About me

Growing up in a dog show house meant weekends spent at dogs shows from a very early age. Even as a teenager I looked forward to those dog show weekends helping my mom and then once I was old enough handling our GSDs in the show ring. I spent my life surrounded by animals - dogs, cats, bunnies, horses, lizards, hedgehogs - you name it I’ve loved and lived with it! But there is something so very special about the human - canine bond and all the potential that it holds.

“Connection fosters willingness” I don’t remember where I heard that quote but it resonates with me. Building connection, fostering your relationship with your pup is always going to be the foundation for good training. This will be the foundation of our work together. I want to help you to have a clear understanding of what your dog is communicating to you - training is really so much more that the skills we and our dogs learn, it’s a conversation. Both parties being included in the conversation leads to a better outcome. I do not use pain or intimidation in my training - all the best relationships out there are a cooperative effort, our relationships with our dogs is no different.

Particular areas of interest for me include building confidence in fearful dogs, helping reactive dogs feel better about their world, working on off leash skills to help dogs live a more enriching life and nosework!

certifications & completed cont. ed courses

  • Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner

  • TAGTeach Certified

  • living and learning with animals with dr. susan friedman

  • iaabc principles and practices of animal behavior consulting

meet the canine inspiration behind everything that i do

Cider Doughnut

Cider is an 11 year old Beagle/Australian Cattle Dog mix. She is the reason I do what I do. Cider was found as a stray puppy in the winter of 2011 with her 3 sisters Nike, Abby and Penny. She and her sisters found their way to the Joplin Humane Society in Joplin Missouri and from there they made their way over to the east coast to a foster home with New England Brittany Rescue. She joined our family as a very scared little 5.5 month old puppy and over the years with consistent R+ training we have developed a bond unlike any I have ever had with an animal. Gone is the scared little puppy, replaced by a confident (and somewhat sassy!) dog and the best adventure pal a gal could ask for!

Rosie

Rosie, Rosie, Rosie… she is an 10 yr old Treeing Walker Hound and may just be the sweetest creature that ever walked this earth. Rosie came to me as a foster, she came from a situation where she was one of 15 dogs chained to barrels. She clearly had puppies at some point. She came to me at 5 years old only having known life at the end of a chain. Very under socialized she came with a lot of fear, it took months for her to begin to trust us. During her time as a foster we worked to help her feel more comfortable. Using behavior modification in conjunction with behavioral meds she made slow but measurable progress.

Twice she got adopted out. Twice she got returned. I decided then that no longer would she have to worry about uncertainty. This dog that I wasn’t looking for, that I didn’t expect is one of my greatest gifts.

Suren

Little Wren is the newest addition to the family! She was adopted through ACDRA where her and her littermates were born and fostered. A friend, knowing I’ve always wanted an ACD sent me a link and told me to “Go get one of those puppies!” and so I did! She came home at 9 weeks and is now 7 months. She is a fun, spicy little addition and I am so excited to see where we go together!