I'M BOB CONKLIN, OWNER/MASTER TRAINER OF HUDSON VALLEY K9 ACADEMY, 361-HOWELL STREET, ORANGE COUNTY, PINE BUSH, NEW YORK.  TRAINING IN BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION, OBEDIENCE, CGC, TDI, PERSONAL PROTECTION, AGILITY, BOMBS, EXPLOSIVE, TERMITE, BED BUGS, NARCOTICS DETECTOR DOGS AND SOCIAL BEHAVIORS.  GERMAN SHEPHERD, DOBERMAN PINSCHER BREEDER AND BROKER.  BLACK, BLACK SABLE, BLACK AND TAN IMPORTED GERMAN SHEPHERD DOGS. AFFILIATED WITH USAK9.NET AND HARRY LOZADA IN MASSAPAQUA, LONG ISLAND, NY.  MARTINS K9 FORMULA AND NUPRO DEALER AND DISTRIBUTOR.  OWNER OF XANO, KILO, ASHA,BASHAN, EROS AND MAYA.  SEEN ON CHANNEL 7 ABC NEWS AND CHANNEL 4 NBC NEWS.

FOR MANY YEARS I HAVE BEEN REFERRED TO AS THE DOG WHISPERER.  I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, SO I'M GOING TO EXPLAIN HOW IT ALL BEGAN.

MOST DOG TRAINERS EXPERIENCE STARTED EARLY ON IN THE MILITARY.  MANY OF THEM LEFT THE MILITARY K9 AND BECAME POLICE K9 HANDLERS.  AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THE TECHNIQUES USED FOR TRAINING DOGS WENT WITH THEM.  MANY OF THEM BEGAN TRAINING CIVILIAN DOGS WITH THE SAME TECHNIQUES USED ON MILITARY AND POLICE DOGS.  I AM AS GUILTY AS THE NEXT TRAINER FOR USING THESE OLD OUT DATED METHODS OF TRAINING.  FOR MANY YEARS I PINNED AND HUNG DOGS AS I WAS INSTRUCTED TO DO.  I BEGAN TO REALIZE THIS METHOD WOULD MAKE THE DOG EITHER FALL APART OR BECOME AGGRESSIVE.  EITHER WAY, THE ODDS WERE NOT IN YOUR FAVOR OF MAKING A TRAINED DOG RESPECT YOU AND NOT FEAR YOU.  THIS METHOD IN MY OPINION TAUGHT MOST DOGS NOT TO TRUST THE PERSON ENTERING THEIR SPACE.  THEY QUICKLY REALIZED THEY HAD TO EITHER SUBMIT OR BECOME AGGRESSIVE ON INTRUDERS.  THE OLD "I'LL GET YOU BEFORE YOU GET ME."  IT WASN'T UNTIL I HAD MY POLICE DOG THAT I FOUND OUT THIS WAS A TERRIBLE METHOD OF TRAINING.  HERE I WAS FORCING MY PARTNER AND BEST FRIEND TO FEAR ME.  WHEN I ENTERED HIS SPACE, HE WOULD COWER RATHER THAN SHOW HAPPINESS.   HE WAS ALSO A VERY TOUGH DOG AND WOULD NOT PUT UP WITH THAT SORT OF ROUGH HANDLING METHODS I WAS TAUGHT.  I REALIZED I EITHER HAD TO RISK BEING BITTEN OR CHANGE MY METHODS OF HANDLING HIM.  I DID CHANGE THOSE METHODS OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPED WHAT I NOW USE TODAY.  I HAVE USED THIS METHOD FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND IT WORKS.  TRAIN THE MIND WITH ENERGY AND THE BODY WILL FOLLOW.  USE POSITIVE PHRASE AND BODY POSTURE AS WELL AS POSITIONING WHEN THE DOG PERFORMS AND LIGHT PACK CORRECTIONS WHEN THE DOG DOESN'T BEHAVE.  DON'T LET THE DOG SEE THE CORRECTION TO KEEP IT FROM BEING PERSONAL.  DOGS IN PACKS DON'T FIGHT UNLESS THERE IS A REASON.  AN INJURED DOG CAN'T HUNT AND WON'T BE ABLE TO SURVIVE WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE PACK.  INJURED PACK ANIMALS ARE OF NO USE TO THE PACK FOR DEFENSE OR HUNT.  USING THAT LOGIC I BEGAN TO APPLY THE APPROPRIATE TYPE OF CORRECTION TO THE DOG AND CONTROL THE DOGS ENERGY.  THE DOG NOW IS WILLING TO SUBMIT WITHOUT PINNING OR HANGING.  THE DOG WILL STAY BY ME RATHER THAN THE OWNER WILLINGLY.  I NOW AM ABLE TO TEACH THE DOG COMMANDS WITHOUT FOOD, OR HARSH TRAINING METHODS.  I ALSO AM ABLE TO CONTROL THE PACK WILLINGLY. ONCE THE DOG UNDERSTANDS THIS TECHNIQUE, I CAN NOW PASS THIS ON TO THE OWNER.   THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS I CAN KEEP MANY PROTECTION DOGS IN MY HOME WITHOUT A FIGHT. 

TRAINING YOU!  BECAUSE I BROKE THE TRAINING BARRIER OF COMMUNICATING CORRECTLY WITH YOUR DOG THROUGH TECHNIQUE, I AM ABLE TO TRAIN YOU ALONG WITH YOUR DOG.  MY TRAINERS CERTIFICATION GRADUATES WATCH OTHER TRAINERS AND SEE ALL THE ERRORS THEY MAKE.  USING FOOD, CLICKERS AND FORCE TO GET YOUR DOG TO WORK DOES NOT IN MY OPINION MEAN YOU ARE A DOG TRAINER.  DOGS SHOULD WORK FOR THE PACK LEADER BECAUSE THEY RESPECT HIM AND NOT FEAR HIM.  FOOD REWARD IS A BRIBE AND NOT A TRAINING TECHNIQUE.  MY APPROVAL IS MY DOGS REWARD.

LONG BEFORE CESAR APPEARED ON T.V., I DEVELOPED AND USED THE TYPE OF TRAINING I DEVELOPED.  MANY OF MY CUSTOMERS JOKING BEGAN TO REFER TO ME AS THE DOG WHISPERER.  THIS WAS DERIVED FROM THE THEN FAMOUS HORSE WHISPERER.  KNOWN FOR THE HIS NATURAL TRAINING METHODS FOR HORSES.  SO YOU SEE, I DIDN'T COPY CESAR'S NAME OR METHOD OF USING ENERGY TO CONTROL A DOGS BEHAVIOR.  I NOT ONLY USE THIS METHOD FOR BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION, BUT TO TRAIN THE DOG.  I JUST DIDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE IT FAMOUS.  AND THAT IS HOW I BEGAN USING THE TERM "HUDSON VALLEY'S DOG WHISPERER."