About
Here's where I tell you a little about why I do this.
You have a choice when it comes to how you train your dog - you don't have to use prong, choke or e-collars to get results. In fact, training is much faster and more effective when you teach your dog what you want them to do rather than constantly nagging or correcting them for undesired behaviors. I want to share with you all that I learned on my training journey because great results don't require aversive methods.
My first dog wasn't easy. I brought her home when she was almost 1 year old. By that time she'd already developed many undesirable habits. People kept telling me to get a shock collar. I couldn't imagine forcing her to do my bidding through fear/intimidation. Instead I learnt everything I could about other training methods and committed to using only techniques that were based on established science. You have options too, and I want to share with you my knowledge for getting the best from your canine companion.
Not all trainers are created equally
Our dogs play a huge role in our lives and with our guidance they are capable of achieving extraordinary things. While some trainers specialize in dog sports or aggression issues, my objective is simply to help you raise the best dog ever. And in order to do that, the best place to start is when your new dog comes home.
I offer supportive, compassionate coaching to both person and dog. I’ll never be condescending or impatient with either of you. Training our dogs doesn’t happen overnight. My aim is to bring out the best in all of my clients. All I ask of you in return is commitment to the learning process. And when you are prepared to take the time to teach your dog what you would like them to do, there is no need to resort to prong, choke or shock collars.
People used to think that you had to wait for your dog to be at least 6 months old before you could start training but that was because old-fashioned approaches to training relied on force and harmful corrections. Science has shown us that there are much more effective ways to teach our dogs what we want them to do simply by reinforcing the behaviors that we like and preventing bad habits from being formed in the first place.
By using food, toys and praise, puppies can now start their training journey much sooner than more punitive methods permit, and with compassionate guidance we can prevent bad habits from developing in the first place.
I graduated from the Victoria Stilwell Academy of Dog Training and Behavior with distinction in 2016 and have continued to expand my training knowledge ever since. In June 2021 I became one of a small group of individuals certified through Cooperative Paws as a Service Dog Coach.
Dog training is an unregulated profession and there are many people who are self-titled trainers. The only independent organisation in the United States which assesses trainers’ knowledge and skill is the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers. I became a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed through in 2018. Now I have taken my professional development a step further by becoming a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.
