Raising the bar for dog training in Dubuque and the tri-state area

A little about your instructor....

"After 30-plus years in the medical field I decided to transform my dog training hobby into a full time profession and business. I have always loved dogs and other animals, and have had an avocation in teaching that has spanned 4 decades. I decided to combine my love of dogs with my love of teaching to become a full time professional dog trainer. Canine Connection LLC became official in the summer of 2009 and the downtown studio opened in the fall."
~ Cindy Ludwig, M.A., KPA-CTP, Certified Professional Animal Trainer

I have a special place in my heart

for German Shepherds, although I welcome all breeds into my classes and into my heart.

Pictured above is "Queenie," my first dog. I attribute my lifelong love of dogs and interest in animal behavior to that early relationship.

At the left is a recent photo of a client's German Shepherd Dog giving me an affectionate lick of approval.

At the right is a photo of my dog, Ginger and me taken in 2008 when she was approximately 6 months old. We were participating in a local event sponsored by the Dubuque Regional Humane Society (DRHS).

I adopted Ginger at the age of approximately 3 months from the DRHS. I took a chance on her knowing that, at the age of 3 months the window of opportunity to create a well adjusted dog was nearly closed.

After I adopted Ginger I discovered that she was quite sensitive and did not care to be handled. I worked with her and she was able to earn her Canine Good Citizen certification and Therapy Dog registration with Therapy Dogs International. We have been making weekly visits to Stonehill Franciscan Care Center in Dubuque, Iowa for about two and a half years now and the staff as well as residents there derive a lot of enjoyment from her visits.

Ginger, with her sensitive nature is also a good good therapy dog for other animals, including foster kittens and a 3-legged Shetland Sheepdog that she helped overcome a fear of water. More photos of Ginger can be seen here.

Ginger giving me a "high-five!"
Photo courtesy Christa Galluci, 2008

Dog training experience

Prior to becoming a full time professional dog trainer in May of 2009
I worked part time as a professional dog trainer and have volunteered hundreds of hours at animal shelters in Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois over the past 20 years, caring for animals, advocating for animal welfare and training dogs to help make them more adoptable.

The cute collie mix pup below was one of my favorites at the
Eau Claire County Humane Association in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Fortunately, she was one of the lucky ones that was adopted.

In addition to shelter experience, I taught group classes in Wisconsin and Iowa, and did private consulting for behavior issues in Missouri, Wisconsin and Iowa prior to opening Canine Connection in 2009.

I've had a lifelong interest in biology and animal behavior. I bought my first animal behavior book in the early 70's on a day off as a camp counselor in southwestern Virginia, and have been studying psychology, biology and physiology since high school.

Experience with wolves

I've been an active member of the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota since 2003, participating in seminars, wolf pup care, and recently a wolf ethology (behavior) course for graduate credit.

Wolf pup care

Here I am interacting with 10 week-old gray wolf pup, Grizzer during the 2004 pup socialization period at the International Wolf Center (IWC) in Ely, Minnesota.

Every 4 years the center adds new pups to its exhibit pack, and Grizzer was one of 3 pups added in 2004. For 10 weeks the pups undergo intensive socialization with carefully selected pup care staff to make them less fearful of humans so that they can be more easily handled by IWC staff and veterinarians.

Socialization also causes the wolves to be less elusive than they would be without this intervention. This allows the public to view them through the glass windows when they visit the center. If the wolves were not socialized, they would hide in the the wooded area in the back of their enclosure and the public would not be able to observe them and learn about wolves.

It's important to understand that these wolves are never tame, and are still very capable predators. If anything, socialized captive wolves are potentially more dangerous than non-captive, unsocialized wolves because they are not as afraid of humans. Wolves are not socialized the same as pet dogs, and are not handled like dogs. The wolves at the International Wolf Center are not trained, and only limited staff is allowed to have direct contact with them under the careful direction of the wolf curator.

At the left is this same wolf, 2 years later.

Formal education

My formal education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in (Natural) Science from the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio, and a Master of Arts degree in Higher and Adult Education from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. I graduated from Mercy School of Nursing
(Now, Mercy College of Northwest Ohio) in Toledo, Ohio and have been a licensed R.N. for the past 33 years. I was also licensed as a paramedic in Texas and Missouri and worked as a flight nurse based in Houston, Texas.

In addition to my undergraduate coursework in the biological and social sciences and my graduate work in education and learning, my graduate study at the University of Missouri included work in an animal learning laboratory under the direction of Dr. Douglas Anger, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology. This gave me direct hands on experience in operant conditioning (learning, behavior modification) and schedules of reinforcement -- also in desensitization -- I had to learn to feel comfortable holding and handling rats!

At the right, my dog Sasha graciously shakes my hand following graduation ceremonies at the University of Missouri.

