Treasure Coast Puppy Trainer

I’ve always been pretty obsessed with animals. When I was in elementary school, I remember setting up homemade agility courses with chairs and broomsticks for my dog!

And that desire to spend quality time with animals and give them the best in life has continued throughout my career.

My degree in Anthropology became the foundation for my understanding of the human end of the leash! That four years of studying wasn’t enough to quench my thirst for knowledge, so I started volunteering almost anywhere I could.

I even joined a zookeeper training program and interned at the Oregon Zoo. I volunteered at a wildlife rehabilitation hospital and also with parrot rescues! And just before I started dog training, I worked as a bird trainer at a well-known theme park.

But the place which made the most significant difference to what I do today was working with The Humane Society in their shelter programs. I remember the excitement and shared joy when puppies would find homes as soon as they hit the adoption floor. Their new families would be so happy and eager to welcome the pup into their lives, and we were continually optimistic that this would be the right fit for everyone involved. However, I also remember the crushing disappointment when some of the same pups would return to the shelter when they became wild teenagers around 10-16 months of age. Now they’re looking for home #2 and aren’t little and gentle and cute anymore. They don’t fly out of the shelter nearly as quickly as they did as a baby.

I discovered that people usually have good intentions when getting a puppy but may not have the knowledge or ability to train their pup when it’s little. When unwanted behaviors pop up, many believe that the pup will simply grow out of it but instead, the dog becomes a wild adolescent, and the issues worsen! After seeing this cycle, it became apparent to me that if people had the right support right from the very beginning to set a good foundation with their puppies, many of the puppies would keep their homes forever.

At this point, it became apparent to me that if people had the right support right from the very beginning to set a good foundation with their puppies, many of the puppies would keep their homes forever.

If they were prepped and supported for the teenage phase, they wouldn’t feel completely overwhelmed and like there was nowhere to turn.

Sharing our life with animals can bring us immense joy when we have mutual understanding, trust, and the proper support to develop our own skills with animals.