About
Is your dog jumping up, barking, pulling on the leash, chewing, digging, and biting, or just needs standard training? Does s/he have separation anxiety? Would you like your dog to be trained with the goal to pass the AKC Good Canine Citizen test—required in some apartment complexes? I provide private dog training lessons, and also group classes for the best rates you can find. I personalize each session or program specifically to your dog's needs.
I am a certified Canine Specialist, with my focus being Dog Behavioral Consulting, using years of working with dogs, and applying my experience and understanding of dog psychology.
Contact me to help you determine the best solution and course of action to address your dog's behavior issues, or for basic training!
Immediate results just in one session, educated advice and training for owners, and practical natural approach to dog training.
Dogs are highly intelligent beings. Depending on the breed, they have specific traits and respond more to certain types of training than other ones within the classes. I like bringing out the best qualities depending on the breed they are, even if they are a mutt and mixed. They still have multiple breeds, and finding the core of each breed is fun and always satisfying to develop, since each group was specifically bred for certain tasks and jobs! I use their breed's characteristics to create a well-rounded training plan to make your dog the most balanced it can be! I am also passionate about educating owners about their dog's psychological structure so that they can understand the cognitive rewards and challenges that their dogs are most reactive to!
Specialties
Private or board lessons
Package interested in
Issues
Photos and videos
Reviews
Denise
Chris- B.
Ellen
Brian R.
Bill D.
Marlene
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Dog training and rehabilitaion typically involves first a courtesy 20 minute consultation with the customer. One-on-one assessment with the owner and their dog. Then, once the issue(s) are detailed or requirements are gathered, we begin with a one-time private session, or classes, or a custom program tailored to your dog's specific needs.
SERVICES OFFERED: *all behavior issues
*all breeds & sizes
*in-home training
*one session or multiple
*classes and packages (ie 3 days, 5 days, etc.)
*facility training (boarding or not)
*dog psychology behavioral therapy
*public places training (ie, dog parks, pools, etc.)
*balance dog/pack evaluations
*single or multiple dogs
*all ages
*special needs
*new puppy integration (housebreaking, behaviors, obedience, etc.)
*family training and canine education
*boarding and grooming
*AKC.org Canine Good Citizen Test preparation and strive to become a candidate for this in all full training programs.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Working as a professional with dogs for over 10 years. Certified Canine Specialist, and Behavioral Consultant. Successful record and high customer satisfaction using practical, natural, or traditional approaches to dog training, with proven results.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your services? If so, please share the details here.
Base prices and my rates are on my website, and adjusted depending on certain factors from dog breed and age through severity of issues or needs.
My goal is not just training, but more importantly to show you the best way to approach your dog's behavior issues. I focus first on the psychology aspect to hopefully help owners personally, without lengthy classes or pricey "big box" stores that offer low-effectiveness training.
Determining the root cause is one of my main focuses, so that we can strive to make your dog balanced in just one session! If not, we can start standard training.
How did you get started in this business?
I started as a teenager walking and sitting pets. I've always loved animals and helping them, from domesticated to wild. After college, I was volunteering at shelters and rescues for a while. In my 20s I was part of the Marine Mammal Rescue Society, and successfully participated in saving numerous pods of pilot whales that were mysteriously changing their migration trails and ending up beached along the Florida Keys and around South Florida.
By accident, at dog shelters is where I discovered my training aptitude, and when other staff starting noticing I was balancing dog behaviors. They "hired" me to do this to as many dogs as possible to enhance adoption possibilities. Ever since, I e always wanted to use my connection to animals to serve them, but the pressures of life and having to work in other industries, made the journey more arduous and risky to do fulltime. I took the risk, and have never looked back because it is such a satisfying career- for me, just a way of life.
Since then I have worked in grooming, animals in film, training with other master trainers for hundreds of hours, and worked in dog daycares and boarding facilities, inluding being the Kennel Manager at a major facility here in Georgia.
Once customers started noticing that I would help their dogs just because I loved it, one told me I should do this professionally. Years later after harnessing my skills, I took her advice!
Now I have fully dedicated myself to training dogs as a certified canine specialist with multiple certifications, professionally and for fun, for the last 5 years, and fostering, involved in petcare, rescues, shelters, festivals, and charities for as far back as I can remember.
What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a pro in your area of expertise?
When looking to hire a pro, a good and efective trainer will tell you that they cannot give you their rates until a proper evaluation and temperament test has been done. A consultation usually goes a long way for us, and then we can give fair prices for bopth owners and ourselves.
Each dog is different, therefore giving 'fixed prices' is not a common practice among the professionals simply because one German Shepard can be tougher to train than another one. Or a Chihuahua may be harder to train on leash than a dog that is taller, and so on =)
I'm fair, and I encourage you to ask around a compare trainers! We *can* give base prices for certain specific things, and I guarantee you I have the best competitive prices if you bring me an official quote after your doggy's evaluation! Thanks!