My name is Sharon Sheppard . . .

I became interested in dog training about 25 years ago when my daughter, then seven, was bitten by the neighbor's dog.  I decided we needed to add a dog to our cat family so she would not have a fear of dogs.  I quickly found out that I had no idea how to choose a good family dog, does that sound familiar?  That was the beginning of my interest and learning;  about temperament, breeds, training techniques, behavior, etc.

About eleven years ago I became interested in agility training and competition.  I have been competing with my Rat Terrier, Daisy Mae, until I retired her last year.  I decided to further my education in 2005 and enrolled in ABC (Animal Behavior College) and became a certified dog trainer in 2006.  I was an assistant trainer for Bree Beery at Pawsitive Principles Dog Training in Ramona, California for approximately a year before movng  to Tennessee.  I continue my education with private lessons from other trainers, seminars such as ClickerExpo and college courses.  I am proud to announce I have completed the Karen Pryor Academy, the first of it's kind, and have become a Certified Clicker Trainer.  This is a huge accomplishment and I am very proud to have been a part of this new program.

Daisy Mae has achieved her MX and MXJ in agility and was very close to her MACH when I had to retire her.  I am very proud of her!  I am also owned by a young Rat Terrier named Spur and a 2 year old Australian Shepherd named Boomer!  Boomer is my 'test subject' for training service dogs.  Little Spur has had to have both lens removed from both eyes and is a candidate for contact lenses!  She has taught me alot about training a somewhat hesitant dog.