I grew up without any pets, but always wanted a Great Dane as goofy and energetic as I am. In the midst of a global pandemic, I got my wish! That’s when I was able to bring home Maggie.

I knew I had a no-fail mission training this little 15-pound soon-to-be giant, and I knew that I wanted to be her primary trainer, but I didn’t really know where to start. Fortunately a friend sent me a book that changed everything: Don’t Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor.

I applied the positive reinforcement principals in that book and worked with incredible local trainers like Jennifer Pennington of Lead With Fun to transform my timid puppy into a confident, capable, fun-to-be-around giant. Then I decided that I wanted to help others like me. I enrolled in the Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner program – an intense six-month program for dog training professionals – to earn my KPA CTP.