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Sue Esper, BA, CPDT-KA

Sue earned her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Wayne State University, and has taken graduate classes in Applied Behavior Analysis through the University of North Texas. She also holds the designation of Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (the CPDT-KA) through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT).

Sue has had dogs around all her life. Her neighbors kindly lent their dogs for walks and play before she had one of her own. An abandoned puppy came into her life, and turned an enjoyment of dogs into a passion for all things dog!

Her introduction to dog training came in 1990, with a whippet named Shiloh. The training methods popular at the time were causing the already-shy Shiloh to become even more fearful, so they stopped going to classes. Sue's thought was “if this is dog training, we want no part of it.” Luckily it was not long before she learned about positive dog training methods. Shiloh started to enjoy training, and her recall transformed from a slow, reluctant walk, to a heads-up, tail-wagging gallop! That sight caused Sue to promise that all the dogs in her care from that point forward would be trained solely with dog-friendly methods.

In 1993, she started attending seminars and educational conferences all over the country. Some of the most influential speakers were Bob Bailey, Marian Breland-Bailey, Sue Ailsby, Patricia McConnell, Jean Donaldson, Leslie Nelson, Ted Turner, Virginia Broitman, Kathy Sdao and Karen Pryor. She has attended two ClickerExpos and Bob and Marian Bailey's forty-hour “Introductory Operant Conditioning Workshop” (also known as “Chicken Camp!”) – that’s right, clicker training with chickens!

In 1995, Sue started assisting with and instructing pet dog obedience classes in the Metro Detroit area.

In 2009, a friend enrolled her dog-reactive rescued dog in a class at Trainers Academy, and suggested that Sue come along to observe a class. That is where Sue first met Lisa Patrona. Their paths crossed again by chance a short time later, and Sue was invited to join the staff of Trainers Academy. (As a side note, the dog-reactive dog is no longer dog-reactive, and enjoys running and playing with Sue's whippet.)

Sue lives in Warren with her beautiful whippet, Dragonfly, who loves lure coursing and playing chase games with her dog friends.

Comments from former students:

“Thank you for taking the time to work with Amber. I knew she could be rehabilitated. She was much more mellow when she came home. You are a miracle worker with dogs. With much appreciation. G.T.”

“Teddy is wonderful!!! Thanks for your observations and helpful tips. I believe we have both changed our attitudes toward each other and have given each other mutual respect. Guess I never looked at our relationship that way. Again, thanks for your patience and skill. J.S.”

“As a teacher, I appreciate the difficulty of presenting the same material to different levels of students. You really did a great job. J.V.”

“We wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed the puppy class. We had fun and actually learned something new in each and every session. Your positive comments and knowledgeable expertise were greatly appreciated. We're looking forward to the beginner's class. G.F.”

“I wanted to thank you for all your time and patience. You are a great teacher and you should continue with clicker training. We both loved your class and are true clicker training converts. J.L.”