Meet the Trainers
| Cherie helps families teach their dogs to be well-behaved members of the family. She teaches effective and humane methods for basic obedience and a wide variety of other types of classes including Agility For Fun, Training for Therapy Dog Visits, Helping the Cautious Canine, Feisty Fido and more. Ms. Maitland also offers classes to help people prepare to take and pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test. Cherie is now also an approved AKC CGC evaluator. Cherie also helps with more serious problems including fearfulness, anxiety, aggression towards people, dogs and cats, nuisance barking, and safety with kids and dogs. She hails more from the new school of training, incorporating learning theory and understanding canine psychology (see Philosophy & Methods) to teach people to be great dog owners, handlers and leaders. When needed, other approaches are incorporated, because she believes that there is often something valuable to learn from most approaches and that flexibility and tailoring methods to a specific owner, dog and situation is crucial. Cherie's instincts about what people and their dogs need to be a better team, combined with her practical knowledge and step-by-step teaching style is extremely effective. She now lives in the Sierra Foothills with her beloved 4 dogs - and over the years has taken 4 dogs through the process of becoming Registered Therapy Dogs, 9 cats, and her horse, a mustang lives on a nearby ranch. Contact her to discuss your dog(s) and your training needs and get started on an educational and satisfying experience with Our Furry Friends. |
| Our Furry Friends |
| Cherie Inherited Some of Her Connection With Animals From Her Mom |
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| Cherie Maitland, an animal lover and educator from way back, moved to California from Vermont in 1984. Her varied work background includes personal coaching and counseling, small business management, accounting, teaching and running kids after-school and summer camp programs. Cherie began working with dogs at the SPCA as a volunteer in the 1980's on the California Coast. In the early 1990's she was introduced to the world of humane horse handling and Natural Horsemanship. It made so much sense to Cherie to train and guide a horse by understanding their point-of-view, that she sought out people who were doing the same thing with dogs. She assisted with dog training classes, behavior problem appointments and went back to the shelter as a volunteer adoption counselor and dog handler. She studied and trained with a variety of other trainers from a wide range of philosophies. After adopting a "problem" dog, (who is now the wonderful registered therapy dog you may know as Pepper,) Cherie needed the behavioral expertise of several local, prominent trainers. After years of studying with and assisting other trainers, and working with dogs at the shelter, Our Furry Friends was born in 1999 in Santa Cruz |
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Training With Respect & Understanding
Erik Grendahl has been working with dogs and their owners for well
over a decade. From rescue, fostering, grooming, dog daycare/boarding,
competing in the AKC, or training, Erik has done it all.
In an industry comprised primarily of self-taught obedience trainers, Erik is a
formally educated Canine Behavior Specialist. He uses Applied Behavior
Analysis and Respondent Conditioning in order to train new behaviors or
modify existing unwanted behaviors. By following scientifically and ethically
sound methods of training, and focused on a motivational rather than punitive
approach, Erik is able to help you and your canine companion achieve your
goals in a fun and positive manner.