Community Corner

Brighton Dog Trainer Gets a New Leash on Life

Kate Lindenmuth left dog training behind to write two books.

After almost 20 years experience training all sorts of dogs, Brighton resident Kate Lindenmuth decided to give it up in favor of writing a not-so-average memoir.

The memoir, titled Prescription for the Dog Lover's Soul: Wake Up and Smell the Dogsh*t, takes the reader through true comedic, poignant and sad tales of different dogs and their owners owners that Lindenmuth has met as a dog trainer.

"They're stories of individual dogs that have had the greatest impact on my life, but it's also about my life," Lindenmuth said.

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Lindenmuth began writing the book to address dog owners who don't properly raise and train their animals.

"I quit training because of the frustration," she said. "I couldn't get people to follow through with what I taught them. They bring me a dog and think it's magic because I have that dog behaving in one session. If they do what I tell them -- which is usually some obedience exercises and changing bad body language like bending down or picking up a small dog when it barks, then that dog should follow through with the training. But 75 percent don't follow through and it's too frustrating to me. If they're not going to do what's needed then why help?"

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Lindemuth said training dogs always came naturally to her. When her kids were in kindergarten, she apprenticed with a respected trainer and then opened her own facility in Tecumseh. She did everything from personal protection to agility and obedience training, but her specialty was in working with dogs with behavioral problems like aggression and anxiety.

"Most behavioral problems fall into those two categories," Lindenmuth said. "Fear is involved in both of those. Inappropriate aggression stems from fear. Buzz, my German Shepherd, has appropriate aggression, so when I tell him to attack he's not doing it because he's afraid, he's doing it because he thinks it's fun. Because he learned there's a reward to it and he's doing what comes naturally."

Lindenmuth has trained her own dogs, Buzz, a German Shepherd, Mara, a boxer/husky mix and two teacup chihuahuas named Popeye and Devilina to do various entertaining tricks.

When you decide to get a puppy, Lindemuth stresses it is extremely important to make sure it is socialized when it is very young.

"It's almost impossible to teach a dog that's antisocial to be social," she said. "You can teach them to accept strangers, walk past them without trying to bite them, not bark at them, not shy away, but you can't teach them to like strangers. Once in a while you get a dog that changes through behavior modification on the trainer's part or another dog. A dog can teach another dog and it's amazing!"

In fact, Lindenmuth said that her German Shepherd Buzz has helped her train more dogs than any other human.

Lindemuth recently finished her second book, Just Good Enough, which is not about dogs. Neither has been published yet, but Lindenmuth said she is hopeful.

She said she would consider coming out of retirement to train a dog for the right kind of person, but in the meantime she answers questions and gives training advice on her Facebook Page, The World According to Kate.

Last month, Ronald Schwab asked Lindenmuth for advice on his best course of action to get his two-year-old English Springer Spaniel to stop whining in the car.

Lindenmuth said the dog whines because she is excited.

"The best thing to do is to re-condition her that there is nothing exciting about going in the truck," she said. "Put her in, then ask her to get out right away. Do that a bunch of times a few days in a row. Then, ask her to stay and leave her in it while you go back in the house for a few minutes. Do that a few days in a row. Then, take her for a ride only down the driveway ... get the idea?"


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