Our Instructors
Together our training team has countless years of experience, innumerable hours of study and many hours of dog-related conference attendance under their collective belt. Our instructors are expected to continue to upgrade their knowledge of dog training and behaviour through attendance at workshops, seminars and conferences and also by attending in-house training sessions provided by CBS Inc. Each member of the team has a genuine interest in helping dogs and their guardians. Our goal is to achieve good citizens on both ends of the lead.
Susanne Eckert
Susanne had the fortune to be "blessed" with a very difficult and somewhat complex female Rottweiler. Mila forced Susanne to research alternative methods of training as traditional, punishment-based techniques were escalating Mila's fear-based "aggressive" responses both to people and other dogs. This resulted in a pilgrimage which began with the Rottweiler Club of SA where she instructed and, out of necessity developed a special interest in training and rehabilitating difficult/reactive dogs. Her journey continued with the quest for more knowledge which resulted in formal qualifications and attendances at many local and interstate seminars, workshops and lectures. Hopefully this journey will continue for many more years to come, as each new dog brings with it new challenges.
Susanne is employed in the scientific area of medical pathology. She is a Delta Society Australia- accredited Canine Good Citizen Instructor, holds a Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services, is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Australia and is CBS Inc Treasurer and Merchandise Manager.
Together with Bodil Schou-Hansen, Susanne runs weekly Puppy Pre-School at Stephen Terrace Veterinary Clinic.
Three Rotten-weilers, Mila, Piper and Gunter, keep her busy but she is committed to sharing her experiences and knowledge with the many benevolent guardians of wonderful dogs that make many peoples' life complete.
Dogs have always shared Susanne's life but one difficult dog has changed her whole approach to how she now relates to them and most importantly understanding their mental needs and concerns. To quote "Dogs are not our whole life but they make our life whole".
Petra Edwards
Petra is currently completing Year 12 part time at the Norwood Morialta High School and has just successfully finished her first year. She is also involved in the East Torrens Payneham Lacrosse Club, works at the National Wine Centre and for Mim Edwards at Adelaide Pet Dog Training. Additionally she is, of course, part of the volunteer team of instructors at CBS Inc on Monday evenings.
Petra first became involved in the dog training industry in 2002 at age 12 as an assistant instructor, when her mum, Mim Edwards, began a business called Adelaide Pet Dog Training. Over the years, Petra has gained a solid understanding of dog behaviour and psychology and is, as a result, able to handle and manage dogs that are unable to cope with class situations and is able to teach owners how to work their dogs successfully in distracting environments.
She has also attended a variety of dog training or behavioural seminars presented by experts in the field like Suzanne Clothier, Mick McAuliffe, Nina Bondarenko, Dr. Ian Dunbar, with the latest being in September 2007 by Nicole Wilde in Sydney.
Petra not only has a strong interest in positive training for pet dogs and teaching owners the most effective ways to handle their dogs at home, but also in handling and working with aggressive or overly excitable or anxious dogs. She also enjoys training tricks with her Lab/Pointer X, Riven, to a reliable and effective standard. Petra's goal is to contribute to a better understanding of dog behaviour among dog owners and to make dog training fun and successful using positive reinforcement methods.
Leandra Ford
Leandra is a medical lab technician in a busy blood bank by day, a behavioural dog trainer by night, and is owned by two Border Collies, a Beagle, and two cats. She developed an interest in positive reinforcement methods and pet dog training almost eight years ago, when the popular compulsion and punishment-based training methods made her dog aggressive towards and fearful of her. At the time it was almost impossible to find suitable trainers in Adelaide who could help her.
It didn't take long for Leandra to discover that there are in fact many dog guardians in exactly the same position, dropping out of obedience clubs with dogs deemed "untrainable", their problems worsened by corrections and after having received no shortage of bad advice based on mythical concepts such as dominance theory. Seeing a major unmet need in her community, Leandra completed the Certificate IV in Dog Behavioural Training in 2003 to become an accredited Canine Good Citizen Instructor. She has also completed some psychology units towards a BA degree and is currently on leave from formal studies. She regularly attends seminars, workshops and lectures to keep up to date with current best practice and broaden her knowledge of training techniques.
