Before Getting Started

Congratulations! You and your dog are beginning a wondrous, incredible journey. If you have come here, it's probably because you want your dog to become a better community member, a better-behaved family member. I want to help you on this journey.

Each lesson is designed to last for at least one week. Training sessions are at least 30 minutes in length. As we go along, your lesson times will get longer. Most people schedule training sessions with their dogs either first thing in the morning or in the evenings. Not only are these times usually the least busy, they are also the coolest temperature-wise if you are training during the summer months. Training should be daily. This is important. You cannot skip  a couple of days, then try to 'make up' for it by having an hour-long session; it just doesn't work. Trust me on this.

If the weather is bad, you can work on most of the exercises within your home. However, a little rain or snow never hurt anyone. That's not saying that I want you to train in a lightning storm or a blizzard! What I am saying is this: You don't stay home from work or school when it is sprinkling; it shouldn't stop you from training, either.

One caveat: When you get angry or frustrated, stop training for the day. Whatever you feel transmits right down the leash to your dog. If you are happy and enthusiastic about training sessions, your dog will be, too. Anger and frustration often lead to abuse, and that is not what training is about. You need to keep your energy level up as you train. If you feel yourself starting to get frustrated, take a break. Go do something else for awhile. You can come back to it later, even the following day. 

As you and your dog learn each exercise, find creative ways to incorporate it into your daily lives. For example: After you learn the sit stay, have your dog sit and stay outside the dining room during meals. Include your family, teaching them the commands so they can use them, too, and reinforce your dog's lessons.

That being said, let me add one more thing: One dog = one trainer. One person (you) is the main dog trainer. That one person works through the lessons with the dog. Too many trainers are confusing for your dog. Reinforcement is okay, actual training by multiple people is not.

Any questions? Please comment and I will try to answer them.

Holy Hounds?

Where in the world did I come up with the title, "Holy Hounds!"?

Once upon a time, I was working with three different youth dog training groups: The Tailwaggers, the Wiggles 'N' Wags, and the Holy Hounds. Yep, that's right: three different youth groups, all learning about and training dogs simultaneously. I was away from home and with my training groups three nights out of the week and transporting kids to fun matches just about every weekend. 

The third group gave their group the name, "Holy Hounds", because they met in the basement of the local Catholic parish. Every Thursday night we would get together, move the tables and chairs to give us clear training area, put down rubber mats to decrease the damage to the linoleum floor, train for an hour or two, sweep the mats, roll up the mats, sweep the floor again, then put the tables and chairs back in place. The church members were more than gracious; the custodians even started coming to meetings to help us with the set-up and tear-down. The club members purchased matching polo shirts; each one with an embroidered 'Holy Hound': a brown hound replete with angel wings. The logo was designed by one of the more artistic members of the club. (Not me; I can barely draw a stick figure!)

In addition to the kids, the church secretary was also a member of our training group. Here she was, this delicate elderly lady, training one very young, very large, very male German Shepherd Dog. We quickly learned that the church secretary, although lacking in youthful stamina, was a lot tougher than she looked. The kids made her their honorary grandma, and you can bet she was right there in the stands on show day, cheering on every one of her kids.

My husband is a newly-retired minister. Ministry led us on quite a journey, both spiritually and physically. I joined a therapy dog training group and began training therapy dogs; visiting schools, nursing homes, and hospitals.

During our first move, we happened to stop at a small gift shop. My daughter made a beeline for the plush animals, one of her favorite sections of any store. Suddenly, I heard, "Mom! Come here! Look - it's a Holy Hound!" Sure enough, she had found a small plush brown hound with angel wings that looked exactly like the H.H. club logo. That little dog rode on the dash of my van for years and I still have him today.

When I decided to start this blog, we brainstormed lots of names. 'Holy Hounds!' kept coming up, time and time again. It fit, given my husband's former vocation. It also fits, because I believe dog training can be a very spiritual journey, linking dogs, people, and God together. (More on this later.)

And the rest, as they say, is history.....

Who am I?

Hi! My name is Kerri Archer. I have been a dog trainer since 1974 at the ripe old age of 9. (Gosh, I'm old!) My dogs have received numerous awards at the local, state, and national level. One dog, Kerri's Yukon King, was named #1 nationwide in obedience. I have also trained therapy dogs that I used in work at schools, nursing homes, and hospitals. Most of these dogs were my pets, and all of them were loved very, very much!

I remember that first dog obedience class: There were about ten of us, all nervous, freezing our butts off as we took our classes in an old barn in the middle of winter. Our trainer was Stan, a strict disciplinarian who tried, without success, to hide a huge heart. He was an award-winning dog trainer, working with his first group of youth trainees. I'm sure we all caused some sleepless nights, one little girl in particular (I won't name names, but her name started with the letter, 'K'. Ha!) We were a determined little group, one that was excited when the weather turned warmer and we started training at a local churchyard.

I began training other youth when I was a teen. Some might think it a challenge, training my own competition. You would be right about that - but not for the reason you would think. I would lose concentration with my own dogs, focusing instead on the performances of my students, making notes for our next training sessions, rejoicing when my students won awards. (One of my students had a meltdown when she realized that she had placed first in our class. She was 'just sure' I was going to be furious with her for beating me. Imagine her surprise when they announced that she had won, and I ran over to her, whooping and hollering, grabbing her up in a huge hug and spinning her around!) These experiences made me realize just how much I enjoyed teaching. I even went on to receive a Bachelor's Degree in Education!

Over the years, I have educated countless dog trainers, both youth and adult. Nothing gives me more joy than seeing that 'light bulb moment' when an owner and dog come together. (Hello, my name is Kerri, and I am addicted to training dog trainers.) With the advent of the Internet and social media, I have become the 'go to' person for many of my friends whenever they have a dog training question. It is due to them that I started this blog.

My training methods are a blend of many styles. I was first trained in the W.R. Koehler dog training method, and most of my methods are based on his instruction. I have since continued with a 'give it a try' approach to any other training methods. I won't bash any other training method - to each his own. I have found some alternate routes during my tenure, and I use those as my experience guides me. So, if you are studying The Koehler Method, you will find I go off script. Trust me and stay on the journey, okay?

If you've read this far, let me add this: I have a very weird, very warped sense of humor. It comes from working with dogs and youth. So, if I crack a joke, it is okay to laugh. Go ahead!