Our Training Instructor is Leslie Pirtle
Leslie Pirtle has been training dogs since 1972, when, as a member of the Cave Canum 4-H Dog Club she completed her American Kennel Club (AKC) Companion Dog (CD) title with her Standard Poodle, Joy. Since then, she has trained and handled dogs through multiple levels of obedience, titling dogs at the Utility Dog (UD) level in American Kennel Club (AKC) competition and at the Companion Dog Excellent (U-CDX) level in United Kennel Club (UKC) competition. Recently, she has discovered the fun of AKC Rally Obedience, earning a Rally Excellent title with her Great Dane, Drake. Over more than 30 years, she has competed with and titled dogs in a variety of breeds: eight Rottweilers, four Great Danes, three Standard Poodles, and a Border Terrier!
In the 1990’s, Pirtle became a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and was active as a tester-observer and handler with Therapy, Dogs Incorporated. During that time, she operated a professional dog training school, Leslie’s Dog Training Academy in Franklinton, North Carolina. There, she trained and handled dogs for the show ring, for television, commercial, and print work, coached prospective obedience competitors, and, most significantly, worked with families seeking to have a more socially acceptable canine companion.
Pirtle is an educator by profession, having taught Computer Systems and Research Methods at the college level. She currently is an online instructor for the University of Phoenix and serves the southeastern Massachusetts area as a Red Cross Disaster ActionTeam volunteer.
While she has a passion for helping large, unruly dogs learn to behave, she loves working with all animals. In fact, she even attended school to become certified in elephant training and handling! Pirtle believes that a dog is most secure when he recognizes his owner as a strong but benevolent leader, upon whom he can rely for the rest of his lifetime.
At present, she shares her home in Kingston, Massachusetts with two Great Danes and a Standard Poodle. You can contact Pirtle directly at lesliepirtle@yahoo.com
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