Susanne Shelton
Meet the Trainer
Susanne Shelton
Like so many trainers my love of dogs has been a lifelong one. My first
dog, the family Springer Spaniel, was a constant companion and best friend
for many years. Lady was a well behaved companion in part because of her
friendly, happy, Springer Spaniel attitude and also because my mother
took the time when Lady was young to take an obedience class with her.
The training showed and Lady became our family's best friend.
The next dog to come into my life was many years later. It happened when a litter of mix breed puppies was abandoned in our neighborhood. We took on a smallish blond female puppy we called Pitiful (really). It was my turn then to do the training and as a book crazy teenager I was only too happy to do so. With Milo Pearshall's classic training book "Dog Obedience Training" in hand I starting working to train Pitiful. Despite my clumsy efforts, and having only a book to help me, Pitiful was a quick study and easily learned the basics. I enjoyed working with her and loved to set up home made agility courses in the back yard -- some 15 years before the sport was organized -- with lots of jumps for us to run through. Pitiful, despite being a somewhat sickly dog, lived to the age of 13 years. It was my time with little Pitiful that sparked my passion for dog training, a legacy that has stayed with me from that day in 1981 to this.
Since purchasing that first training book in 1981, the one constant in my life has been my enjoyment of training dogs. And so much has changed in the dog training world since then. Before settling on my current breed (the German Shepherd Dog) I owned a Miniature Pincher, a Doberman and currently share my home with not only my German Shepherds but also three Pembroke Welsh Corgi's, a Beagle Mix, and four cats!
I now compete with and breed my own dogs under the kennel name of
Austerlitz German Shepherds. I've enjoyed many dog sports but have
devoted the greatest amount of time and earned the greatest number of
titles in obedience and Schutzhund training. I've bred and trained
numerous High In Trail dogs in agility (bred only), obedience, and
schutzhund. I still enjoy competing with my dogs and training at The
Oklahoma Working Dog Association, where I have held an office for many
years and currently serve as director of training. Being surrounded by so
many fellow trainers keeps me up to date on new techniques. Continuing
to compete means my training efforts are judged by others regularly,
something I think is of the utmost importance for all pet dog trainers.
At the request of my friends I started taking training clients in 1992
and I found so much enjoyment in helping people train their dogs that
I have never stopped! To learn more about my companion dog training
philosophies and exciting "new" methods please visit our Classes page!
Business:
- Clickety Split Dog Training (previously Braeside Dog Training) since 1990.
Kennel:
- von der burg Austerlitz, Austerlitz German Shepherd Dogs, since 1993.
National Memberships:
- German Shepherd Dog Club of America-Working Dog Association (GSDCA-WDA).
- German Shepherd Dog Club of America (GSDCA).
- United Schutzhund Clubs of America (USCA).
National Offices Held:
- USCA Mid-Central Regional Breed Warden, 2000-2006.
- USCA Breed Advisory Committee, 2000-2006.
Local Memberships:
- Oklahoma Working Dog Association (OWDA), since 1992.
Local Offices Held:
- Oklahoma Working Dog Association: President, 2000-2008.
- Oklahoma Working Dog Association: Director of Training, 2008 to present.
