Trainer Bios
I started working with dogs of various breeds, ages and temperaments in a shelter setting as a volunteer in 2011. Many dogs in a shelter setting are great dogs that just need some basic manners training and structure. I started working full time in 2013 in the kennel and then moved into Adoptions where I worked with facilitating a smooth transition from a shelter to a home setting for the dogs. I decided to become a trainer because I wanted to help dogs before their owners became frustrated and made the hard decision to surrender their dog to a shelter.
I have over 10 years experience working to train both puppies and adult dogs for good manners in addition to behavior modification for resource guarding, dog reactivity, fear of people or other dogs, touch sensitivity for grooming and veterinary care and dogs with high prey drive.
My first dog Ceasar was a lab mix from Mackenzie’s Animal Sanctuary. He was fearful of some people and was not interested in other dogs, but was perfect with our cats. I worked on building his confidence around people and how to politely interact with our cats. After Ceasar passed away in 2021 we then got a puppy from Cherryacre Labradors.
When your dog has good manners, it makes living with them more enjoyable. Once your dog has mastered good manners, I think that it is important to find ways to enjoy spending time with your dog. I worked with Luke to prepare him for the Canine Good Citizen test and started working on teaching him how to shed hunt. As an active almost 3 year old dog it is important to keep him engaged and to give him a job. We worked on the Novice Trick Title as well as the tricks needed for the Intermediate Trick Title.