Owner and Expert
Susan Strough, owner of Canines First, has eight years of experience as a companion obedience trainer and behavior consultant.
Credentials
- IACP Professional Member
- Chosen as a training partner for Best Friends Training Partners Program
- AKC-Approved Canine Good Citizen Evaluator
- Training Consultant for US Hero Search and Rescue K9 Team
As the owner of Canines First, Susan Strough's methods are gentle yet assertive, and they are easily learned by each dog's owner. While she does adhere to the basic positive-reinforcement principles of behavior shaping, Susan knows that not every method works for every dog, and not every training tool is right for every dog. She looks at each case individually, evaluating and assessing your dog's needs so that no time is wasted on ineffectual training methods.
All dogs are equal in Susan's eyes. From the Maltese to the Great Dane, every dog needs understanding and a firm but loving pack leader. The dog that can look to his owner for leadership is the happiest and healthiest dog in the world. Almost all dogs abandoned at an animal shelter could have been spared that fate if only their owners would have had the knowledge regarding what it takes to be their dogs' leader. It is Susan's goal to help dogs avoid this fate through owner education.
Susan is from Oklahoma, where her father fostered her love for dogs. In addition to the companionship she enjoyed with her father's hunting dogs, she was given her own dog at age 9. This unwitting Cocker Spaniel would be her first student. After attending college, Susan moved to the Dallas area and found a career opportunity in the dog-loving people of the city and its suburbs.
It was after working with homeless dogs in foster care that she realized the need for people to understand these animals so they could get the second chance they needed. Susan's greatest joy is teaching people how to live in harmony with their pets.