Caitlin Whynot joined the SUN 102 Morning Show this week with a unique request: she’s looking for someone to build a wooden platform to help take her dog’s training to the next level.
Whynot posted her plea to a local Facebook group, hoping someone with carpentry skills could create a sturdy board she could lean against a wall. It’s part of her effort to teach Luna, her Dutch Shepherd, how to jump off of her body and eventually run up walls.
“I am hoping to teach her to start jumping off of trees and off of myself and hopefully I can go more advanced and teach her how to run up walls and jump off things,” she said.
Whynot has been working with Luna for the past two years, starting with personal protection and recently moving into dog dancing and trick training.
“I started with personal protection work because I wanted a Dutch Shepherd for personal protection, cause I'm a female,” she said. “Going out alone at night is kind of scary sometimes. So having a dog beside you isn't the worst thing in the world. She knows how to bite on command. She knows how to bark on command. She knows how to guard me and she'll go in between my legs and just start barking at you... She knows how to tactical bite, like if you're holding a knife or something. And then we started working on dance work about a month ago.”
Whynot's interest in working with dogs goes way back.
“It's been my dream career since I was 16,” she explained. “Well, since I was 6 when I wanted to be a vet. And then I figured OK, I'm not smart enough for that... my dad's like, ‘hey, you love animals, and you want to work in the field, why don't you become a dog trainer?’ And then he showed me personal protection, and I thought that was the coolest thing ever.”
As for the platform she’s looking for, Whynot said it doesn’t need to be fancy.
She’s hoping for a 4 by 5 or 5 by 5 foot piece of plywood—just something large and sturdy enough to lean against a wall so Luna can safely jump off it while they train.
Anyone interested in helping Caitlin out can reach her at 306-461-3084.