If what they say is to be believed, growing up I was a bit of a trial to my parents. Between the stray cats, crawfish I hauled out of the stream behind our house and kept in pails in the backyard, horseback-riding lessons and constant begging for another dog, I kept them on their toes. As I matured I just naturally gravitated to dogs (and horses, but mostly dogs).

I have made my living in the dog business. Training, showing, grooming, working as a veterinary nurse, and now operating a dog day care, my immersion is complete. I had my first dog training client while still in elementary school, and have never strayed very far.

And I love them all. Big, little, long coat or short. Working, herding, toy, or any of the other groups, they're all fabulous as far as I'm concerned. And I especially love the dogs with “issues”. Be it leash aggression or shyness, whatever the problem, I try to look at it from the dogs' perspective and come up with a solution using positive dog training methods.

This blog is dedicated to all things dog in Ann Arbor. Care and training, events, good sales at our local pet stores, and, I hope, especially, questions from you. So here we go, and I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy writing it.

Amy Samida is a dog trainer and owner of Naughty Dog Cafe in Ann Arbor. She can be reached at amy@naughtydogcafe.com or 734-276-3522.