Animal Trainers podcast

Crystal Dunn has worn a lot of hats in the training world. She started out as a volunteer in 2005, training dogs in shelters, and left the tech world to train dogs full time in 2006. For ten years she owned her own company, specializing in in-home training, working with her team on thousands of cases ranging from puppy obedience to serious aggression. Other projects include training performance dogs for dog toymakers, consulting on safety and best practices for an array of dog-related businesses, and managing a large scale pet resort and training facility. All the while, she has consistently kept one foot in the rescue world, working with numerous shelters and rescues to rehabilitate dogs, offering low-cost training opportunities to the public, and even training an all pit bull therapy dog team. It may sound scattered, but at the core of all of her endeavors is a common theme: educating people and enriching the lives of dogs. Currently, she writes full time for dog and non-dog related businesses and serves as VP for the nonprofit Love-A-Bull. She also hosts the podcast, Far Fetched, that focuses on debunking common myths and misconceptions about dogs.

Casey Coughlin is a dog trainer in Central, CT. She has been a full-time trainer running Inspiration Canine for the past 3 years. She was raised showing horses nationally until she hit college age, where she then moved her love for animal/human connection and teamwork to dogs! Casey started out in the world of punishment and dominance-based philosophies but after adopting a 1-year-old female mastiff and having those techniques fail miserably she started to cross over to the world of positive based training. Since then she has rejected all classifications of trainers and has landed in the camp of science-based and innovative dog training, looking at the dog and their family as a whole to use behavioral wellness to help families raise and train happy dogs for life. She has two border collies and participates in agility with both of them and enjoys training and hiking daily.

Cindy Scott founded Dogs Etc. Dog Training in 1997 with the simple mission – to enrich dogs’ lives. She practices and teaches positive, reward-based training techniques that are based on scientific learning theory.

With over 25 years of professional experience, she is a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and the author of 2 books, The Zen Chien (shen): Enlightened Training For A Fabulous Dog and & 7 Steps To Successfully Selecting The Perfect Dog For You.

Paul began training dogs in 1974. He has been a leading proponent of positive, force-free animal training for over 45 years. In 2015, Paul was named one of the first 27 accredited professionals in the world to earn the title of Professional Canine Trainer-accredited through the Pet Professional Accreditation Board, and in 2018, he was voted one of the Top Ten dog trainers in the United States by toptendogtips.com.

“He believes nonviolence fosters nonviolence. Because of the link between dog and human behavior, nonviolent dog training contributes to helping build a world of peace for humans and dogs. When people, especially children, are successful using nonviolent methods with animals, they feel good about themselves and they are encouraged to have a kinder, more positive attitude with their friends, family, and themselves.”

Paul Owens is the best-selling author of three books and three DVD's which have been translated into several languages and have sold over 600,000 units all over the world: the best selling The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate Nonviolent Approach to Dog Training (Adams Media), The Puppy Whisperer, The Dog Whisperer presents: Good Habits for Great Dogs and the newly released Welcome Home! DVD.

The Dog Whisperer book was rated a “classic” by the Whole Dog Journal and the Dog Whisperer DVD was reviewed as “the best DVD on basic training of pets for the pet owner…” in the APDT newsletter: Chronicle of the Dog.

Lisa Giesick is the founder and owner of Ohana Pet Training on Maui and has worked with animals since 1983 and in the animal welfare field for 16 years. She has previously worked as an animal control officer, a humane investigator, educator, and behavior counselor. Lisa believes that most behavior problems are caused by a lack of communication as humans and dogs don’t speak the same language. Dog training is about building a relationship and she encourages people to learn to understand their dogs and teach their dogs to understand them through positive reinforcement techniques.

Virginia Dare has been a dog trainer and behavior counselor since 1991 and absolutely loves working with people and their dogs! She practices positive reinforcement, which is not only effective but it's also fun for the dogs and owners. She enjoys resolving behavior problems so pet owners can have the best possible relationship with their dogs, and so the dogs can experience an enhanced quality of life. Her favorite part of training is seeing the relationship blossom between the owner and their dog which enhances the quality of life.

Sue Conklin, “The Puppy Nanny” in South Carolina worked with horses for 40 years before she ventured into the dog training world. Since entering the industry 25 years ago, she has done it all, from puppy classes to obedience training, agility, and rally obedience to her current passion which is “Scent Work”. She loves helping people understand dog behavior and strengthening their communication for a stronger bond. Sue’s passion for helping people and their dogs is evident in everything she does.

Clint began his dog training career 14 years ago in 2006 after getting two American Bulldog puppies named Vega and Cash. A graduate of Animal Behavior College and an ABC Certified Dog Trainer, Clint has taught both private and group training classes helping thousands of dogs and their owners solve their behavioral problems. Knox Canine Training was launched in 2017 where Clint was focused on private, in-home training, but has recently expanded by opening up a physical location where he teaches puppy and obedience classes.

He is passionate about helping clients understand the science behind the training while working to improve communication between the dogs and their humans. Clint often finds himself helping with reactive or aggressive dogs and loves to see the progression and end result, a happy owner!

Alana Stevenson is an animal behavior specialist, trainer, and author and works with both dogs and cats to overcome behavior problems. She believes in force-free humane techniques and has been practicing for 17 years. Alana is certified in Low Stress Handling for Dogs and Cats and is certified by the Association of Animal Behavior Professionals. Alana is on the Cat Friendly Practice Advisory Council for the American Association of Feline Practitioners and the creator of Feline Fundamentals Humane Handling webinars. Additionally, she is the author of two dog training books “The Right Way the First Time” and “Training Your Dog the Humane Way”.

Laurel Rose is the founder of “Such a Good Dog” in Huntsville, AL and has nearly 20 years of experience training dogs and their humans. In addition to being certified through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, she is also a Certified Mentor Trainer to Animal Behavior College Students and an AKC Canine Good Citizen Instructor and Evaluator.

Laurel is also the Founder and President of Huntsville Got Your Six a registered 501(c)3 organization providing PTSD service dog training for veterans and their dogs.​