Audra Mather

I consider myself a “balanced” dog trainer, which means that I do not focus too much on any one particular type of training. I am continually seeking the best fit for each dog and family. A custom training program is created based on individual needs. I specialize in aggression and reactivity issues. But that does not mean those are the only animals I help. The bread and butter of my day is working with dogs that have bad manners. Often, these are dogs that are stressing their owners out because they have absolute control over the household, making daily life extremely difficult. The end goal is to help build a positive relationship between the owner and the dog and help teach the dog appropriate behavior for living in a human household.

I have always been an animal lover and dreamed of becoming a veterinarian growing up. When I was 18, I got a sport bred German Shepherd. She was my first dog. I like to say I got a “Porsche” of a dog. She was crazy, protective, and defensive. I literally felt like I had a wild beast at the other end of the leash and I could barely control her. I began looking for a trainer and didn’t find a single one that could help me with this dog. The only people I found were guys who did protection sports with their big German Shepherds and people who only trained with cookies, not understanding the nature of my dog at all. So I wasted a lot of time trying to solve every problem with a treat and trying to make my dog fit into a particular mold. I quickly realized that using the same formula for every dog and every issue is not sustainable. And I ended up figuring out my dog and how to handle her on my own. This is where my love for training dogs began. I loved learning about behavior and exploring new ways to solve problems.

I spent many years doing this as a nearly full time hobby. All of my free time outside of my normal work in the medical field was spent training dogs. It was then that my mother fell ill. I was forced to leave my job to take care of her at the end of her life. When it came time for me to return to my career, I didn’t. I took a minimum wage job at a dog kennel to start exploring my passion from the ground up. And I never looked back. I started managing two very large boarding and daycare facilities and training dogs part time. Then I stumbled across Sit Means Sit in Madison, Wisconsin and met Mike Wheeler. He confirmed that there was no “one size fits all” training approach for dogs, which was a concept I had struggled with for years. I was introduced to a group of some of the most elite dog trainers in the world and immediately knew I had to be a part of it. After three months, I bought a franchise. The Sit Means Sit program achieves amazing results. And even better, the program is completely transferable, meaning we can teach owners to achieve the same results on their own at home with their dog. The dogs I train through Sit Means Sit are happier and more confident, which translates to happy, confident owners as well.

www.sitmeanssitlansing.com