Leandra has instructed for the Border Collie Club of SA, the Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamute Club of SA, conducted Puppy Pre-School classes at Adelaide veterinary practices and written training and behaviour articles for the Beagle Club of SA's newsletter. She has a special interest in training "difficult" breeds, working with reactive dogs and in canine separation anxiety. In her spare time she clicker trains her cats, competes in tracking with her dogs, dabbles in agility, sheep herding, drag hunting and canine freestyle (aka doggy dancing or heelwork to music) and has recently commenced training her Beagle to search for lost pets.
Bev Gunn
Bev is a lawyer by day (practicing under the name Clark) and dog trainer by night. She is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Australia and is a Delta Society Australia-accredited Canine Good Citizen Instructor. She has attended many local and interstate seminars, workshops and lectures. She is devoted to developing her knowledge in dog behaviour and training.
Having commenced training dogs almost 30 years ago and competing in Obedience and Agility trials, she has, more recently developed a passionate interest in training pet dogs. Bev runs Puppy Pre-School at Derek McNair's Veterinary Surgery each Wednesday evening and in addition to instructing at CBS Inc, where she is also the President, she instructs on a part time basis at Adelaide Pet Dog Training.
Bev's dog interests currently include trick training, good manners training, tracking, herding and when time permits she would like to resume Agility and Trialling with her own dog. She has dabbled in Freestyle dancing, after attending a weekend workshop with the world famous Carolyn Scott, but sadly lacks the showmanship to pursue that activity herself! Bev is also a volunteer for the Delta Dog Safe program, which entails visiting schools in South Australia and teaching children about dog safety.
Bev lives with her husband Robert and two teenage boys Lucas and Nicholas, her furry kids Cooper the Border Collie and Jesse the aged Sheltie, two Devon Rex cats, as well as tree frogs and fish.
Bev is devoted to providing relevant positive training to pet dogs. She firmly believes that aversive methods have no place in dog training and looks forward to the day when all training clubs and schools abandon the use of choke collars, prong collars and correction-based training. Similarly she hopes that the day will soon arrive when such outdated equipment, as well as electronic collars, citronella spray collars and other such cruel and misguided devices are no longer available for purchase anywhere!
Karron Jordan
By day Karron is a mild mannered electronics technician that travels for her job. In her other life she is a canine behavioural trainer, a pet photographer and a student in canine myofunctional massage therapy. She is also the guardian of an Australian Shepherd named Loki and together they dabble in sheep herding, tracking and agility.
Karron became interested in canine behaviour when trying to help her previous dog overcome serious behavioural problems and traditional methods just made him more reactive. She will be forever grateful to Odin for getting her started on this wonderful journey and has been an accredited Canine Good Citizen Instructor since 2005. Karron began taking photos because she had so few of Odin and decided that she could never have too many of her new little man. She discovered that by looking through the lens one can focus completely on the dog and sometimes if one is lucky they can be captured in a single frame!
Being the guardian of a dog with a zest for life, Karron ventured into the field of canine myofunctional massage therapy in order to help him overcome the sore and pulled muscles that result from his adventures. Students of CBS Inc are now able to learn some of those massage techniques for use on their own dogs; to facilitate handling all over for examination and to enhance the bond they share with their canine friend.
Debra Millikan
CBS Inc Head Instructor. Deb's dog training experience spans more than 30 years. Over the years she has competed successfully in obedience competitions, gained Australian Championships with her dogs, successfully completed the endurance title with her favourite Bouvier Amalia and was responsible for the establishment of Klever Kanine Dog Obedience School in the late 1970s. She became an obedience judge in the early 1990s. However, there was something missing in what she was doing.
Whilst living in the UK and Europe in the late 1990s Deb discovered positive training. She read widely and watched positive training working in the UK. The thought of training without coercion was what she had been seeking to re-ignite her interest in dog training.
Upon return to Australia in 2002 Deb sought ways of being able to learn more about how to train and teach using positive methods. She undertook the Canine Good Citizen Instructor's Course (Certificate IV in Dog Behavioural Training) and is currently studying with the Companion Animal Sciences Institute (Canada) for a Diploma of Dog Training and Behaviour Consulting. She is a member of the Delta Accredited Dog Trainers' Group, a Recognised Professional Dog Trainer by the International Institute of Applied Companion Animal Behavior, a full member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Australia, has tutored for the Delta Society's Cert IV in Companion Animal Services Course and has been mentor to South Australian students of this course.
