About Me & My Training Style
While traditional dog training has its place, my focus is on your relationship with your dog.
I will evaluate your needs and your dog(s) so that we can come up with solutions. I tend to look at things from the dogs’ point of view, which allows me to identify what we as humans might miss.
My approach helps troubleshoot challenges and changes, such as new relationships, bringing children into the family, or adding new animals. If we teach dogs how to cope, they can adjust well. My goal is for you to live in harmony with your canine companions.
I’ve made a career out of helping my clients navigate behavioral challenges. I have a reputation for addressing fear, anxiety, poor leash manners, aggression, reactivity, and unruly behavior. Often, these difficulties result from a lack of structure and communication, which usually causes confusion. Together, we will customize a plan to meet the needs of both you and your best friend.
After 27 years of studying and working with dogs, 20 years of training, walking, and working with groups of dogs, and running a facility that included socialization, group classes, and private training, I’ve come to realize that we struggle most to understand our canine friends. My goal is to help you understand how your dog communicates with you and teach you how to answer their request for genuine partnership.
I do not consider myself to be a dog trainer. In fact, using that term was hard for me from the beginning because I never really felt that it was at the heart of what I do.
I want to help you understand your dog so that you can build a better relationship. I believe that most behavior has a place of origin, and the origin is usually within us. Our dogs study us and learn our behavior to the point that they can predict what we are going to do. Yet we struggle to understand their language. It seems that the more civilized and evolved we are, the more we lose touch with our primal instincts.
The natural dog, who is the natural dog? That’s what I’ll be looking for when I try to help you build a better bond with your dog.
I want to teach you the art of training below the radar. We live in a loud world, but if we learn to communicate with our dogs through body language and calmness, we can reach them more effectively.
I’ve been working with dogs since 1998, but I’ve been studying them my entire life. Dogs are my passion; they’ve always been my passion. I’ve dedicated my life to animals.
My journey in the dog world has been a long one. My first real dog experience was while volunteering at Morris Animal Refuge in Center City, Philadelphia. I’ve worked with the People Pet Partnership, PACCA (now ACCT), PAWS, and City of Elderly Love. I also served on the Citizens for a No-Kill Philadelphia board and was an organizer for With Love Super Adoption Day for many years. I’ve also helped various local rescues with specific cases throughout my years. I’m always happy to help whenever I get special requests.
I am a Cabrini University graduate. I started my career in the photography industry as a professional photographer and ran high-end professional labs in the city, but in 2005, my life changed for the better.
I was recruited by the biggest dog-walking company in the city at the time. They heard about my work in rescue and learned that I had a knack for helping misunderstood and challenging animals.
After a year of working with them, I decided it was time to start training independently. Over the years, I have cultivated my approach to achieving balanced and harmonious bonds between people and their dogs.
I’ve lived in a multi-species household for over 23 years, and this experience has enriched my life and understanding of how to navigate the needs of many animals living under one roof.
The Philly Pack has been my life’s work. It has seen many phases. I began with dog walking, training, and helping people address behavior. 2010 the Philly Pack Pet Shop opened, which put me on the map. After five years, I opened a dog training center where I provided socialization, training, daycare, walking, group classes, pack walks, and more. The Philly Pack Canine Enrichment Center was my lifelong dream, but unfortunately, it came to an end due to a fire and circumstances beyond my control. While the last chapter of my life has seen some personal loss, I’ve managed to get back to my roots and simplify.
My mission is to help people better understand their dogs.
So often, people struggle to understand their dogs. With careful observation, I can help people adjust their approach to build a more solid foundation in their relationship with their canine best friend.
I have spent my entire career studying dogs, learning from some of the most renowned dog professionals in the field. I have various certifications from various seminars and schools, and I attend educational conferences annually through the IACP, the International Association for Canine Professionals. But truthfully, none of that is relevant because I’ve never met a dog that cared about my education. What dogs care about is being safe, understanding our expectations, and having their basic needs provided.
My goal is for you to have harmony in your life with your canine companions.
I consider myself a dog-owner coach. Yes, I train dogs and teach people how to handle their dogs, but truthfully, what I really do is coach people on how to build a solid foundation with their dogs. I coach people on how to understand their dogs’ needs and address whatever stage in life they may be experiencing.
