About the Training
We believe your dog is a workhorse. Regardless of age, size, breed, or prior training, your dog is ready to work — and so are you. We work with a simple reward-correction system. Simple doesn't mean easy, but there's no need to complicate things.
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And, of course, training for the handler is imperative. We'll teach you how to teach your dog for the best results — quickly.
About The Owner
Hi, I'm Hannah.
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I'm a pretty big fan of (well-trained) dogs. I got my first dog at five years old, a miniature schnauzer, and like many dogs she just kind of existed in the house and often ruled the roost. My parents did their best, of course, and I loved the dog all the same, but we just didn't have the knowledge to keep her from peeing in the house or stop barking at the door. You know, basic dog stuff.
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Enter 2014 when Inja joined my life. She's the blue-eyed brindle-striped sauntress pictured above. And boy, did she test my limits hard and fast.
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The Striped Terror
She was found in the New Mexico desert, an assumed feral dog, snatched up at about 6 months old. She was cunning, fearful, and unpredictable — all the features of a less-than-pleasant pet.
By the time I got her at just over a year old, she was absolutely terrified of people, yet somehow equally terrified of isolation. She was an expert house destroyer, fantastic escape artist, master screamer. She was vindictive and intelligent. She quickly made my life miserable.
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I soon ended up with two more dogs, a Dutch Shepherd and Belgian Malinois, in a home that was all dog with a clueless Hannah. I was frustrated and confused. I didn't get it, and while some methods I learned in training worked, I'd still come home to missing dogs and shredded household items.
About The Training
With a fiasco-turned-opportunity, I committed to a dog training education course — to become a dog trainer. I sought an agile hands-on worldwide group who regularly works with dogs for every purpose. The training included everything from basic obedience to drug detection to man tracking to agility.
On just the first day, it all fell into place. Everything seemed so simple and so clear. By this time, Inja was nearly 5 years old. Her issues had disappeared, but it had taken me almost the full 5 years, and LOTS of stress. With these new methods, I quickly realized I could have changed her in 30 days or less, with much less sleeplessness.
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My goals now are to share this with others. To increase the population of well-trained canines. To keep people from shedding tears over their dogs' destructive habits. To teach calmness, patience, and discipline.
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I promise, your life with your dog doesn't have to be miserable. Hello, clarity and structure. Inja and I are both much happier.
The Underdogs
She still enjoys chasing her ball on her active days.
Inja and Linda hiking in New Mexico.
She still enjoys chasing her ball on her active days.
Inja, the OG Underdog
CGC
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Born January 2014 (10 years old)
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Spayed Female, 43 pounds
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From Rescue Rovers
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50% Australian Cattle Dog
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50% American Staffordshire x Husky x German Shepherd
I wasn't seeking a dog a dog at the time. I just ended up with Inja in 2015 when she was about one year old. She was an absolute monster (read more about that above). Once we dialed her "demon" down, Inja served as my demo dog for about 3 years helping countless dogs and their owners learn how to live more pleasant lives.
However, she never moved particularly fast, didn't really enjoy obedience, and was resistant to bigger training tasks like bitework, rally, detection, tracking, dock diving, and other sports. ​Inja never fully enjoyed her duty as a demo dog; it was almost like she did it just to please me. As she fell victim to aging, her need to retire became even more apparent. She resisted Linda's presence for a few months, but once it finally clicked that Linda would make her life easier, Inja accepted retirement.
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Inja now enjoys walks and rest in her retired life.
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Inja had her name before I owned her. People have forever suspected the origins of the name, but it's much simpler than most people think! She was named by a young child who liked "ninjas" but couldn't quite pronounce the word. However, after almost a decade of owning her, I learned that "inja" actually means "dog" in Nguni (Swaziland), which is kinda baffling and amazing.
Linda "The Bean"
CGCA, CGCU, DDT 1st place interior prelim
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Born July 27, 2021 (2 years)
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Intact female, 62 pounds
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From Maricopa Malinois Frida X Major Litter B
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Belgian Malinois
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Linda taking her reward after finding the drugs.
By 2020 I needed a fast-learning medium-sized animal with interest in the ball, food, and praise. Malinois were at the top of my list IF I could find a good breeder. Breeds like Malinois are easy to mess up in nature and nurture so I was cautious. I eventually determined Maricopa Malinois to be a good fit. Learn more about what I look for when getting a dog here.
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When I picked Linda up, I had a list of names I intended to try out with her on the 10 hour drive home. But instead, I just started calling her 'Linda," I don't think I ever even looked at the list; I just called her "Linda" and it stuck. Possibly equally unexplainable, "Linda" has evolved to "Bean." So, just one of those things I guess.
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Regardless, we got to work immediately. In this working purpose, she's excelled. Her obedience is timely and precise. She picks up new tasks with enthusiasm, and happily recites obedience on the daily. Her confidence is exceptional: she willingly tries anything new with the proper amount of caution. When she makes a mistake, she recovers quickly. She's neutral to new situations, loud sounds, and hectic environments.
I've also introduced her to many things to find what fulfills her outside of work. I'm quite surprised to say she truly loves it all: obedience, agility, dock diving, detection, biting, service work. Generally dogs seem kind of gravitate to one thing or another, but Bean just wants to do it all. In 2023 we began competing in Detection Dog Trials. Linda won first place in prelim in one of the four categories on her first go. This animal makes me beam with joy.
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Often, such passionate dogs can be stoic workaholics. It's common they're serious one-track-mind animals waiting for their next task. There isn't much silliness in some working dogs, and I was fully prepared to have another emotionally serious dog. But Bean, man, is she a gem. She's got the dedication I needed and she's fun as hell. She never misses a chance to show her goofy side.
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