Hi! I live on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas. Texas has been my home for over 38 years. I have an amazingly supportive family who all love animals as much as I do. We share our lives with Siberian Huskies. Early puppy socialization is a big part of my puppy raising program. I have over 12 years experience as a breeder. This is where my interest in puppy development, puppy socialization and puppy training started.

I have a history with training. I grew up in a breeder/owner/handler home. My mother raised and showed, Shelties, in both conformation and obedience. Some of the happiest memories I have were participating in training classes and accompanying my mother to dog shows. A lot has changed in 35+ years and I have fully embraced modern, positive reinforcement training.

I am a certified Puppy Start Right Instructor (PSRI). I specialize in Puppy Socialization and Foundation Training. I believe early puppy socialization is vital to any puppy training program. It helps build confident puppies who can easily navigate a complicated and sometimes confusing human world. Supporting puppy families and providing them with skills to get though both puppy and adolescent stages is important to me and I think it is key to keeping puppy families from getting frustrated and keeping puppies in homes and out of shelters.

I am constantly supplementing my education with courses, podcasts, workshops, videos and books.

*I am a Certified Puppy Start Right Preschool Instructor. This course included:

  • Development and Behavior
  • How Dogs Learn
  • Positive Socialization (introducing novel stimuli)
  • Body Handling and Husbandry
  • Problem Prevention and Solving including, Puppy Biting/Mouthing, Potty Training, Crate Training, Jumping, Chewing, Digging, etc
  • Confidence Building
  • Foundation Training: Attention, Sit, Down, Target, Loose Leach Walking, Place, Recall, Bring it, Leave it, Drop it, etc.
  • Adding Duration, Distraction and Distance
  • Diseases and Vaccinations

*Certified Puppy Start Right Instructor Online

  • Thanks to COVID we have learned that we can take our training online and still be effective.
  • I now offer PSR Online for your convenience, with the same results!
  • Sessions are online in real time.
  • Great for non local clients.
  • Perfect for busy families.
  • Safer if you are worried about your puppy attending classes while not fully vaccinated.

*I completed VSA-Fundamentals of Dog Training and Behavior. This course included:

  • The Power of Positive Training,
  • Understanding Dog Body Language,
  • The Human-Animal Bond, Communication,
  • Choice, Training Foundations,
  • Adding Durations, and Distance,
  • Problem Solving,
  • Creating a Training Plan, and More

*I’ve completed Dog Training 101 by Jean Donaldson. This Course Included:

  • Principles of Dog Training
  • Training Mechanics
  • Understanding Dog Behavior
  • Getting the Behavior, Impulse Control, Proofing
  • Fear and Aggression Prevention
  • Conditioned Emotional Response
  • Tricks, Husbandry, Training Challenges and Solutions, and Much More

*I’ve completed Avidog Savvy Socialization for breeders and owners course.

*I’ve Completed DogNostics Bringing Your New Dog Home

*I am also proficient in The Puppy Culture Program (The Powerful First 12 Weeks That Can Shape Your Puppy’s Future) and many of it’s companion videos.

Puppy Culture is a program for breeders, as well as owners, trainers, veterinary staff and even rescues. This program educates on the importance of early puppy socialization. It also breaks down the puppy developmental stages and provides protocols to use to raise behaviorally sound puppies. These include:

  • Developmentally Appropriate Enrichment Activities
  • Variety of Challenges (encourage problem solving)
  • Take a Treat and Adding the Clicker
  • Creating Conditioned Emotional Response
  • Manding For Attention
  • Potty Training and Crate Conditioning
  • Resource Guarding and Exchanges
  • Attention, Leash Walking and Body Handling
  • Introducing Sit, Down, Recall, Heel Position, Crate Release, and more

*I’m a member of the Pet Professional Guild.

Here are a few resources I use to continue my education (independent study) and to keep on hand for reference.

Puppy Culture & Madcap University:

  • Puppy Culture: The Powerful First 12 Weeks
  • Attention Is The Mother Of All Behaviors
  • Shaping Emotional Responses
  • Killer Free Stacks
  • Socialization During The Cronavirus Pandemic
  • The Joy Of Singletons
  • With Open Arms and a Level Head:  How to Bring a Puppy Into Your Life

My Book Shelf: Ever Growing source of Knowledge.

  • The Power Of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller
  • Puppy Start Right: Foundation Training For The Companion Dog by Kenneth M. Martin
  • Perfect Puppy in 7 Days by Sophia Yin
  • The Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell & Brenda Scidmore
  • Easy Peasy Puppy Squeezy by Steve Mann
  • Easy Peasy Doggy Squeezy by Steve Mann
  • Easy Peasy Awesome Pawsome: Dog Training For Kids by Steve Mann
  • Puppy Socialization by Marge Rogers & Eileen Anderson
  • Juvenile Delinquent Dogs by Sue Brown
  • Coaching People To rain Tier Dogs by Terry Ryan
  • Social, Civil, and Savvy: Training & Socializing Puppies …. By Laura VanArendonk Baugh
  • Puppy Separation Anxiety By Julie Naismith
  • Before & After Getting Your Puppy by Dr Ian Dunbar
  • When Pig Fly: Training Success With Impossible Dogs By Jane Killion
  • Positive Training for Aggressive and Reactive Dogs by Annie Phenix
  • Train Your Dog Positively by Victoria Stilwell
  • The Secret Language Of Dogs by Victoria Stilwell
  • Click to Calm: Healing The Aggressive Dog by Emma Parsons (both versions)
  • Don’t Shoot The Dog by Karen Pryor
  • The Other End Of The Leash by Patrica M. McConnell
  • Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson
  • BAT 2.0 by Grisha Stewart
  • WAG by Zazie Todd
  • Separation Anxiety in Dogs by Malena Demartini-Price
  • Mine! by Jean Donaldson
  • Excel-Erated Learning by Pamela J. Reid
  • 101 Dog tricks by Kyra Sundance
  • And More……..

I continue to take courses, attend webinars, workshops, videos and read books to continue my education in puppy socialization, dog training, and behavior.

*Sit n Stay Positive is designed to introduce training foundations, address normal puppy behavior, and prevent the development of behavior problems. Sit n Stay Positive is not designed to treat serious behavior problems (such as reactivity, aggression, anxiety, or extreme fear). Please consult with your veterinarian or a licensed behaviorist if your puppy is displaying extreme behavior issues. Your puppy’s success depends on you doing your homework and working with your puppy at least twice a day.

Serving the San Antiono Area
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