Suzanne
Clothier has been involved professionally with dogs since 1977. Her
background is widely varied, with experience in breeding, kennel
management, grooming, showing, training, canine midwifery, puppy
aptitude testing, instructing, behavior consultations, in-home
training, K-9 Search & Rescue, holistic health care and various club
memberships & activities (show/trial superintendent/secretary, and
obedience chairman). Served as a committee member for the American
Humane Association's Task Force for the Development of Humane
Standards for Dog Training, and as a member of the AKC's Agility
Advisory Board.
Current
activities include a two-year project with Guiding Eyes for the
Blind, private behavior consultations, teaching seminars
internationally, ongoing development of educational
materials/programs, articles, videos and writing. Her last book,
Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships With Dogs
(Warner, 2002) has received widespread acclaim.
Listed in "Who's Who in Dogs" by Connie Vanacore (McMillan, 1998),
Suzanne is an award winning author whose articles have been
reprinted worldwide by dog trainers, clubs, humane societies, rescue
groups, veterinarians and breeders. Bones is currently available in
the US, with German, Korean and Japanese versions due out soon.
Suzanne is a breeder of German Shepherd Dogs, usually producing one
litter per year. Her goal is healthy, correct GSD's for
companion/competition. Dogs produced by her Hawks Hunt breeding
program have been active and successful in obedience, therapy dog
work, tracking, agility, herding, Search & Rescue, and as
companions. Foundation bitch listed on GSDCA's list of top obedience
producing sires & dams. Produced dogs nationally ranked in the U.S.
& Canada in obedience and agility. She also was fortunate early in
her career to co-breed Brittanys with Katherine Murphy (Sequani
Kennels), and their last litter together produced group winning
Am/Can/Ber. CH. Sequani's Brook of Confort - BOB at the National
Specialty. In addition to her Brittany experience, Suzanne has over
25 years experience with puppy aptitude testing and canine midwifery
(too many breeds to list!)
Suzanne has been teaching seminars nationwide since 1989. Suzanne
has taught for a wide variety of kennel clubs, dog training clubs,
humane organizations, national specialty clubs, private groups, FEMA
Northeast Region Disaster Dog Teams, the Association for Pet Dog
Trainers, Alaskan Dog Mushers Association, Wolf Park, Berkshire
Mountain SAR, as well as speaker for AKC Obedience Judges Education,
key speaker for National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors
Annual Conference, and the first European Dog Trainers Conference.
She has taught in the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand,
Holland and Belgium.
Seminar topics have included:
u If Dogs Could Speak
u The Clothier Natural Jumping Method
u The Integrated Approach - Alternatives to Traditional Methods'
u TTEAM & The Tellington Touch
u Your Athletic Dog
u Understanding & Handing Aggression
u The Fragile Circle
u Problem Dog Clinics
u Puppy Aptitude Testing
u Understanding Performance Problems
u Instructors' Workshops
u Motivational Agility
u Holistic Approaches to Canine Health Care
u K9 Search & Rescue - Maximizing Performance
Co-lecturers have included Sharon Willoughby (founder of the AVCA),
Copper Love, Marnie Reeder, Dr. Jean Olsen DVM, Dr. Nancy Bozeman
DVM, Dr. Sue Ann Lesser DVM, Dr. Adrian Marnell DC, Dr. Mark Sommers
DC, Helen Greven PhD, Marlene Sandler, Katrene Johnson, Dr. Dennis
O'Brien, John Valvardi, Pat Goodman of Wolf Park, and John W. Rice.
Publications
- The Agility Training Workbook (with Linda Caplan) out of print
- The Clothier Natural Jumping Method (with Linda Caplan)
- Motivational Agility Training (video) out of print
- Your Athletic Dog – A Functional Approach (video)
Booklet series
- Following Ghosts: Developing the Tracking Relationship (with John
Rice)
- Understanding Puppy Testing
- Physical Therapy for the Canine Athlete (with Sue Ann Lesser, DVM)
- Body Posture & Emotions: Shifting Shapes, Shifting Minds
- Understanding & Teaching Self Control
- Finding a Balance: Issues of Power in the Dog/Human Relationship
- The Seven Cs: A Guide to Training & Relationships
As a columnist for WOLF CLAN magazine (now defunct), her articles
included the four-part series "The Seven C's of Dog Training," and
"Self Control." Subject of a Wolf Clan feature article, "Can
Training Be Holistic?"
Was a training/behavior consultant for Steve Dale, syndicated pet
columnist
Featured & quoted in various articles for Pets: Part of the Family,
as well as a number of books from a variety of authors. Suzanne's
work has been published in the AKC Purebred Dog Gazette, Dogs In
Canada, Dog Fancy, Wolf Clan, Delta Society, APDT Newsletter, Off
Lead Magazine, TTEAM Practitioners Newsletter, German Shepherd
Review, Clean Run, and countless breed & club newsletters worldwide
in 12 languages.
Suzanne currently shares her life with 10 dogs (9 GSDs, 1 Chow/Lab),
3 cats, a rat, 2 donkeys, 3 horses, 25-30 Scottish Highland cattle,
chickens, pigs, 2 parrot, 2 African spur-thigh tortoises and
tropical fish. Also, one really great man - husband John Rice, an
expert Search & Rescue and tracking trainer, and now an expert
multiple species animal caretaker & all round farmer.
About Suzanne