Featured Student
Our students are the future of dog training and the heart of our school.
That’s why we regularly take a moment to recognize one of our top aspiring trainers here.
Our Featured Student this month is Sarah Choi of Ridgefield, New Jersey. At the time of this posting, Sarah is in Phase 9 of her Master Class studies and will soon graduate as a CATCH Certified Dog Trainer!
A Word from Sarah
Sarah was recently hired by her Mentor Trainer, who had this to say about her: “Greatness will come to canine rescue and training from Sarah. I feel fortunate she came to Hudson Barks.”
My Favorite Recent Study Topics:
My Favorite topic from the program is dog body language/calming signals. Running a puppy rescue organization for 5 years, I thought I had enough experiences and knowledge to understand dog body language, but studying this topic totally blew my mind and made me understand even the smallest body movement and shapes that dogs make to communicate with us. I also enjoyed learning about classical and operant conditioning and how to use that knowledge to better understand different behavior patterns in dogs, and to help solve behavior issues that occur in everyday life.
My Favorite Recent Hands-On Activity:
My favorite hands-on activity so far is Basic Obedience & Manners fundamentals. Being able to get hands-on with untrained rescue puppies and dogs to teach basic obedience & manners significantly helped them get ready to find their forever homes faster. The CATCH program has a very high quality but easy to follow curriculum with so many video clips and articles that will guide you through at your own pace.
Sarah currently runs a non-profit canine rescue organization in New Jersey, and she is making a big difference in the lives of so many dog!
How My Studies Have Changed the Way I See Dogs:
I cannot even begin to explain how the CATCH program is changing my everyday life. I have two beautiful Maltese dogs, one with aggression and guarding issues. Before I started this program, I was going through the internet and watching hundreds of online clips about how to adjust his behavior issues, and it only made his problem more severe. Learning and understanding each phase and topic naturally made me understand the nature of his problem, and quickly most of his behavior issues started to decrease and fade out throughout the course. I didn’t train him to do tricks or follow my cues .. I just helped him become a calmer, more relaxed dog living a healthy, happy life. This program also helped me understand each and every dog’s personality more accurately so I can successfully match them to different families.
What I’m Most Excited About:
As a dog rescuer, sadly, I often get phone calls from a family who want to surrender their dog due to behavior issues. Surprisingly, only a few families have put in an effort to seek a professional dog trainer’s help before deciding to surrender. I believe the CATCH program can not only make a great dog trainer, but will help any dog owner out there with different goals to achieve with their dog or simply who want to live a happy life with their furry friend.
Way to go, Sarah, we’re so proud of you!
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