I have been working extensively with animals for over 30 years. Those different avenues and daily amazing experiences with big cats, horses, reptiles dogs, and more, have allowed me to combine what they have taught me into a unique sense of animal communication and behavior. Although I have always been a huge advocate of the written word, almost everything I have learned has been through constant hands-on experience, learning directly from the animals themselves. There is nothing you can learn in a classroom that you can't learn better from the masters themselves--animals. In addition, I have my B.A. in Psychology, allowing me to better mediate between animal and human to create synergy between dog(s) and owner. I am a certified Canine Good Citizen Evaluator with the American Kennel Club (AKC), and a Professional Member with the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP).
My whole life with animals, I have always either been given, or sought out, the challenges--the hard cases, the underdogs. The beauty of that was I learned how amazing it is to grow WITH the animal...true teamwork. In my opinion, the greatest growth comes when both human and animal are learning together. There is nothing that makes me more content than bringing animals and their people together as a team, and it positively affects not only our entire lives, but also the lives of those around us.
My Methods and Philosophy
With me, you will never be asked to use forceful or harsh techniques. Being a leader is about achieving the highest level of both trust and respect, none of which could ever be achieved by a forceful mentality. I read body language and teach you to do the same. I teach you how powerful our emotions can be, both positively and negatively, and how to use them to your ultimate advantage. I teach you the superior power of our voice tone and timing, and more importantly, I teach you how to emulate confidence and calm whether you truly feel it or not using my "Failsafes" which give you options on creating good leadership in any tense situation. I teach you how to communicate with your body language and voice what you want to your dog, and then I give you exercises to incorporate into your lifestyle to condition your teamwork and habits.
I teach you how to truly fulfill your dog’s needs, and how to intensively strengthen your bond through variety of activities, especially capitalizing on the power of play. It will be different every day for you. It will be different with your first dog versus your second dog. Things might change when you add a dog to your pack. But once you have learned to read body language, communicate back, and adopt a lifestyle of leadership and teamwork, it won’t matter.
Through private sessions and group classes, you will learn the power of voice tone, timing, posture, emotion, and methods that make your dog happy to listen to you, and you will be a calmer, more confident human being in other areas of your life as well. It is easier for me to teach a human to speak like a dog, than it is for a dog to be like a human. I don't ask you to change who you are; rather, I work to bring out your very best. Once you know your dog's language, so much is possible.
Your dog will learn proper behavior at home, in public, and should be happy doing it for you. Whether it's rehabilitating aggression, fear, pack dynamics, destructive behavior, or simple obedience training, I will teach YOU to have the best relationship possible with your dog for years to come. Dogs are our family members, and our family affects our whole life. When you are happier and confident in your dog's behavior, your entire life will see positive changes.
Change IS possible. There is ALWAYS a way to improve.