Immediately prior to joining CBS Inc, Deb trained with two other Delta Accredited CGC Instructors and the eagerly positive team at School for Dogs, Aldinga Bay. It was here that she was assessor for the first Canine Good Citizen Award Test run in South Australia. Whilst at School for Dogs Deb taught Bronze, Silver and Gold classes, enjoying teaching steps for doggy dancing as well as the more serious, CGC Award class.
Deb has had articles about positive training, training equipment, problem behaviours and dog training and teaching methods published in many journals; the peer reviewed Journal of Applied Companion Animal Behaviour, the New Zealand Kennel Gazette, Dog World, the journal of the Queensland Canine Control Council, The Canine News (WA's Canine Association's Journal) and the SA Canine Journal.
Deb currently shares her life with a very tolerant husband Arnold and two Brussels Griffons (Joe and Bruno). Her preference in dog breeds has run the gauntlet of sublime and ridiculous. She has been guardian to five Griffons Bruxellois, four Bouvier des Flandres, two Hungarian Pulis, a Border Terrier, an Irish Setter, a Doberman, a Basset, a Corgi and several loveable mutts along the way. Together with all of the dogs who have come to her training classes, Deb has learned many valuable lessons, the results of which she is excited about passing on to CBS Inc students and instructors.
Tracey Rogers
Tracey has always had a love of animals and spent her childhood and teenage years competing in horse shows, dressage and one day events. She understood the importance of developing a bond based on trust and respect with her horses, in order to develop the high level of understanding and communication required to compete.
Using positive, reward-based training, she has continued training her two Australian Shepherds and is so excited about the results. Tracey is also enrolled in the Delta CGC Instructors Course commencing this year.
Tracey is using her hands-on knowledge and understanding of animals to assist at CBS Inc, whilst continuing her training through the Delta Course, Instructors Training Sessions and loads of reading! Her mission now that her three sons are fairly independent is to teach people ways to make training fun for them and their dogs and to stimulate an interest in providing an enriched and fulfilling life for them.
Bodil Schou-Hansen
Bodil's 'day job' is conducting sales training in the hospitality industry. Then she is a dog trainer at night and in between human training commitments. She is a Delta Society Australia-accredited Canine Good Citizen Instructor, holds a Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services, is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Australia and is CBS Inc's Assistant Head Instructor. She has had a great passion for dogs all her life which led her to obtain her dog training qualifications and has attended many local and interstate seminars, workshops and lectures.
Together with Susanne Eckert, Bodil runs Puppy Pre-School at Stephen Terrace Veterinary Clinic every Tuesday evening and in addition to instructing at CBS Inc, she also instructs at the Woodville Obedience Dog Training Club on Sunday mornings. Bodil is also a volunteer for the Animal Welfare League.
Bodil lives with her three furry kids, Chiang, Ming (both 8 year old Chow Chows) and Coco, a 4 year old Dogue de Bordeaux. She is totally committed to providing relevant positive training to companion dogs to ensure happy and good citizens at both ends of the lead.
Ilona Wright
Ilona has always had a passion for dogs and anything to do with dog training. She has been instructing in dog obedience clubs for 35 years. Her original contact with obedience clubs was due to a GSD with serious (and dangerous) dog and people issues. Her experience with this dog, and all the other dogs-with-interesting-problems she has come in contact with over the years, led her to read anything and everything available on canine behaviour and training in order to help these dogs. For this, Ilona remains forever grateful.
Ilona's current passion is canine freestyle, "obedience with attitude, choreographed to music". It results in the development of a bond with the dog that Ilona finds most interesting and challenging. She also enjoys motivating the dog and of course teaching the dog to work on voice cue only, regardless of what is going on around the dog.
Ilona loves to share her passion for freestyle, also known as doggy dancing, with all who are interested. If you would like to know more about this fun pastime please contact her at ilona@webforall.com.au.
