Sandi Martin, Dog trainer

Job: Dog trainer, Acworth

What I do: Sandi Martin will tell you upfront that she doesn't train dogs; she trains people.

"I train people to handle their dogs," said the senior pet-training instructor at the Petsmart on North Cobb Parkway in Acworth.

Repetition of commands and rewards for good behavior teach even old dogs new tricks.

Instruction in a partitioned-off section of the store during the eight weeks of classes trains dogs to obey, to practice good manners (such as sitting and not jumping on people) and to come when called.

Puppies as young as 10 weeks old as well as older dogs that have been adopted — many of whom come to class with behavior issues, said Martin, 51 — can attend classes. If the dogs have too many issues or are overly aggressive, Martin conducts private lessons, primarily for the safety of other dogs and owners.

The key to dog obedience, Martin said, is communication. "A lot of people don't understand canine behavior. Dogs talk to us all the time; we just don't know what they are saying."

She teaches owners to watch for characteristic behaviors, such as the position of the dog's ears. Perked-up ears mean the dog is paying attention and listening for changes in the human's behavior, breathing or heartbeat. When the ears are back, he's happy and relaxed. When dogs pant, they may be stressed.

All the training at Petsmart is praise-based. Early on, the dogs get treats for good behavior, but they gradually learn to respond to verbal praise. Because dogs think any attention is good attention, it's best to ignore bad behavior, Martin said.

Owning a dog is a responsibility, she said, but, unlike children, "they never borrow money or want to borrow the car, and they won't change the radio station in the car."

In fact, Martin said, her golden retriever, Spike, likes to ride while listening to her Bon Jovi songs. He likes the same sports teams, too.

What got me interested in this: "I have had a dog all my life," Martin said. "It's a love I've had from the time I was born."

Best part of my job: "Having somebody come in with a dog with problems" and teaching him or her to get the dog to sit. "They'll say, 'Oh, look what he did!' "

Most challenging part: "When people don't take it seriously," she said. "Dogs can be dangerous. They might jump or bite."

What people don't know about my job: "What we actually do and how dangerous it is." An adult dog has 42 teeth and knows how to use them, she said. Training an aggressive dog is "like staring down the barrel of a gun."

Also, she said, she trains the human to be the leader of the pack, because the dog always defers to the alpha animal.

What keeps me going: "I can make a difference in a dog's life," Martin said. "I'd like to see a time when we don't have to kill millions of dogs" because they are unwanted, neglected or mistreated, and left in shelters.

Preparation needed for this job: You need the personality to never stop learning, she said. There are several schools that train dog trainers in a multitude of methods. Petsmart, she said, has its own training and accreditation program.

Mostly, she said, you have to take the time to communicate with dogs. "There's no such thing as a stupid dog — just a failure to communicate."

Martin has trained dogs at Petsmart for seven years and has been "doing this for a long, long time" as a self-taught dog trainer. She also has bred and boarded dogs.

She studied office procedures at a technical college in Savannah and has held office jobs and worked in real estate.

- By Karl W. Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.