Building better relationships between owners & their dogs.
My goal is to educate owners on understanding their dogs & their dogs’ needs. I believe that education is the best tool to have in your toolbox.
Background
I have always had a passion for animals, especially dogs, but found my passion for training dogs when I started fostering for a local rescue in 2006. After a few years, i became the President of & ran the rescue out of my house.
I noticed a lot of the dogs that were being surrendered or brought back was due to behavioral problems that could be resolved through training. This confused me - why couldn’t we just help owners resolve the issues then the dog wouldn’t have to lose a home.
I started researching “dog training”, what it was, what it entailed. I looked up dog trainers, watched dozens of videos and started watching The Dog Whisperer - Cesar Millan. I started applying what I was learning through all my research with my foster dogs. I started to see a difference right away. I became obsessed with finding a solution to keep dogs in their current homes and helping them stay there by helping the owners.
Of course this wasn’t the case every time. Some people were just plain done with the dog or well, life happens. So many different dogs of all ages came into the rescues care for different reasons - moving, death in the family, from first nation's communities, other rescues, puppy mills, drug busts, hoarding cases, etc. Every dog had a different issue - fearful, feral, aggressive, destructive or just plain rude.
Every dog I fostered had some sort of behavioral problem. I worked with every dog that came through my house through their problems. When they were ready to be put up for adoption, i needed to find the right home. i matched the dogs' needs & personality with the best candidate. When they took the dog home, I went over everything with them. What worked for the dog & what didn’t, How to introduce the dog into the home, etc. It was working, not as many dogs were coming back.
Eventually a dog by the name of Koda, a shepherd mix (I'll never forget him), came in that was quite challenging. He had issues that I'd never really encountered before & was quite challenging. I needed help. I found a trainer in Leduc that was hosting a workshop taught by Heather Beck (K9 Lifeline out of Utah) for the average owner or rescue groups. I signed up right away. That was the weekend my whole life changed. It was like a light bulb went off, I had found my purpose. I was meant to train dogs & help owners.
Since then I have attended numerous workshops & seminars in BC, AB, PEI & the states taught by the best of the best trainers in the industry. I have even attended Canada's only dog training school twice now - Duke Ferguson's Unleashed Potential K9 Academy® which is a registered private training school under the Private Training Schools Act of the Province of Prince Edward Island. I am a member & attend the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP) conference every year in the states, always learning, always growing.
I am extremely grateful for all of the opportunities I have had to be able to further my education & career. I am blessed to have met some amazing trainers over the last 10 years & happy to say some of them are extremely dear friends of mine that I consider family.
I had my own private training, boarding & dog daycare facility in Stettler for 2.5 years until the economy collapsed & sadly had to shut it down. I have been working out of my home ever since.
I moved to Red Deer in the fall of 2018 where I now offer all of my services for Red Deer & central Alberta. I am the owner & trainer of Passionate Paws.
Not only am I a dog trainer, but I am also a mom to 5 boys - 3 my own & 2 step sons. In my spare time, you will find me working with my own pack (Hunter, Faith & Bella), at the lake or the river, fishing, hunting or spending time with friends & family. My family means the world to me & I would not be able to do this without their support.
