Animals- Behavior and Such

There is another side to Fields Quarter Horses that we don't talk about very often. We own and operate Canine Companion Training and Boarding Center which for the past 15 years has provided dog training, pet boarding, grooming and doggie daycare to thousands of pet owners. One visit to the Center and even the most imperceptive sort can decipher that this is ground zero for our daily operations. The foaling barn for Fields Quarter Horses is located just a few feet from the Training and Boarding Center which allows us to utilize our time, offices, and during foaling season- be two places at once.


The Center houses nearly 35 dogs at any given time while their owners are globe-trotting, vacationing, or just need a cozy motel for their pet. Additionally, there are typically dog training lessons going on each day and dog grooming sessions being conducted. We've found the perfect recipe for blending our passions- horses and dogs- and have carved a special niche for ourselves that allows us to operate both businesses simultaneously.

Many dog owners seek our help for problem behaviors- biting, aggression, anxiety, fear- but many seek our services just to have a crisp, professionally trained pet. Having trained dogs professionally for over 20 years now (Wayne- for over 40), I am a great student of animal behavior. I believe that all creatures are born with free will and it is fascinating to me that a human can convince any animal that they should submit to ours. Amber, patiently and often, must sit through a battery of queries as I observe her training a horse to heed a new behavior. I enjoy watching her training sessions- particularly with the young horses.

Much like opening the hood of a new car to see the engine beneath, each animal who comes to live as part of our family must undergo a period in which I begin teaching him tricks so that I can learn how his brain works. The raccoon, the llama, the goat, the bird (formerly), cats, a new dog- all must submit to my analysis as I learn how each cultivates and processes new information. Ask my children, I spent years learning how their brains worked and attempting to teach them new tricks. To date, they are my most unwilling subjects!

So, if you ever call and hear the chorus of barking voices in the background- you will know. If you visit us and spend more than a brief moment- you will be subjected to the pets. If you are not an animal lover- be warned. This is not the place for you.


Khris