About Me
My father always told me if you do what you love, it will never seem like work! It took me a while to achieve that goal but eventually I figured it out, hence I’m a dog trainer! Here is my journey….
Upon graduating Rutgers University, I was lucky enough to be selected into the renowned NBC Page Program. During that time I landed a temporary job with Bob Wright, the CEO of NBC. He saw great value in my ability to interact with people and created a job for me in NBC’s News Publicity Department. I became very successful working for NBC, FOX and CBS until I became completely burnt out and needed a change. I then went back to school to get my Masters in Education. Even during this time, there was always a burning desire to work with dogs. I just couldn’t figure out how to fit it into my lifestyle.
Ever since I could remember, I have always loved and admired dogs. I always seemed to have a connection with the animal and a mutual respect was always formed. So it’s not unusual that I started working in a doggy daycare center while becoming a teacher back in 2005. At that time I had already achieved a dual Masters in Early Childhood and Special Education and was teaching Kindergarten in Hoboken, NJ. The doggy daycare job was a hobby during the summer months when I wasn’t teaching. During my free time I started to read up on the celebrity dog trainer, Cesar Millan, also known as The Dog Whisperer. His techniques were interesting to me and I would practice them while dealing with the dogs.
A pivotal moment for me was one hot August day. I was taking care of about 50 larger breed dogs who would not stop barking. After an hour of barking in the brutal heat, I decided I was going to sit down to relax. Within 2 minutes, every dog sat down around me and were silent. Needless to say, that day my life changed. I saw the power of leadership in controlling these amazing animals. From that point on, I dove in and thrived to learn as much as I could. Through my research I became lucky enough to go to a conference headed by Linn Boyke. Linn was the first person to have been trained by Cesar Millan. Linn soon became my mentor. I trained with him and followed his techniques through the coveted School of Dog Psychology. His mentorship has taught me more then I thought I could ever know about dog psychology and all of my training is based on his philosophy.
My public relations job taught me how to communicate with people. My teaching job taught me how to teach people. These two important life-experiences coupled with my love for dogs makes me a successful and accomplished trainer. I reside in Bergen County with my husband Kevin, two girls Kelsey and Payton and a rescue Bluetick Coonhound named Griffen and two rescue cats, Gwen and Mulligan.
My Philosophy
Behind every balanced dog is a great leader. Having a well-balanced dog can only be accomplished by training the owner. Understanding the psychology of a dog is the number one most important aspect to owning a dog. Once the owner understands the psychology of a dog, only then can the training begin. Humans communicate primarily through verbal cues but dogs communicate through body language and respond to energy as well as tone of voice. I work one-on-one with your dog to demonstrate what you need to do to in order to establish leadership. I then empower the owner with the knowledge and leadership skills to accomplish success. Dogs are pack animals and they strive to follow a leader. By the end of the first session, the owner will have the tools needed to become the leader in the eyes of your dog, which in turn, makes for a productive foundation for training.
With my mentor Linn Boyke
With my mentor Linn Boyke after one of his Dog Psychology conferences in Vermont. Linn was the first student to be trained by Cesar Millan and later founded the School of Dog Psychology.