Meet my happy greyhound...
Asher
Asher is a stunning retired racing greyhound that I adopted in 2019. He is such a gentle, sweet soul with silly antics that bring me joy daily.
Asher means "blessed", or "happy" in Hebrew. I'm so grateful to share life with this guy!
I created this compilation video from shots taken in 2022 as a fun way to appreciate the joy of sharing life with Asher.
Asher means "blessed", or "happy" in Hebrew. I'm so grateful to share life with this guy!
I created this compilation video from shots taken in 2022 as a fun way to appreciate the joy of sharing life with Asher.
John
In 2011, I adopted my first rescue greyhound, John. His track name was "Junkyard John" and so he kept the name "John".
I lost John in 2019 to cancer. We shared so many adventures together and I learned more from him than he did from me. He was a truly beautiful dog and an amazing companion. John means "God is gracious".
John provided the inspiration for me to pursue the wonderful world of dog training and helped shape my approach.
As it turned out, I'm not bad at it...
As it turned out, I'm not bad at it...
Training Philosophy
I believe that animals have rich emotional lives and that we can connect with them in ways that add beauty and depth to our understanding of ourselves, others, and the world we live in if we remain open and curious. Their lives are gifts to us and they deserve our kindness and respect. This is the foundation for my training programs.
I use positive reinforcement based training methodologies, including clicker training, and place a high degree of emphasis on animal welfare, incorporating choice and enrichment into learners' everyday lives, and focusing on building a strong reinforcement history for desired behaviors.
I display empathy and encouragement toward my clients and do my best to make training fun for humans too! Positive reinforcement also works for people, so I want you to expeience both big and little wins that leave you excited for the next session. You'll learn something new and enjoy the process.
I use positive reinforcement based training methodologies, including clicker training, and place a high degree of emphasis on animal welfare, incorporating choice and enrichment into learners' everyday lives, and focusing on building a strong reinforcement history for desired behaviors.
I display empathy and encouragement toward my clients and do my best to make training fun for humans too! Positive reinforcement also works for people, so I want you to expeience both big and little wins that leave you excited for the next session. You'll learn something new and enjoy the process.
Adventure Roots
Before focusing on training, I provided a professional dog hiking service, traveling to various trails around the Bay Area with several dogs at a time.
The experience of spending countless hours with those dogs, working with them and simply observing their behavior, helped me to better understand them and informed my training style.
I developed great relationsips with clients and their dogs and honed some helpful leash walking skills along the way.
The experience of spending countless hours with those dogs, working with them and simply observing their behavior, helped me to better understand them and informed my training style.
I developed great relationsips with clients and their dogs and honed some helpful leash walking skills along the way.
Community
I partner with various rescue groups, including SAGE, to offer behavior support for their adopters.
I support several local veterinarians and their patients, including Adobe Animal Hospital.
I'm a featured "expert" co-author on wikiHow! Here's a recent wikiHow article that I co-authored: Why Do Dogs Bark at Nothing?.
I also network with other positive reinforcement based trainers to ensure that clients have access to robust support options. This also helps to keep me learning and continually improving my skills.
I support several local veterinarians and their patients, including Adobe Animal Hospital.
I'm a featured "expert" co-author on wikiHow! Here's a recent wikiHow article that I co-authored: Why Do Dogs Bark at Nothing?.
I also network with other positive reinforcement based trainers to ensure that clients have access to robust support options. This also helps to keep me learning and continually improving my skills.
