I was born into a dog family, as my mother bred American cocker spaniels from before I was born, and also had pet dachshunds. As a young teenager, I found my own breed in Manchester terriers and showed in conformation then later in performance. Life intervened for many years, and when I was able to get back into dogs I started with my Pembroke Welsh corgi, Zwei, who was the first dog I trained at DTCCU. From there I got into Cardigan Welsh corgis and never looked back! I’ve titled dogs in various venues, and my current focuses are in rally, agility, tracking, and hopefully soon in herding. Experience with terriers and dachshunds has taught me that even so-called stubborn dogs always have something they’ll work for; you just need to discover what!
I’ve a strong academic genetics background, and I enjoy bringing the knowledge found in scientific studies to my training in regards to both breed genetic behaviors and drives and overall training best practices. Formerly, I taught university classes and later was a public educator and education animal trainer at a zoo, so I have broad experience in instruction and training. I love being heavily involved in everything, and I hope to bring that same love for training and dogs to my students! Training should be fun for both dogs and humans! Expect a lot of fun and interesting optional resources in addition to your usual class homework so you can better learn to form a true bond with and understand your dog!