We had the pleasure of meeting Nicole Veile back in Fall 2014 when she was a volunteer at the St. Louis County Pet Adoption Center in Overland, MO.  She had called asking to pay out of her own pocket for private lessons so she could teach the dogs at the shelter better manners and they could find, and stay in, their forever homes more successfully. Nicole was a wonderful natural trainer and picked up clicker training concepts very quickly. Fast forward to February 2016 when obedience class started at Petsway. We knew exactly who to ask to assistant with class, and Voila!, she accepted. Meet Nicole and you’ll see, too, why The Persuaded Pooch is so proud to have her as our Assistant Trainer!

How did you get your start in dog training?
Reward based training was introduced to me with a variety of different animals during an internship at a zoo. That is where my education and skill for training developed. Eventually I started working and volunteering at animal shelters and rescue groups where dog training became a passion.

What do you find most enjoyable about training dogs?
I enjoy so many things about training dogs! However, I absolutely love watching the progress made as owners and dogs learn together. This, to me, has always been a joy and a rewarding feeling.

Tell us a bit about your own dog… What are your training goals? 
My pride and joy is my one year old female Pit Bull mix, River. I adopted her from the St. Louis County Pet Adoption Center as a cautious, insecure and unguided youngster. Training with River started the moment I adopted her and still continues to this day. As her educator, I instruct her how to behave and help her realize the world isn’t such a scary place. River has blossomed into a relaxed, more confident and extremely well behaved dog. I plan to continue training with River using reward-based training in hopes of training her for therapy work one day.

What’s the one thing that everyone should know when it comes to dog training.
Always remember to have realistic expectations. Training takes time, patience and consistency.

Tell us something else that’s interesting about you!
I enjoy training so much, I even train with my two cats! Both cats know cues which include “sit,” “high five” and come when called. My cats have been my best teachers when it comes to helping me understand reward based training.