Like many young girls I once dreamed of becoming a veterinarian. I was raised around animals for most of my life and I wanted to make a difference in their lives. When I had the opportunity to go to college I wasn’t sure I wanted to handle some of the tasks that veterinarians had to perform so changed direction and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. My education led me to work in the field of natural health, the corporate world and then onto sales and management in my own retail stores.

I learned the ropes of opening, managing, marketing, and running a business. I taught classes in a variety of subjects, made presentations, advised customers, and ordered, promoted, and sold products. I found that the respectful interactions I had with customers helping them to understand the different options available that might fit their needs was very rewarding. After I sold my Health Food businesses to care for my growing family my focus changed.

While raising a family I learned the value of patience and watchfulness. Educational programs about scientific research in animal training weren’t around when I started my studies, but they were beginning to pop up more and more just as the student was ready. I once again had time to read which led me back to my passion… animals. As time went by I found a way to interact with the animals I had been studying and moved from reading about animal training theory to practicing what I had learned.

Most of the time I have focused my work on what some people call “aggressive” dogs. These are dogs that are undersocialized, have been in shelters too long, those who have health issues, or those who may have been “trained” by another dog trainer and the results were additional unwanted behaviors. Other dogs I have worked with are on the opposite side of the spectrum… they are shut down and won’t interact with anyone or anything and so we work together on developing their self-confidence. Working with these dogs is not what is commonly referred to in the industry as “training.” Working with stressed out animals who are oftentimes in a state of fight or flight involves more of a combination of desensitization and counter-conditioning rather than focusing mainly on cueing a certain behavior.

Other work I have done is what is properly called “dog training.” It involves teaching cues to an animal asking them to perform a certain behavior or behavior chain. This is what some people call “obedience” (a term I do not use) and what I, and others, call “good manners.” I also train basic scent work skills with games like “find it” that gives you something to do with your pet and something for your pet to look forward to in their day. My goal is to enrich the lives of pets and their guardians.

Credentials / Qualifications:

-- Fear Free® Elite Veterinary Certified Professional (1 of 1248 Elite Professionals in the WORLD!) with additional certifications in Equine and Avian care--

-- Fear Free® Certified Animal Trainer --

-- Low Stress Handling® Silver Certified --

-- Pet Tech PetSaver™ CPR / First Aid trained --

-- Doggone Safe Dog Bite Safety Educator --

-- AKC Canine Good Citizen® Evaluator --

-- AKC Temperament Test Evaluator --

-- Dog Trainer Foundations Certificate (Karen Pryor Academy) --

-- Risk Assessment & Safely Handling Multiple Dogs Certificate (Doggone Safe)--

-- The Infectious Disease Management Program Certificate (Vetfolio) --

-- Bonded / Insured as employee of a local pet sitting company--

Professional Affiliations: -- Friend of INTO Dogs --

-- Member of The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) --

-- Member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) --

-- General Member of Association of Animal Behavior Professionals (AABP) --

-- Supporting Member of The International Assoc. of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) --

-- Associate Member of The International Companion Animal Network (ICAN) --