My story

How I began my career with animals...

I have been an animal lover all of my life. Growing up we lived on a little country backroad. Animals were often set out along our road and abandoned. My childhood was full of animals we found and rescued, and they became some of my best friends.

When I was young I snuck my mom's scissors to give our family dog a "haircut". Later, after the purchase of my first miniature schnauzer in 1995, I was asked by his breeder/groomer if I would consider becoming her apprentice. It seems maybe I was destined to become a dog groomer! I quickly fell in love with working with animals as a professional groomer, and it has been my career ever since.

But that was just the beginning. I began apprenticing in her busy grooming shop, which included a retail pet store, bird aviary, and puppy breeding program. Through grooming and working in this environment, I became engrossed in learning about animal behavior and training. I studied any materials I could find on the subject. I was introduced to a multitude of dog breeds and personalities through my grooming clients and often had to handle animals with severe behavior issues. Eventually, I developed a reputation for being able to gently handle dogs that other groomers had turned away.

It wasn't long before clients began asking me to help them train their dogs. I went through a Psychological Dog Training program by the now late C W Meisterfield to make sure I was fully equipped to assist them and began to offer training services while still working in the grooming shop. I eventually opened Classy Canines in December of 1999, offering grooming from my home as well as dog training through private lessons, board and train services, and group classes.

Over the years I attended many behavior and training conferences, workshops, and other continuing education to further increase my training expertise and skills. I attended courses and workshops from many world-renowned trainers. I learned so much from each of them. Although some of them taught me methods I would never feel comfortable using, many taught me incredible methods for helping the dogs in my care. I took all of the experiences and knowledge I had gained through the years and began to mold them into my own signature dog training program. My specialty during that time was working with puppies and resolving behavior problems of dogs of any age.

A new chapter...

In November of 2007, my first son was born. With new responsibilities at home, I reduced the number of clients I worked with. Since then we have added two more sons to our family. With each additional child, I cut back on grooming and paused training in order to focus on raising and homeschooling my three young children.

Around the time my youngest reached preschool age, I was contacted by a previous client who was interested in training for their new puppy. This was the start of a new phase in my training career. You see, a lot had changed in the world of dog training while I was focused on raising my children. While I had continued to do training with my own dogs and had investigated some new methods here and there that caught my attention, there was still so much more to learn! I dived into investigating all of the latest research and methods that had been developed. I again began reading and studying everything I could, taking multiple continuing education courses, and doing whatever I could to become the best trainer I could be. Along the way I discovered a new method that strongly resonated with me, and I fell in love with SATS, the Syn Alia Training System. I have been working closely with my mentor, Kayce Cover, the founder of the SATS method, since Spring of 2018. I am certified in SATS Perception Modification Level 1, and am actively working toward Perception Modification Certification Levels 2 and 3. I am also currently in the certification program for SATS Bridge and Target, and am on track to achieve Level 1 by the end of 2021.

Once I had opened the door to training again, I began working with any dogs who were referred to me, as long as their owners could be flexible around my family responsibilities. I rediscovered my love for training, found a beautiful new method that resonated with me, and even involved my husband and kids in helping work with these new clients. I also found a new joy in training with my family.

My Training Philosophy...

I have experience in a wide variety of training methods, as well as education in how to properly apply these techniques and in how to correctly use many types of training tools. I personalize training to each dog and their owner, working with the owner to choose the methods, techniques and tools that I feel would be the most effective, humane and minimally aversive for their pet. I seek to do everything I can to empower both owner and animal to be successful, and to treat both with kindness and respect. I find great joy in helping owners bond with their pets so they can enjoy a fulfilling, peaceful life together.