Gina (center left) and her buddies enjoy an obedience break on a Sunday walk with their trainer, Jill.

Specializing in training your dog in your Vermont home

About the Trainer

Jill Halstead is a graduate of the renowned San Francisco SPCA Dog Trainer Academy which is directed by author and trainer Jean Donaldson. You may be familiar with some of Jean's books including Culture Clash, Dogs are From Neptune and Mine!. The Academy focuses on teaching trainers to resolve both behavior and obedience problems using both classical and operant conditioning methods. Graduates of the program are required to pass both written and practical exams. Emphasis is also placed on teaching owners to train their dogs.

Through years of training both shelter dogs and owned dogs, Jill has been convinced of the effectiveness of positive reinforcement training methods - even with the most difficult dogs. Those are the only types of methods we use. They are the only methods proven to train dogs without fallout like aggression and fear. Jill also attends workshops and clinics annually and works with a wide variety of breeds.

All of Jill's pets (two dogs and two cats) were adopted as mature adults. Gina, aka "Miss Biggy" is a 95-pound German Shepherd dog/Rottweiler mix. She spent nearly a year in two different shelters. At the first, she arrived pregnant and gave birth to eleven puppies! She is a smart, handsome gal who was raring to go once she found some freedom.

Max, the newest addition, is a 13-pound toy poodle who came with a history of serious resource guarding and body handling issues which led to many bites to previous owners. Max has overcome much of his fear and has pretty much given up biting.

While it is advisable to have sibling dogs within the same size range in order to avoid predatory drift (big dog attacks little dog) Gina and Max get along very well.

Marvin and Oliver are the two lovely buff and orange tabbies who came to Jill's home together at the ages of four and five. The cats preceded Gina and Max, but have generously shared their home with the dogs - even the bed.

Jill's sweet Border Collie cross named Bailey, passed away at the ripe, old age of 14 after a six-year battle with vaccine-associated sarcoma. Bailey was a registered therapy dog who brought smiles and happy memories back to many ill and elderly people. She will be greatly missed by all those who knew and loved her. Bailey was adopted from the Humane Society of ChittendenCounty at the age of two or three.

Mixed-breed shelter dogs rock!

Dog Training Services

Chittenden County Vermont

Follow the Leader, owned by experienced dog trainer Jill Halstead, teaches all aspects of dog training & dog behavior. Clicker training, dog training basics, aggressive dogs, aggression issues, chewing and biting, dog socialization, leash training, puppy training and more. Jill has been training dogs in the

Jill Halstead is a graduate of the renowned San Francisco SPCA Dog Trainer Academy which is directed by author and trainer Jean Donaldson. You may be familiar with some of Jean's books including Culture Clash, Dogs are From Neptune and Mine!.

Through four years of training shelter dogs at the Chittenden County Humane Society, Jill has been convinced of the effectiveness of positive reinforcement training methods - even with the most difficult dogs. Those are the only types of methods we use. They are the only methods proven to train dogs without fallout like aggression and fear.

She was lucky enough to have been the owner of a sweet, well-behaved Border Collie cross named Bailey, who she trained to be a registered therapy dog. Sadly, Bailey passed away in May at the age of about 14. She will be greatly missed by all those who knew and loved her. Bailey was adopted from the Humane Society of Chittenden County at the age of two or three. Mixed-breed shelter dogs rock!