Cindy Reitz

For as long as I can remember, animals have been part of my life.  While growing up we had all kinds of 'critters': reptiles, rodents, a skunk, a raccoon, fish, birds, horses & ponies, rabbits, cats and, of course, dogs.  I never understood why my parents cringed every time I drug another one home saying, "He followed me.  Can we keep him?"  It's far more likely that I coaxed the poor animal the whole way!

My first dog as an adult was an adolescent German Shepherd that my husband and I inherited.  We made it through house breaking, but fell short when it came to destructive chewing.  'Jake' began nibbling the small things, magazines & books.  We puppy-proofed as much as possible, but he kept finding new things to entertain himself while we were at work.  We knew we needed help when we came home one day and found our sofa strewn across the living room floor in a million pieces.

And so began a long and fascinating journey into the world of dogs and dog training.

I have always loved behavior and got a lot of practice while working with children and adolescents in a residential treatment facility.  Carrying this over to dogs felt quite natural, and I found I really enjoyed this 'training game'.  With every dog I worked with, I learned.  The more I learned, the more I wanted to know.  After 20 years of working with dogs and their people, I have learned many things, but there is a still so much more yet to learn.  Reading books and attending seminars helps me stay up-to-date with the latest research and techniques.

I was the first instructor to work with Mary at Fieldwood and found that I really love teaching.  It's great watching the relationship grow between our students and their four-footed friends.  We work with many wonderful people, and help keep dogs in homes and out of shelters.

My goal is to help people understand dogs and their behavior, and assist them in learning to communicate more effectively with their dogs.  I like to teach all-around good manners so that these furry family members are a joy to live with.  The more control you have with your dog, the more experiences you will be able to share and the richer your lives will be.

In addition to instructing classes, I enjoy seeing families privately for specific behavior issues.  I also developed a program called 'Canine Smart Kids' which I present to elementary students to help them learn how to be safe around strange dogs.

I share my life with my husband, our son, English Springer Spaniels Madeline and Sage, and Buddy, a Boston Terrier mix.