The dog whisperer

Barb Linden trains dogs and their owners

By Dorothy Willman, Special to the Progress

December 3, 2009 — She is known as the dog trainer, pet sitter, show judge and even dog whisperer. Barbara Linden fills all those roles.

Right now, she’s happily celebrating an anniversary — the tenth year of her own local Basic Manners Training Classes for dogs and their owners.

Linden brings years of experience to her classroom, located on the west side of Regional Animal Care Center, 1201 N. Lynn Riggs Blvd. She’s been training dogs since 1962. She bred and exhibited 30+ champion Shelties (Shetland Sheepdogs), and has served as an AKC judge for Shelties since 1984. She worked for an Oklahoma City veterinarian for seven years. She is also a professional pet sitter. She was a certified trainer for Pet Smart for several years before starting her own training classes in Claremore at the request of veterinarian Dr. Jerome Yorke.

The business “has been more successful than I ever expected,” she said. Her husband Ken had worriedly predicted that she would have six dogs in her first class and that would be the end of it. Both Lindens are happy that his prediction was inaccurate. She is, in fact, “busier than I intended to be.”

She teaches two, usually three classes per week. Each class is limited to 10 dogs and their families. Her students are not only Claremore residents. They have come from south Tulsa, Grand Lake, Afton, Owasso, Salina, Spavinaw, Pryor, Catoosa, Talala and Lake Hudson. She said she is “amazed,” especially since almost all her advertising is by word of mouth. Barbara Linden is grateful to her former students, who continue to tell others about her classes, to Dr. Yorke for sharing his facility at the Regional Animal Care Center, and to area retailers and rescue organizations that have her cards available and/or refer pet owners to her. Her vehicle, custom trimmed with paw prints and logo, serves as another reminder that there’s a dog trainer in town. She did place an ad in the Claremore Progress in connection with the pet calendar, a project that benefits the Humane Society.

Linden is a big supporter of animal shelters and rescue organizations. The furry residents of the Linden home are proof — the dogs are all adopted or rescued. There are also three rescued cats and even one aquarium of fish that the previous owner was ready to “flush”. In addition to the critters with fins and fur, the Linden house is home to 15 canaries. Barbara Linden grins when she understates the obvious, that when they married, she really changed Ken’s life. The man she describes as “patient and tolerant” never even had a dog until their marriage.

It was Barbara Linden’s involvement with rescue organizations that first brought her total awareness that far too many good dogs needed homes. She gave up breeding pedigreed animals and became a champion for the underdogs.

In addition to helping owners educate their dogs, she helps keep them safe and happy at home in her role as a pet sitter. Linden Tree Home Pet Care means animals can stay in their home environment and continue with regular diet and exercise routine, plus receive personal attention from a professional.

The trainer’s class focus has changed a lot since she began training in 1962. In the early years, the dogs were learning to obey simple commands, but they obeyed because they had to. Now, dogs are continually rewarded with praises and treats when they follow commands to sit, stay, come and more. Sessions also include information on canine nutrition and basic grooming. Classes include all sizes, all breeds and mixes, all ages. Linden requires that young dogs have all their vaccinations, which means they are usually at least four months of age, and she insists that dogs are never too old. A 15 year old dog graduated from a recent class, and one of her current canine pupils is Blossom, a nine-year-old dachshund mix. Owners are all ages too.

This trainer, pet sitter, dog whisperer said one of the greatest benefits she gets from watching the progress being made by class participants is “seeing all the smiling faces and wagging tails.”

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