dog’s needs to best suit the relationship you want.
Robert:
A large part of Greenside’s philosophy is to help owners improve the communication with their dogs. A dog should be trained and be able to listen to their owner – especially in situations where a dangerous or unexpected event may occur.
What are the main reasons you believe dog training is something that every dog owner should invest in?
Clay:
I believe that every dog owner should invest in training because, in the simplest of terms – and as Robert said earlier – training is learning how to communicate with your dog. If you cannot communicate with your dog, you cannot know what it needs to live an enriched and happy life. This also causes stress on the dog’s part, because it may try to show you attention in ways that you do not enjoy. The consistency we provide in training really solidifies how you and your dog work and live together.
Robert:
As Clay said, training truly helps your dog to live a more stress-free life. Many times, we take these animals and put them into our lives, expecting them just to automatically become a good dog; but dogs yearn to learn and work. We need to help them, and whether it’s through obedience or other activities, this can really help curb a dog’s appetite for work.
What was it like to spend time studying at the School for Dog Trainers? Can you explain how you'll be able to use your knowledge in your day-to-day training at Greenside Canine?
Clay:
The School for Dog Trainers was an invaluable experience for Rob and myself. Even after training for over six years, the School was able to provide me with education that I had not learned yet. We have a big motto here at Greenside – the day you stop learning is the day that you die. Highland Canine’s School for Dog Trainers gave us valuable insight into dogs that we had never worked with before and using scientific methodologies to work with them.
Robert:
Studying at the School For Dog Trainers was a great experience. I still communicate with staff and fellow students from my class. It was such an immersive program that truly helped to propel my career forward.
What do you believe separates Greenside Canine from its competitors, and what are your long-term ambitions?
Clay:
I believe that the two big things that separate us from our competitors are our stance on continuing education, and the variety of training that we provide. Too many trainers nowadays subscribe to one training methodology and apply it to every dog they work with because “it’s always been done that way” and “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” While we know that methods like purely positive may work for some dogs, and compulsion training may work for others, we know that neither of these are the best way to train every dog.
We provide a range of services, ranging from pet dogs to police dogs, and search and rescue dogs to service dogs. We handle intense behavioral cases and normal puppy training within the same day. While every dog may not be a police dog or a service dog, the knowledge that we have achieved from training these dogs provides us with more and more insights on how dogs learn, and how to motivate and work with all types of dogs.
Robert:
In the long run, I see Greenside expanding and helping to teach other dog trainers and owners of our methods.
Clay:
Our long-term ambitions are to become a household name in the areas that we serve. We aim to achieve this by providing the best dog training for every type of dog and every type of owner.
Are you interested in enrolling your dog in one of Greenside Canine’s dog training programs, or looking for more information on our business? Give us a call on (317) 558-9145 or email us at train@greensidecanine.com.