Meet Patricia Linehan, Ph.D, CPDT-KA
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH DOG TRAINING? I am sure I came out of the womb yelling, “I want a puppy!” Obviously, my parents didn’t understand me, as not only did I not immediately get a puppy, the topic of dogs became a struggle. My father, though a fabulous person in so many respects, just couldn’t understand why anyone living in town would have a dog…ever. Being quite a persistent child, I asked for exactly one thing each and every Christmas: a puppy. Since no one would get me one I lured stray dogs home for years. If you were a dog off leash, you’d likely end up in my garage eating Velveeta. Some dogs got to stay briefly, a day or two, but eventually my father had the pound on speed dial.
Then we had a family breakthrough: we left Alaska and moved to Montana, and since I made the contact that sold our house my father rewarded me with a dog! There was exactly one dog in the pound in our tiny town, and she became mine. Sandy was quite a mix of breeds, I think, but she was my first training project. I taught her to sit and lie down and spin, and I believe I may have invented agility at the age of twelve, although it was an aerial sport then. I took all my father’s many ladders and linked them with boards at different elevations and taught Sandy to run the maze. Every time my parents went out for an evening, I smuggled Sandy inside to cuddle on my bed. Of course, she wasn’t allowed inside – so I always knew I’d be in trouble when my parents got home but it was worth it. Dogs have always been worth the trouble to me. I have owned many dogs over the years and taught them the “usual” things, but it wasn’t until I discovered Positive Reinforcement training that my curiosity was aroused about actually getting really really good at training dogs – because they loved this type of learning!
TELL US ABOUT THE DOGS WITH WHOM YOU CURRENTLY SHARE YOUR LIFE. My life is enhanced and messier and more exciting because I live with five incredible dogs. Faeya is my 7 year old cattle dog. She is deaf in one ear but that hasn’t stopped her from any endeavor. She is Funny, bossy, head of the pack, protective, and sleeps each night curled against my legs. Quinn is my oldest dog, a border collie turning 11 soon. The younger dogs are Caj, Flash, and Ike. All border collies. If you know anything about this breed you know their unbounded energy and extreme intelligence keep their people very busy! Oh, and then there is cute little Jax, a rescue who looks like the Target dog! He belongs to my son and daughter-in-law, but Jax spends the work days with us. He came with “issues” and anxiety, and the whole family is working to help him be successful in life. Since age 19 I have owned several breeds of dogs, including mixed breeds but I’ve never owned just one dog – I like being part of a mixed, complex pack of personalities.
WHAT ACTIVITIES DO YOU DO WITH YOUR DOGS? I do indeed compete with Faeya in agility, which is a blast for both of us. The other dogs are in training for agility and herding. Quinn is a dog who was highly trained (not by me) and competed successfully in herding trials. When he came to live with us he “retired”. I am starting Flash and Ike in obedience and plan to show them. Caj is ready to compete now in agility. I am not a competitive person but I do love pushing myself to get better and better at skills I have personal control over. Competition helps me learn to be a better trainer.
WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF TRAINING ADVICE THAT YOU’VE EVER HEARD? “Clarity is kindness.” Susan Garrett. When we learn the skill of “clearly telling” our dogs exactly what we want of them they are less confused, less stressed, and more jubilant learners and companions. This is a skill I will be working on for the rest of my life.
WHAT IS YOUR TEACHING BACKGROUND? I am a certified dog trainer, CPDT-KA. I have taught private lessons in Minnesota and group lessons/workshops in Montana. I donate a week of workshops yearly to a rescue group in my MT home town as a fundraiser for them and will go out again this year. I also have a collection of graduate degrees, but the most pertinent is my PhD in Educational Psychology, which is the application of psychology to teaching and learning.
I have taught psychology many years at the college level. I have to say I have learned more application of theory in the past six years with hands-on positive reinforcement training than I did in any lecture/test style classes. Both have their special places, but dang, I wish we had all had to train chickens to play tic tac toe twenty years ago! You can! But only with positive methods! I do love teaching.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT TEACHING DOG TRAINING CLASSES? I love to watch new levels of understanding blossom in both dog and human clients. When owners realize clicker training is almost like magic, it just makes me grin because I know there is a team headed for fun and a wonderful relationship.
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE NOT TRAINING DOGS? I am a committed gardener, start all my own seedlings, and try about 40 tomato varieties each year. I love giving healthy organically grown plants and produce to friends. I also teach part-time for SMSU, play with my adorable granddaughters, and enjoy my extremely tolerant husband of 35 years! I also write books. I have written two about teaching adults because this is a subject I care very deeply about. People deserve to be engaged in practical, exciting learning! My latest writing venture is a fantasy, The Patchen, for YA and middle school readers. That was really fun to write. What else do I do? Sometimes I just stand and watch my sheep graze around the pasture, very contentedly. It’s kind of a Zen experience, watching animals be who they are and not expecting anything else of them.
WHAT ARE SOME SPECIAL MEMORIES YOU HAVE OF YOUR DOGS? When I was in my twenties, I showed Borzoi in conformation. I had some beautiful dogs and one of my all-time favorites, Jamis, went Best in Show from the classes over 1700 dogs in Colorado, owner handled. It was a pretty exciting moment! Then Jamis went on to win the Grand National in Lure Coursing that same year. He was #7 Borzoi in the national rankings. It was always fun to finish champions, but Jamis was one of a kind because he was not just a show dog, but a true and loyal companion. Another dog who will always have a special place in my heart is my aussie, Emi. Emi was “born good” our family liked to say. She loved humans, dogs, cats, herded all of us, and was the mom to every animal we added to the farm. I sincerely doubt I will ever meet a kinder soul. It is still hard to write about her without tearing up, she gave so much and asked so little. I have been blessed with wonderful doggy friends.
