Susan Garrett’s interest in animal behaviour started at the University of Guelph where she earned a B.Sc. in Animal Science. Since then she as developed into a pre-eminent canine sports instructor and competitor. A natural teacher and an entertaining speaker, Susan is recognized as a leading educator of dog trainers. Her understanding of how to apply learning principles to competitive dog training has made her a much sought after speaker throughout North America and as far away as Japan, Australia and Europe. She has been an invited speaker at many dog training and behaviour conferences throughout North American was the keynote speaker at the 2006 APDT conference held in Kansas City, MO.
Susan is one of the most successful dog agility competitors of the last decade. Since winning her first USDAA Grand Prix Final in 1996 with her Border Collie ”Stoni,” Susan has accumulated a total of 16 National and International Championship wins covering 7 different jump heights (8”, 10”, 12”, 16”, 22”, 24” & 26”) and has won two height divisions at a National Agility Championship on three different occasions. In total her dogs have over 50 top ten placements at National Championships including 14 First Place finishes and 6 Second Place finishes. Stoni (1990-2005) is still the only dog in history ever to win the USDAA "Triple Crown" (Grand Prix, Steeplechase, and DAM Team National Championship). In addition, Susan and her mixed breed dog “DeCaff” won the Gold Medal at the 2005 ESPN Great Outdoor Games. Every dog Susan has ever owned has won at least two National or World Championships. Susan and DeCaff kicked off the 2006 season by winning the Individual All Around and Biathlon Gold Medals at the IFCS World Championships held in Oosterhout (Netherlands).
Susan has also been a member of one of the fastest flyball teams in the world. Her dogs were on a world record-holding flyball team for eight consecutive years. She is also one of Canada’s top obedience competitors; each of four dogs she has trialed has earned multiple High in Trial awards, qualifying more then 95% of the time with an average score of 197. Her dogs perform with a happy attitude and great precision, enjoying their work as much as Susan enjoys working with them.
Susan’s first book “Ruff Love: A Relationship Building Program” has become a favorite resource for dog trainers world wide. Her latest book “Shaping Success: The Education of an Unlikely Champion” was named the 2005 “Book of the Year” in the category of Training and Behavior by the Dog Writers Association of America.
Susan shares her life with fellow dog enthusiast John Blenkey and their four dogs: Twister, Buzz, DeCaff and Encore. Together John and Susan own and operate Say Yes Dog Training Inc., a state of the art dog training facility located in Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. She can be contacted through her website at www.clickerdogs.com.
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