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Education
I actively pursue continuing education courses to continue learning from some of the top animal trainers, scientists, and behavior specialists in the industry. Below is a partial list of my classes, workshops, seminars, and certifications:
Canine Behavior Academy, I & II, Trish King (2012, 2014)
Dog Emotion and Cognition, Dr. Brian Hare (2015)
Living & Learning with Animals: The Fundamental Principles and Procedures of Teaching and Learning, Dr. Susan Friedman, Ph.D. (2016)
Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) (2018)
2018 Canine Science Symposium
Resource Guarding: Trish King & Sue Sternberg (2020)
Three Days to Fluent Training (2020):
Fear Free Animal Trainer Certification Program (2021)
What Not to Err: Training Mistakes that Create Headaches for Dogs, Kathy Sdao (2022)
Excitability, Rehabilitating the canine wild child! with Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA (2021)
Separation Anxiety (Mission Impossible) Solving canine separation anxiety! with Malena DeMartini (2021)
Pharmacological Intervention for Canine Non-Aggression Problems, Dr. Ellen Lindell (2021)
RECALLS: Why Dogs Aren’t Coming When Called and What We Can Do About It with Susan Garrett (2021)
2021 Lemonade Conference
2022 ClickerExpo LIVE
2023 Canine Science Symposium
2023 ClickerExpo LIVE
Canine Behavior Academy, I & II, Trish King (2012, 2014)
Dog Emotion and Cognition, Dr. Brian Hare (2015)
Living & Learning with Animals: The Fundamental Principles and Procedures of Teaching and Learning, Dr. Susan Friedman, Ph.D. (2016)
Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) (2018)
2018 Canine Science Symposium
Resource Guarding: Trish King & Sue Sternberg (2020)
Three Days to Fluent Training (2020):
- “Let Me Want It” the science of choice and engagement in training with Agnieszka Janarek
- “Off Cue—Off Control?” the art of offered behavior with Catja Pedersen
- “Control Is An Illusion” stimulus control without frustration with Sarah Owings
Fear Free Animal Trainer Certification Program (2021)
What Not to Err: Training Mistakes that Create Headaches for Dogs, Kathy Sdao (2022)
Excitability, Rehabilitating the canine wild child! with Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA (2021)
Separation Anxiety (Mission Impossible) Solving canine separation anxiety! with Malena DeMartini (2021)
Pharmacological Intervention for Canine Non-Aggression Problems, Dr. Ellen Lindell (2021)
RECALLS: Why Dogs Aren’t Coming When Called and What We Can Do About It with Susan Garrett (2021)
2021 Lemonade Conference
- From Distress to De-Stress: Teaching the Switch from Frantic to Focused, Laura VanArendonk Baugh
- Reducing Overarousal and Reactivity via the Circle Method of Leash Walking, Denise Fenzi
- Separation Anxiety and Current Research: Time to Toss Grandma's Training Plan? Malena DeMartini, CTC
- Arousal and Aggression: When There’s Fuel Behind the Fire, Michael Shikashio, CDBC
2022 ClickerExpo LIVE
- Toward a New Understanding of Constructional Aggression Treatment (C.A.T.), Kellie Snider
- A Successful Approach: Your Dog Controls the Distance! Leslie McDevitt
- Bait and Switch 2.0: Advanced Luring Skills Expanded, Michele Pouliot
- Snakes on the Plain! Snake-Avoidance Training Using Positive Reinforcement, Ken Ramirez
- Tricks Are Not Just for Kids!, Melissa Millett
- Your Reactive Dog Needs a LATTE: A Game for Decompression and Enrichment, Leslie McDevitt
- How to Approach a Spinning Chainsaw: Safe Handling in Aggression Cases, Michael Shikashio
- Team In Transition: How to Bring Husbandry At-Home Behaviors to the Vet Clinic with Laura Monaco Torelli & Kelly Ballantyne, DVM
2023 Canine Science Symposium
- Unleashing applied behavior analysis to improve canine training and enrichment programs through a university-based animal behavior research clinic, Lindsay Mehrkam, Ph.D.
- Waking up on the wrong side of the dog bed: Mood, motivation, and learning, Alexandra Protopopova, Ph.D.
- Pushing your dog's (preferred!) buttons: Toward a science of communication training and "consent" for dogs, Lindsay Mehrkam, Ph.D.
- Let’s talk about prong & shock collars: A review of what we know about operant and Pavlovian effects of aversive control, Erica Feuerbacher, Ph.D.
- Child-dog bonds matter: “Do as I do” training as a tool to improve child-dog relationships & wellbeing, Monique Udell, Ph.D.
- Social interaction as a reinforcer for dogs: What, when, and how to use it Erica Feuerbacher, Ph.D.
- Wolves, pets and free-ranging dogs: Exploring the spectrum of their relationships with humans, Sarah Marshall-Pescini, Ph.D.
2023 ClickerExpo LIVE
- Stranger Things: When Food is Aversive, Lindsay Wood Brown
- Magic Tricks! The Secret to Improving Training for You and Your Learner, Michele Pouliot
- All Ears: Protocols for Dogs with Sound Sensitivity, Debbie Martin
- Stimulus Control, Duration, and Other Impossible Dreams, Laura VanArendonk Baugh
- Separation Anxiety: The IRL Application of Behavior Change Conducted Virtually, Terrie Hayward
- Power Targeting for Any Training Goal, Michele Pouliot
- Reactive Dogs, Trish King, CPDT-KA
- Common Myths of Veterinary Behavior, Dr. Amy Pike
- Separation Anxiety - Beyond the Pandemic, Preventing/Fixing Separation Anxiety in Your Dog, Tracy Krulik, CTC, CSAT
Let's get you on your way toward a Fearless dog, and YOU as a happy client!
