Bob Witte

I have grown up with and have loved dogs, my entire life, from the little Maltese Pekingese to the large yellow Labrador Retriever.

Shortly after moving to Florida from Illinois, our yellow lab of 13 years passed away. This seemingly tragic event actually ended up being the beginning of my dog training career.

 

 

I had learned of South Eastern Guide Dogs in Palmetto Florida, and instantly became a Puppy Raiser. Receiving tremendous support through encouragement, training, and learning with others in our area, totally changed my life.

I have raised two guide dogs, and one service dog.

Our first dog, Doc had a career change due to a medical condition, so we adopted him. We, as a team are registered and certified through Alliance Of Therapy Dogs and participated in SAR training with Peace River SAR team in Englewood, Florida. Doc is a great mentor dog for young pups and adolescent dogs for socialization.

Learning about the power of force free training and positive reinforcement influenced, my desire to learn more, which led me to enroll with Catch Canine Academy. Part of the curriculum was to be paired with a mentor and volunteer at a shelter. I had the privilege and honor to be paired with Jeff Joyce as my mentor who gave me everything all the books were trying to describe and explain, and then some. I so enjoyed volunteering, that I joined the behavior team full-time, which was the highlight of this experience.

Currently, I am a group leader in the Punta Gorda Puppy Raiser‘s group for South Eastern Guide Dogs, developing and training Puppy Raiser‘s in socialization, house, manners, and 15 basic training skills, which pertain to a Guide/Service Dog. The group consists of raisers  from Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, North Port and Englewood, Florida.

I have done and enjoy doing demonstrations for various school groups and churches, illustrating how every dog has something to teach us and how essential a sound relationship is to this process.

• CCDT – Certified Catch Dog Trainer
• Member of APDT – Association of Professional Dog Trainers