She ’ s got a handle on it
Elena Caudle found her way to dog training to manage her ‘ big dogs ’
Story by TYLER HANES Photos by AMANDA SHAVERS
Elena Caudle with her “ big dog ” Enishi , a 2-year-old Tosa-inu .
Training a dog to go out in public requires a little more effort than teaching “ sit ” or “ roll over ,” and for those looking to get their new puppy started on the right track to polite society , Happy Tails Groom & Board ’ s Elena Caudle may be the person to see .
The trainer said she works with dogs for behaviorbased training , or making sure they are ready to get out and interact with people and other dogs without behaving badly .
“ My focus is on good manners , public manners ,” she said . “ I want a dog that can be seen anywhere in public , and go anywhere in public , and people don ’ t go ‘ Oh man , here comes that dog again .’”
She said that focus on behavior training first became important when Caudle got her first Tosa- Inu , which is a breed that can grow to nearly two feet tall and weigh up to 200 pounds . With a dog that could get so large , she said she knew that she would have to work to get them ready to get out and meet people without being too rowdy .
“ I ’ ve got such big dogs that I knew they had to be behaved ,” she said . “ So that was a win-win for that .”
After getting into the training she quickly fell in love with the process .
“ I absolutely love watching the learning that happens ,” Caudle said . “ They ’ re like a blank slate .”
Once she began training her own dogs , Caudle said she began getting calls from others who wanted her to try her hand at teaching their own dog some better manners . She said she did not set out to learn any specific techniques or methods that would apply to all dogs , but she does work with a group of other trainers who share their experiences and best methods for certain training areas .
14 Cullman magazine | SPRING 2022