Susan Fakkema has taught a duck to dance; trained a goat for dog obedience conformation trials; and rehabilitated a starved, hairless Doberman into a loving family pet.

The professional dog trainer for Best Friends Greenville Pet Resort, Susan has been training dogs for 23 years, both in the show ring and at home. Her students have achieved over 500 titles in obedience, conformation, tracking and agility. She has also trained dozens of rescued pets, enabling them to be placed in loving homes. Her own dogs have even trained for Search and Rescue missions.

Her greatest joy, however, is helping families mold their dogs into calm and obedient pets. "Dogs are born thinking, 'bite, chew, jump,'" Susan said. "It's not in their nature to be little humans in furry coats. It's up to us to teach them, and with the proper positive training, they learn, and thoroughly enjoy the process. I want to nurture that bond."

Susan recently relocated to South Carolina from Salt Lake City to develop a dog training program for Best Friends Greenville Pet Resort. "It was important for me to find an organization that shares my philosophy of premium pet care," she said. Susan trains exclusively with positive reinforcement methods (food, toys and praise) and asserts that almost every dog, regardless of breed or age, can be molded into an ideal, dutiful pet. All it takes, she stresses, is patience, consistency, rewards -- and a good sense of humor.

"I bring shelter and rescue dogs into my home to train them and make them more 'adoptable,'" Susan said. "One day I walked in and found my living room sofa in shreds. Since you can't correct an animal after the fact, I just put the rescue dogs in their crates and took my Dobermans out for a long, long walk!"

Susan offers a wide range of classes including basic obedience, conformation and even puppy kindergarten. "I love it when the puppies run in the door, pulling on their leashes, jumping on their owners, going after the other pups. After six weeks, they walk out the door on a loose lead, sitting patiently by their owner as she opens the door, waiting for her command."

Best Friends Greenville Pet Resort and Salon is located at 627 Congaree Road. For information, see the Greenville page of this website or call 864-281-7410.