During a life transition, I began walking a small group of dogs, which soon became a large, off-leash group of dogs. Unbeknownst to me, my career with canines had begun! Fascinated by behavior and unsatisfied by the many “common sense” ideas and practices too easily accepted, passed along as fact and generally applied, I decided to dig deeper and began an ongoing study of behavioral science – how animals, including humans, learn.
Improving the lives of dogs and their guardians is a dynamic, unfolding process. To start, it requires approaching every situation with an open mind (and heart), good training skills and a solid knowledge of learning science and how to apply it. Then compassion and science meet in the craft of non-invasive, reward-based training. Years ago the discovery of this training method, with its capacity to produce enthusiastic, happy learners quickly, rocked my world!
It took me a while to find my true calling as a dog trainer, so I bring a diverse set of skills and background to my work. Previous careers include teaching high-school English, retail and wholesale sales for outdoor industry leader Patagonia, and commercial copywriting, beat reporting and features writing. Teaching and coaching people in different capacities and circumstances has been a life through line, and discovering that animals are also enthusiastic learners has truly been a great joy. I currently live in Santa Barbara with my mystery-mix, Moki.