Dexter and hannah
My History
My first dog was named Frankie. He was the most amazing Doberman! Honestly I didn’t do a whole lot of training with him. He was pretty easy going, well mannered dog just the way he was.
Then came Dexter: Dexter loves to jump and run and do a lot of normal dog things. He also is a Canine Good Citizen and a Certified Therapy Dog. Although he has had so much training he still has a lot of struggles. He is very anxious and often scared of strangers. This has made it difficult to have people over and just do “normal” every day things.
Then came Hannah: She was a “stray” puppy who arrived at the shelter at just eight weeks old. I fostered her and she seemed like a super chill puppy but now we know she was actually a bit shy. Other dogs make her uncomfortable. She sometimes barks and lunges at them.
Hannah and Dexter have shown me how much dogs can be misunderstood. They have made want to learn more and be a better, more understanding pet guardian. I studied and took many courses on behavior and training to become a professional dog trainer. I also got a job in the behavior department at the Montgomery County Animal Shelter. Since then, I have seen all ranges of dogs and behavior from happy go lucky to scared/shut down dogs. Almost every day the dogs (and other animals) living there teach me something new.
Experience
Certifications:
Certified Profesional Dog Trainer, CPDT-KA
Certified Pro Dog Trainer, Absolute Dogs
Education:
BA Speech Communication, University of Maryland
Animal Behavior Consulting and Practice Course – IAABC
Canine Behavior and Training Academy, Behavior Modification Academy – Peaceable Paws (Pat Miller)
Enrichment Master Class – Pet Harmony
Memberships:
International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC)
Mid-Atlantic Association of Professional Positive Pet Trainers