Teaching experience

Over the past 4 decades I have held many part time and full time teaching and staff development positions. In addition to dog training, I've taught a variety of other subjects including golf, sailing, dance (ballet and jazz), aerobic exercise, college biology and human anatomy, professional nursing, critical care, advanced cardiac life support, CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and first aid, emergency medical technology (paramedics and EMTs), computer technology (healthcare informatics), adult development and learning, math, statistics and Sunday school!

Additionally, I've been an employment training specialist for people with developmental disabilities, worked as a nurse with people with intellectual disabilities (e.g., autism, traumatic brain injury, mental retardation), many of whom were non-verbal, and worked as a substitute teacher in the public school system (Columbia, Missouri) where I also worked one on one with a child with autism.

In addition to teaching, I have designed and administered education programs for various healthcare institutions, and written a variety of training manuals and educational materials.

Certification

I am a Karen Pryor Academy - Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP), a certified AKC (American Kennel Club) CGC (Canine Good Citizen) Evaluator and certified Therapy Dog Evaluator (Therapy Dogs International). I am voluntarily allowing my TDI evaluator certification to expire at the end of 2011 in order to affiliate with K9to5 National Dog Therapy Registry. K9to5 is a new therapy dog program that trains and certifies therapy dogs. Unlike TDI, K9to5 evaluators are all certified professional dog trainers, and they train as well as test dog-handler teams, The K9to5 philosophy is a philosophy of education which more closely matches my own philosophy of adult education.

The Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training and Behavior is one of the top dog training programs in the world. The program is an intensive 6-month long course of study in clicker training. Karen Pryor, author of Don't Shoot the Dog and other books and articles was a dolphin trainer who later collaborated with Gary Wilkes and others to bring clicker training to the dog training world in the early 90's.

Students who successfully complete all of the assigned work and examinations and pass the three final assessments (dog training knowledge, dog training skills and teaching skills) earn the KPA-CTP credential.

I have also studied the Third Way with Chris Bach and am certified as a Level Two Third Way Trainer.

Above I am pictured with a harp seal pup on a photographic expedition to
Nova Scotia. Not all the pups were this accepting of our presence. This
one happened to be the only one in the week long expedition that allowed
us to approach this closely and actually touch it. We worked on a buddy system so that one photographer of each pair was always watching for mother seals, which would aggressively protect their pups.

Continuing education

In addition to successfully completing the graduate level wolf ethology course offered jointly by St. Thomas University and the International Wolf Center, I have completed upper level university courses on dog biology, behavior, and pet nutrition at Colorado State University.

Whenever possible, I continue my education by attending workshops and seminars on dog training and behavior, as well as continually expanding my skills in training by studying under other accomplished dog trainers such as Chris Bach, top obedience competitor and Michele Pouliot, three time world canine musical freestyle champion and Director of Research and Development at Guide Dogs for the Blind. I recently attended a 3-day seminar presented by renowned dog biologist Ray Coppinger at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Indiana, the week-long Purdue University Animal Behavior Clinic DOGS! behavior modification course, a 3-day seminar on dog aggression and stress free handling presented by Dr. Sophia Yin and Sarah Kalnajs and the 2011 Clicker Expo in Chicago.

I completed the American Red Cross Pet First Aid Course at Oakwood Hills Animal Hospital in Wisconsin taught by Pamela Ogden, DVM.

Above I am interacting with one of the wolves at Wolf Park in Battle Ground, Indiana during the November 2009 seminar presented by Ray Coppinger

Photo courtesy Monty Sloan

Current employment and professional associations

I am a Field Representative with PAWS with a Cause, based in Wayland, Michigan. PAWS with a Cause trains and provides service, hearing and seizure response dogs to people with disabilities. My role as a Field Representative is to teach Paws clients how to use their assistance dogs. I perform needs assessments of new applicants for assistance dogs, certify dog-handler teams, provide remedial training as needed, support foster puppy raisers, and provide presentations as requested.

I am a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), founded by renowned veterinarian and animal behaviorist, Ian Dunbar, DVM, Ph.D and was a member of the organization's Education Committee in 2010. I am also a member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC).

Canine Connection is the only dog training service in Iowa listed on the Truly Dog-Friendly website. Trainers listed on this site 1) are committed to force-free training without the use of aversive training equipment such as shock collars, choke chain collars, or prong/pinch collars, 2) must use training methods that are free of pain or intimidation, and 3) must be recommended by colleagues.

I work part time as a freelance writer and am a contributor to a book called Top Tips from Top Trainers, published in March 2010. Recently I have been invited to contribute articles to Animalinfo Publications, Australia and guest blog posts to Finding Fuzzybutt Four.

Additional animal experience

While living in Wisconsin I volunteered at the Wildlife in Need (Rehabilitation) Center in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin and at Avalon Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Watertown, Wisconsin.