CPDT- KA, DCTP, LLA
Tara has been working with dogs professionally since 2011 and personally since 1997. In spring of 2011 Tara was certified as a professional pet dog trainer through the Dog Stars Training Academy which included a Walks n Wags pet first aid certification. In 2018 she earned her CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer) Certification!
Always eager to learn more, she has since then attended Chicken Camp w/ Terry Ryan(training chickens!), completed the Canine Good Neighbor Test with her dog Chevy as well as attended various dog training webinars, seminars and Pet Expos; including Debbie Jacob’s Fearful Dogs presentation, Grisha Stewart’s Leash Handling webinar and Dog Stars Dog Body Language Seminar, Clicker Expo.
Most recently Tara attended:
Puppy Works webinar Dog-Dog Interactions
Sessions 1-4: Managing dog-dog interactions and play groups
An in-depth program which covers topics such as the science of operant learning, techniques of behaviour change, and behaviour change plans.
The Aggression in Dogs Conference
A 3-day conference dedicated to aggression in dogs. Tara learnt from the world’s foremost experts on aggression from the fields of: Veterinary Behavior, Dog Bite Sports, Applied Animal Behavior, Rehabilitation and Wellness, Animal Welfare, and Enrichment Psychology.
Conference Unleashed
A 3-day virtual conference exploring the science behind the Control Unleashed® program. Covered topics such as implementing Control Unleashed games into everyday real-world training, using Control Unleashed for behavior modification, and applying Control Unleashed in sport-specific training.
Tara has extensive experience working with dogs on behaviour training – everything from house-training with young puppies to loose leash and recall training to dogs who need help feeling comfortable around other dogs. She has trained many an exuberant puppy, fearful rescue, ‘velcro dog’ and ‘yellow ribbon’ dogs (Dogs in need of space).
Tara became a trainer because she loves seeing dogs learn and helping to facilitate better communication between a dog and their human. She feels that watching a dog and their person become bonded through learning is amazing to see. What she loves the most about working with dogs is their capacity to learn, their joy in spending time with humans and their complete lack of judgment in life.
Her influences in the dog training sphere include Nicole Wilde, Denise Fenzi, Grisha Stewart, Emily Larlham, Ian Dunbar, Terry Ryan, The Littlest Hobo and Benji too.
