I will jump in as well ;-) I am 30 and have been involved with dogsports for around 7 years. I rode, showed, and trained horses prior to getting into dogs. I have Australian Cattle Dogs that are trained in everything from schutzhund to water rescue. I live in Montana.

I am 40 and have been training dogs for 9 yrs

I am 46, I have only been around dogs for about 5 years, I married a man w/ a gentleman of an APBT, and being as uninformed as one can be decided to rescue a second....she was fine until about 18 months and all the sudden I'm looking for help. I have only been working with her for about a year and I give all of you, old and young alike kudos and a great deal of respect, because training an animal IMO is very difficult. So keep all your information flowing, folks like me will be listening and learning...Thanks

I'm 15. I used to ride horses, but I've been "into" dogs for the last five years. I hope to be able to work with dogs as a profession when I'm an adult, but I'm not sure what I'd do, yet. I have a Golden Retriever, who was my first dog I trained (she made it easy on me), and I have a Siberian Husky pup coming home in a couple weeks. I admire their athleticism and working instincts - I'm an endurance runner, and when the puppy matures, I want to train her to cart and scooter with me since there's no snow here in Hawaii.

The siberian will teach you alot, about humility, frustration, patience. Good luck. Sibes may beautiful, but the are a ton of work. Don't get me wrong I have a GSD and a sibe. I do love my sibe but they are very independent and very smart which can lead to tons of frustration in training.

OK, secret is out now. LOL I"m 44, and have 2 GSD's, female, Jas age 5, and Nash, male, just turned 2. I've always been involved with GSD's for the last 20 + years as a quarry with the various PD's I've been working with. I started Schutzhund about 2 1/2 yrs ago, when I moved to a big enough center that had a Schutzhund club. Dogs and I are having the time of our lives !!!!!!!!

Age 45, 20 years working dogs as a profession. Have been working Dogs Patrol/AES(arms explosives search) Drug pro active/Passive. GSD PPD Instructor for 7 years. Have worked GSD's, springer spaniels, labs, collies and short haired german pointers. Still enjoying every second of it apart from the occasional dog bite....! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Jason said: "The siberian will teach you alot, about humility, frustration, patience. Good luck. Sibes may beautiful, but the are a ton of work. Don't get me wrong I have a GSD and a sibe. I do love my sibe but they are very independent and very smart which can lead to tons of frustration in training."

Yup, I've heard the warning many times. However, I feel up to the challenge. I wanted a dog that would make me think - I didn't want a pushover like the Golden. Sibes are healthier than Goldens as a breed, and since I run, I also thought it'd be nice to be able to run with my dog when it's mature (the Golden has sore hips). Nothing's for sure, but I'd think I have a better chance of getting a sound adult Sibe than Golden. As far as teaching me humility, how to deal with frustration, and patience, those are lessons I could use some work on. I wanted to grow as a dog lover/trainer and so I didn't want another "easy," "push-button" dog. I wanted a dog who I'd wake up with and go, "Hmm, what could I do with my dog today? Run? Bike? Scooter? Cart? Hike/backpack?" etc etc. No one became a better dog trainer by sticking with soft, submissive dogs who didn't challenge them to learn more!

And yes, Sibes are attractive, but there are many breeds I consider more aesthetically pleasing to look at - from a beauty standpoint. Like I said, what endears Sibes to me are their effervescence, intelligence, working ability, and overall attitude towards life and training (perpetually in the "Why" phase). Sure, there might be other breeds who have those traits, but I'd go insane trying to pinpoint every breed and comparing all the different aspects of them.

I am 31. Was a horse person for most of my life, moved towards dogs the last four years. I have two GSD's. One is 3 and the other almost 5 months old. The keep me busy; they are smarter than I am.

What a fun thread <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I'm 21. I've been handling aggressive dogs for 11 years (don't tell my parents!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> ).

I started training at local humane associations as soon as I could (18), have worked as a groomer, in a vet clinic, now at a GSD and Mal breeding kennel where I have the honor of working with some fine dogs. I run a rescue for dogs with severe behavior problems that rehabilitates 4 - 6 dogs a year.