My story about becoming a dog trainer begins with my first pet, Sandi. When I got her I was working as a handler at a local dog daycare. She had been brought to the facility by a rescue organization volunteer. As the volunteer recounted Sandi’s tale of traveling all the way to Virginia from Texas after she had been displaced from her previous shelter due to the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Harvey, she curled up in my lap and fell asleep. That was it for me. She had found her home.
Ask anyone who has met Sandi and they’ll tell you: she’s wary of that first introduction, but after she checks you out she will become a fast friend, and an even faster snuggling buddy. This was not always the case though. When she first came into my family’s home, she would not leave my room if I wasn’t with her for the first few weeks. My grandparents, who lived with us at that time, used walkers to get around. As soon as she would see one of them turn a corner, she would run away up to my room. Our walks were a bit of a struggle. She would get over the moon about every squirrel we saw or be standoffish to the other people walking in the neighborhood. She seemed nervous about the world outside, and I knew I needed to find a way to help her.
I began my own research into how to help anxious dogs. I also reached out to a dog trainer in the area. We sat down and talked for what seemed like hours. As we talked, I realized that much of what I had read online and what she was saying made a lot of sense of what I was seeing at the dog daycare; how dogs interact with each other, how to tell when a dog was not doing well in a given interaction, and what was working (or not) in regards to dogs doing well at daycare. This conversation opened my eyes to the wide world of animal behavior and dog training. I knew that this — helping people and their dogs be closer through bettering their lives from training — was something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life.
And so I began an internship with the Freckled Paw, which progressed to a full-time job. Working with dogs of all sizes and breeds, I saw a range of cases, including basic obedience training, crate and house training for new puppies, newly adopted dogs into homes with other dogs, and reactive dogs. In February 2019, I passed and received my certification as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA). After receiving my certification I became a full-time trainer with the Freckled Paw. In August 2019, I joined the VBSPCA Pet Academy team, where I created a curriculum and taught classes for newly adopted puppies and their owners in Virginia Beach. It was a blessing to be able to be a part of so many people’s journey into owning puppies, and showing them how to make a home that would allow their dogs to thrive.
During this time, I’ve also continued my education in dog training. I have attending seminars, taken online classes, and given presentations to owners, volunteers, and vet offices on topics such as understanding dog body language and new puppy interactions with children and vets.