Sonia Dieter, CPDT-KA  Training & Behavior Consultant of  Misunderstood Canines

 Sonia Dieter earned her certification through the national independent testing program of the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). She started training dogs in 1988 when she rescued her first puppy. The puppy was guessed to be a Chow mix that she named "Cassie". She attended her first classes at a local dog obedience club with classes ranging from Beginners Novice to Utility. After completing Novice/Open classes at this club she began to help train other people's dogs for fun. Born and raised in Pennsylvania,in a multi-cultural household, Sonia learned the skill of communication by body language due to the foreign language barrier of her mothers friends and relatives. She was able to utilize this skill to help others understand how dogs might feel being placed into our human world; not knowing the rules to our language and culture.

 For several years, she enjoyed teaching Cassie new tricks to show off to her friends and family. But drooling for the chance at competition, she attempted to get an ILP# from the AKC. Unfortunately, her dog did not have enough physical traits of a purebred AKC dog. It wasn't until 1995 that she heard about the United Kennel Club( UKC) based in Kalamazoo Michigan. The UKC allowed mixed breed dogs to compete in obedience with an AMBOR certificate. She went on to compete with her dog after learning the UKC rules of competition

 In college, she majored in Animal Science (Animal Husbandry) /Pre-Veterinary Medicine with a minor in Biology. During college, she worked at several different veterinary hospitals where she learned the biggest talent of a dog trainer, - She gained the skill of effectively communicating to the pet owner to educate them about their pets. What good is a trained dog if the dog's owner has no idea how to communicate back to them? Communication is the key to a great friendship!

 As we all know, veterinary offices can be quite hectic. A lot of times, clients are being rushed in for a quick 10-15 minute annual appointment. Isn't the veterinarian the one pet owners look up to for all their advice about their pets? A veterinarian does not have adequate time to properly advise the owner with detailed instructions that they need to work thru training/behavioral problems with their dog AS WELL AS giving them a thorough physical. This can't be done realistically. That is why each veterinarian needs to have a qualified trainer with an experienced background to refer their clients to for training. Our personalized training takes over where the veterinarian leaves off. We spend anywhere from 1-2 hours, per session, working on the very problems you want addressed.

 Our trainer realized this as well. This is why she created Misunderstood Canines Dog Training. She wanted to give the pet owners time to be able to interact and absorb the information about how to successfully communicate with their dog. Sonia is presently offering some very interactive classes for parents and children to learn the basics for positive reinforcement training, using games and multimedia in shaping good dog behavior. Other group classes and special needs for 'feisty' dogs are being offered by Sonia as well.