Me: Carmelite Duhon (Owner/ Head Trainer)
 I have had a passion for animals since I was a small child. My love of animals began its transformation into a knack for training when, at the age of 11, I was forced to contend with the first serous behavior problems I ’d ever seen in dogs. My brother and I had each gotten a female boxer puppy from the same litter. At about 18 months of age, the two puppies, who had previously seemed to be the best of friends, began fighting each other viciously. I took it upon myself to try to fix the problem. I spent hours every day out in the yard training each dog individually. Both dogs became very well behaved, but the aggression problem was never solved. The dogs eventually had to be put in separate homes. This experience was heartbreaking for me. I couldn’t understand why my two sweet friends had wanted so badly to hurt each other, and I couldn’t figure out why all of the effort put into training hadn’t paid off. My sadness proved to be a catalyst for further study, but, despite countless hours of reading and researching, the answers to my questions didn’t come until years later when I began my internship with the trainer/behaviorist Lee Mannix. Learning about canine behavior opened up new doors for me both in dog training and in my love of animals. My joy in the company of dogs was greatly enriched by a new ability to see the world through their eyes.
I ended up interning for three years with Lee, and studied with the trainer John Rogerson as well. Lee Mannix has been working with dogs for over 15 years. He lectures all over the country and is widely regarded as the “last stop” for dogs with serious behavior problems. Lee was an amazing teacher to me. John Rogerson is the head trainer at the Northern Center for Canine Behavior in England. He has been training dogs for 30 years, travels the world to lecture and teach trainers, and works with the military trainers in both England and Cuba. John was one of Lee Mannix’ chief mentors, and he is one of mine as well. In fall 2005, I took an intensive instructors course with John, and was the only participant to pass all of the written exams given on the course.
My Dog: Darwin
 Darwin is a 2-year-old red heeler, officially known as an Australian Cattle Dog. True to his breed, Darwin is loyal, protective, energetic, a true athlete, tough, sensitive, responsive, and intense. Darwin is my right hand man and goes everywhere with me. He loves to play fetch, to go on outings, and to sit quietly by my side while I read a book. He is the kind of dog that will work until he drops if I ask him to, or will sleep on the couch all day if that is in the order of things. In other words, he is the perfect dog (at least to me). Darwin is currently staying with his breeder Peggy Jennings in Austin, Texas until his blood work is ready for the trip to The Big Island. He is much missed, but is probably having a great time doing rally obedience, conformation, and maybe even some herding while he waits to come and join me.
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