About

Amy enjoys the personal touch and care she contributes to make dogs and their owners happy. She is passionate about building trust, love, understanding, and communication between animals and their owners through the use of science-based, force-free training techniques.

Since childhood, Amy has loved and felt a connection with animals. Amy's interest in dog training was sparked early in adolescents. She pursued this interest by attending dog-training classes with her family's golden retriever, Jessie, and helped her Dad introduce Jessie to retrieval and scent training.

Through the years, Amy has continued to learn and gain experience through the completion of veterinary assistant courses; animal rescue volunteer work (such as bathing, walking, and handling search dogs during and between training sessions); completing extended class time to become a shelter Animal Ambassador; attending, assisting and teaching group dog-training classes; and, eventually, attending and graduating from the Dog-Tec Dog Walking Academy and the Karen Pryor Academy (KPA) Dog Trainer Professional (DTP) program.  Amy continues to seek every opportunity to learn more about the most up-to-date, science-based, positive, force-free methods in the care and training of dogs, most recently attending and completing Living and Learning with Animals, The Science & Technology of Behavior Change course.  She embraces this continued learning as an ever-evolving chance to help dogs and their families live happy and healthy lives.

Amy has experience in training, walking, bathing, and handling various breeds, sizes, and temperaments. She has helped with and handled fearful and leash-reactive dogs. Amy has volunteered for many years in animal rescue, assisting at the Humane Society of Ventura County, National Disaster Search Dog Foundation, and the Canine Adoption and Rescue League. She is a Puppy Start Right Instructor and a DogTec Certified Dog Walker; she is also certified in pet First Aid.

Amy is a proud and dedicated mother to four wonderful children raised with her husband, Al, during their 25 years of friendship and marriage. When she is not hiking and training her own dogs, Frank and Tucker, she spends cherished time with her family. Amy is incredibly caring, kind-hearted, dependable, and trustworthy— one of the nicest people you will ever meet! Your family will receive the best of care in her hands.