STANDARD — The crowd of approximately 40 people at the Putnam County Community Center broke into applause and cheered as Chase, a Border Collie, charged toward the obstacle and effortlessly cleared a high jump which was several feet high. They were equally impressed as he darted back and forth, leaping into the air and catching discs thrown by his owner/trainer. With every throw, Chase was exactly where he needed to be in order to make the catch.
Jen Rhodes was initiated into the world of dog training when she was 12. Her family raised Cocker Spaniels, but when she brought home a puppy who was going to grow up to be a big farm dog, her mother wanted her to take it back.
“But, my dad said I could keep it if I trained it, and I did. It’s been a passion of mine since,” said Rhodes, who began showing her family’s dogs and also training police dogs with the woman who taught her how to train.
“I’d already been training for years when the hype for having certification came about, but I went online and got certified. There are schools now, but I learned everything hands on,” said Rhodes.
Rhodes has a 100 percent success rate of dogs she’s trained passing their Canine Good Citizen test or Therapy Dog International test. So far, 108 dogs have received their certifications.
“I deal with aggressive dogs all the way down to the most meek and mild dogs you’ll see,” said Rhodes. She additionally trains dogs to high jump and run agility courses along with basic obedience. There are multiple vets and rescuers who call her to help recondition abused dogs, so they have a chance of being adopted into a loving home.
“If for some reason you get hurt, get ill or die, what’s going to happen to your dog if it’s not social? Who can adopt? Most dog lovers willing to take on another dog need it to be dog social. There are rescues in the area which won’t even take dogs who aren’t social with other dogs, so I’m really a stickler about socialization,” said Rhodes.
Rhodes not only conducts training at her residence in LaMoille, but will also travel to the homes of dog owners to help with obedience issues in familiar surroundings. She’s been training as a business for four years and has seen a steady increase in business. She started with 175 contracts (in-home accounts) and is now up to more than 5,000.
“It’s all about how much time and energy you put in with your dog and how much bonding there is. You’ve got to teach a dog, and it all comes from positive reinforcement. We do nothing negative with our dogs; it’s all positive,” said Rhodes.
Rhodes has also created “Paws for a Cause,” a charity event which benefits different causes each year. This year it will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, in LaMoille and will benefit two groups; Pit Crew, a Pit Bull rescue group in Chicago, and Bishop’s Small Dog Rescue in Wyanet. Together with her training partner, Brian Funk, the event will include agility, high jump and disc demonstrations, safety awareness, children and adult games, a 50/50 drawing, door prizes, a bake sale, vendors, costume and cute dog contests, a raffle and more. Both groups will have adoptable dogs present, and shirts commemorating each group are available by pre-ordering.
While Rhodes’ and Funk’s agility dogs have a seemingly desperate, high energy need to focus on work or play as they streak through the course and endear themselves to all who see them during demonstrations, it’s Abbie, a rescued Rottweiler, who can really pull the heart strings. She’s only 5, but double knee surgeries left her with the stiff walk of an older dog. She’s a certified therapy dog, and she helped prove their importance while visiting Woodhaven after the tornado devastation. While being escorted through the debris, Rhodes and Abbie came upon a small, older woman who had just seen the remains of her home for the first time. Half of her house was standing, and the other half was in pieces in her neighbor’s yard.
“The woman dropped to her knees, wrapped her arms around Abbie and burying her face in her shoulder, cried,” said Rhodes. When the woman had finished crying, she stood and leaned over to give Abbie a kiss. Abbie responded with a full face worth of kisses to help console her.
For more information on both dog training and “Paws for a Cause” contact Jen Rhodes at 815-762-6420.