05 MarMeet our trainer Anna Ostroff
Anna Ostroff began as a client, became a School For The Dogs apprentice, and is now one of the best trainers we have on staff. We asked her to tell us a bit about how she became a pet professional.
Trainer Anna Ostroff and her rescue dog, Ginger.
What was your first introduction to Positive Reinforcement dog training?
Seymour. Seymour is the dog that began my journey, back in 2010 learning about Positive Reinforcement training. Seymour was my first foster in NYC. While his home was never meant to be New York City, this 90-pound, leash reactive Pitbull Great Dane Mix is the reason I got into rescue and dog training. There are lot of dog trainers, and at the time I did not know about School For the Dogs. I now know they were just opening and wish I knew Kate and Annie then, but grateful I work with them daily now! I knew from my own general feeling about animals and many things I had read about dog training that I wanted to find a “positive reinforcement” trainer for Seymour. At the time I certainly did not fully understand what that meant, I just knew if someone was a positive reinforcement trainer, then they should not scare or hurt my dog. We tried one group class, and unfortunately it was not set up well for Seymour. He was far to leash reactive for the class, and while very well meaning, the trainer did not give us any alternates nor did she have a way to help us. Funny considering I now personally teach a class called Sidewalk Psychos at SFTD, and know exactly what type of environment could have set him up for success! We tried to look for other options for Seymour including play groups for socialization – but could not find a play group or class that was willing to work with him given his behavioral concerns. It was then that I found Drayton Michaels, a solid R+ trainer in New Jersey. He was willing to give Seymor a chance at playtime, explaining to me that just because he did not do well on leash, it did not mean he may not be able to play well off leash. While at the time I did not understand this, I was grateful for someone to give Seymour a chance. Drayton was right. Seymour had the time of his life – he did quite well with a small group of other dogs at Drayton’s studio. Drayton also came into Manhattan and worked with us for a few months. This was the first time I work closely with a professional and started to actually understand the science behind positive reinforcement training. Thank you, Drayton (http://www.urbandawgs.com). Little did I know at that time that 8 years later I would be a Certified Dog Trainer, but I am grateful my first introduction into training was through someone with force-free science based methods.
How did you get involved in dog rescue?
Seymour. Unfortunately the rescue group where we got Seymour was not helpful in placing him. Please know this is not always the case! Many rescue groups are wonderful and are with you every step of the way as a foster parent. I am huge advocate for rescue! I just did not know enough at the time to do the research and figure out the best group to foster through. My husband and I soon realized it was up to us to find Seymour’s forever home. His reactively was so extreme, we knew Seymour would never be his best doggy-self living in the city. We also knew he would be in real trouble if he fell into the wrong hands, so we knew he was with us until we found him his forever home. For 7 months we searched far and wide….and one day his perfect forever home came. I won’t get into that full story, but we are forever grateful for his incredible human, Cathy, who is also a dog trainer: www.managemydog.org. Seymour lives in a home with a large fenced in yard with his doggie siblings (some forever siblings and some fosters on their way to find their forever home). From that moment on, I was involved in rescue. I began working with a rescue organization called Mighty Mutts, every Saturday. I had passed them for years at Union Square and one day, soon after Seymour was adopted, I decided to start volunteering. I have been helping Mighty Mutts ever since. I started volunteering at their adoption drives. Later I became a shift leader on Saturdays. Then I became their Community Outreach Coordinator. Of course, now that I am a dog trainer, I work with them mostly on consults and helping dogs in foster or transitioning into their new homes. Over the years I fostered multiple dogs, one of which became a “foster-fail” – our sweet Gia who we adopted as a senior and passed away in 2015. And three years ago we adopted Ginger from Second Chance Rescue. More on her to come…
What is your favorite thing to work on with clients?
My heart lies with dogs with behavioral issues. While it is hard to say that is my “favorite” thing to work on (because I never wish to see a dog who is suffering with anxiety, reactivity or stress), knowing that I can help those dogs and the people who love them is my favorite thing about this work. This is in no small part because of Seymour and Gia…who will both always have such a huge part of my heart, and who taught me so much so quickly about training. With Seymour I had to learn very quickly about leash handling skills, timing, counter conditioning, severe reactivity, and safety and management techniques. He was my first crash course in behavior cases. With Gia who was our foster fail that we adopted, she continued my education every day she was with us. Her trust in humans was slim at best. She was terrified of new people, and only trusted about 8 humans in total: myself, my husband, and her 6 “aunties” who she allowed in the apartment. During that time we rarely could have people come over, as she had what we call, significant “Stranger Danger.” When we did have guests we needed to be sure to set up everything just right so that Gia would know she was safe. To be clear, she also was one of the sweetest, gentlest dogs you could ever known with people she knew were safe. (Both Seymour and Gia were featured on the Dogs of Manhattan page in 2014).
Because of my personal experience, I have a deep understanding of the challenges that go into owning a dog with severe behavioral issues, both emotionally and practically. The fact that I can be there for clients and help them through very challenging situations with their dog, who they love dearly, is an amazing thing. I remember being the client, I remember and know first hand how emotional it is to have a dog with severe behavior issues, and how it truly effects every aspect of your life.
What has your own dog taught you about training?
I have talked a lot about how my past dogs have taught me so much. But this question is about my current dog! Ginger! My sweet girl, Ginger! She loves people and children, she likes most dogs and has some dogs that are truly her number one BFFs (shout out to Gilby, Sophie and Amos), she also loves to train and learn new things! Ginger also has significant urban anxiety, and has taught me so much about working with a dog who is not reactive, but will simply shut down in fear if she is over-threshold. Ginger also was right by my side as I completed both of my training certifications and was my partner for all of my training exams. She has taught me so much about patience, working with shy dogs, how to always be sure a dog is having a GREAT time in training, and how to always work at your own dog’s pace. Ginger is also one of the youngest dogs I have ever had in my adult life! We got her at 6 months old, so while we missed a lot of the primary puppy socialization time, she has taught me so much about doggy adolescents, fear periods, potty training and more. She has also taught me that there is a such thing as a Terrier Princess Mix. You can find her on Instagram at @ginger_terrierprincessmix