Today we’d like to introduce you to Marquel Martin.
Hi Marquel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love for dogs started when I was just a young girl. When I was 16 years old, I got my first job at a dog daycare center. I loved that I was able to earn an income while taking care of dogs. This job also provided the opportunity to expand my knowledge of dogs and dog behavior by attending seminars on dog behavior and socialization. It also provided the opportunity to shadow a dog trainer, veterinary technician, and groomer. I learned so much at this job, and it also confirmed my love for working with animals. After being raised with a family dog throughout my childhood, I got my first dog that was my sole responsibility when I was 18 years old. His name was Scout and he was a 3 year old Border Collie when he came to live with me after being surrendered by two previous families. Scout was what I would refer to as my “heart dog”. The type of dog that is so special and you share such a deep connection with that you know it’s a once-in-a-lifetime type of dog. He was incredibly smart, but because of that, as a young dog owner, he could often out smart me. This lead me to seek out a dog trainer to help me better manage him, and continue to grow our bond and relationship. Once I found a trainer that was the right fit, I was so fascinated by the whole training process that I just wanted to learn more and more. The training company that I was working with knew how interested I was in training and eventually offered me a job, which I excitedly accepted. I worked with this company training dogs for nearly 5 years while pursuing both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Social Work. I credit Scout for pushing me to seek out a dog trainer all those years ago, because it presented me with an opportunity that ended up shaping my career, and led to me opening Martinshire Farms Dog Training and Boarding services out of my home in St. Clair County. At Martinshire Farms, we do everything in honor of my heart dog Scout, and with that carries the promise that I will treat each of my client’s dogs as my own. I consider it a great honor when owners trust me to work with their dogs.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
After I graduated from the Social Work Masters program, I needed to take a job in the field to start to accrue hours toward a license. I cried when I had to leave my dog training job, because I truly loved it so much and knew I was going to greatly miss working with animals. I worked in the field of social work for two years before getting laid off due to the company closing, At the time, losing my job was scary and I didn’t know what the future held. But it pushed me to start dog training again and to see if I was able start a business on my own. As any small business owners will tell you, making that initial leap to start is very intimidating. Of course it’s not always smooth sailing. But I can now look back and see that it really was the best thing to happen, and I am forever grateful that Martinshire Farms was born because of it.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Martinshire Farms, LLC?
Martinshire Farms is a small business that I run out of my home training dogs basic through advanced obedience. The majority of my program is done through a board and train style where the dogs live and stay with my family and I in our home for 2-3 weeks. This offers a unique experience because the dogs get to stay in a home environment where they are learning how to act during normal everyday household routines. This makes the training incredibly applicable once the dog is reunited back with its family, because it learned what was expected of it during ordinary mundane daily tasks and chores, just like the ones that occur in its own household. What also makes Martinshire Farms unique is that I take each dog out into a public setting during the program to make sure that the dog is able to maintain its obedience around more intense distractions. I also cater each program to the needs of the dog, and the training goals of the owners. Completing my program lays a solid foundation for dogs to obtain further achievements in things such as dog sports, showmanship, and becoming therapy dogs.
My goal is to help dogs gain the skills to be able to thrive in a variety of different settings. I strive to help owners understand their dogs and to gain the communication skills needed to bring out their dog’s best qualities. My hope is that I can assist owners in being able to trust their dogs more, so that they can take them to experience more joys and freedoms. After all, that’s why we get dogs in the first place, isn’t it?
We do reside on a farm, so the dogs also get distraction exposure to different animals. Working around these distractions helps build their confidence and impulse control. Currently on the farm we have dogs, goats, and chickens.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I am a Licensed Social Worker.
I believe that my experience with dogs, and my education in working with people, allows me to bridge the communication gap that often exists between dogs and their owners.
I work closely with each owner to help them maintain the training once the dog returns home.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @martinshirefarms
- Facebook: facebook.com/martinshirefarms
