Our Story
Picture this: You walk into a facility for your first class with your dog. The rest of the class is already there, sitting in their designated spots throughout the classroom. Each dog is sitting beside their handler, as quiet and as still as possible. Then you walk in the door. Your dog is bouncing off the walls as excited and crazy as you can imagine; cue the side eye from the rest of the class as you try to get your dog to calm down and act like you have taught him ANYTHING. The instructor takes one look at you and tells you she doesn’t think this class will be a good fit for your rambunctious dog as all of the other dogs are well behaved and calm, and would be distracted by your dog. You walk out the door embarrassed and dumbfounded at how you could be dismissed from a BEGINNER class without the instructor even trying or knowing anything about your dog, other than how excited he was to be in a new place. On the drive home you wonder if everyone is going to react this way. Will you ever be brave enough to sign up for another class after this?
Does this story sound familiar? It happened to me personally and I have heard similar stories time and time again. I am here to tell you to put that experience behind you and to embrace your crazy dogs! My goal is to ensure no one feels that way at my lessons. It took me months before I was brave enough to take the chance on another class with my crazy Nova. My goal is to ensure YOU don’t have to spend months working up the courage to come to my lessons. Let’s embrace the craziness and silliness of our dogs together, while learning at the same time. Don’t have a crazy dog? No problem, I can fix that for you. Just kidding. I want dogs (and people) with all personalities to feel welcome here. There is no judgement here on what training your dog has or has not received. Have you ever avoided a beginner obedience class because your dog is 4 years old and you feel like you should have taught them those skills already? Well let me tell you a little secret…I don’t like traditional obedience! Obedience is what YOU want it to be. Don’t want your dog to jump on the furniture? Great, we can work on that together. Don’t want your dog to jump on people? Great, we can work on that together. Don’t care if your dog jumps on people or furniture? Well then, you are a bad dog owner….NOT! You get to set the rules, I can help you teach your dog YOUR rules. You don’t need to adhere to some social standard of “obedience.” So bring your crazy and not so crazy dogs and let’s make some rules and break some rules together!
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-Ashley, CTDI, AD Pro Dog Trainer, AKC CGC & Tricks Evaluator
Owner of Sits and Wiggles Dog Training LLC
Nova
Nova is a 7 year old husky/cattle dog mix. He came into my life when I needed him the most, and changed it forever. He was a very independent puppy and always valued his alone time. Potty training took no effort at all, Nova did that all by himself! Nova was a tough puppy to handle in every way and taught me so much about dog training and puppy raising! He sparked a passion in me that I didn’t even know I had. Mr. Nova is the king of personality. He makes more facial expressions and grumpy noises than any person you have ever met! Nova spends most of his time being lazy and bathing in the sun, with the occasional interest in showing off his tricks; however he is more than happy to let his Expert Trick Dog Title gather dust while he hands over the reigns to Atlas. Nova is the most cuddly dog on the planet, but still chooses to have time to himself throughout the day. He gets grouchy if you disturb his beauty sleep, and takes bedtime very seriously. Life would not be the same without him.
Atlas
Atlas is a 4 year old border collie who never stops moving! He loves agility, tricks, frisbee, and cat toys. Yes, cat toys are his favorite, or anything that is small like a cat toy. Atlas has always had a very easy going personality. Even as a puppy he was incredibly patient and flexible with his routine, and always up for an adventure. He has that border collie stare and I am convinced that one day he will learn to move things with his mind. Atlas loves people food and very politely watches you eat while he drools waiting for a bite (especially blueberries, carrots, bananas, and peanut butter). He can be extremely sweet and cuddly when he wants to be but most of the time he would rather be doing something! Atlas currently has his UKI Beginner International Dog Title and his Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert Trick Dog Titles.
