Meet the Team

My passion for the last nine years has been studying all aspects of dog training from sport to pet dogs. I began with training my personal dogs to compete in a dog sport called IGP and in my desire to try to excel in the sport led me to study some of the best dog trainers in the world. In 2016 I attended the first part of the NePoPo® Dog training school and graduated in 2017, which led me to transition into also helping people train their dogs with pet obedience as well as various types of aggression. By joining Michael's Angel Paws it has allowed me to help with the Assistance Dog training which is a very important, and much-needed, aspect of dog training.

I really started dog training as a small kid. I learned so much from my oldest brother, John David, who was the main dog trainer in our family. He always had a dog and they were extremely loyal to him. JD was was just 8 years old self-trained his own dogs with loyalty all the while the dog weighed more than my brother, JD. I learned that if you give your dog love, respect, and loyalty, they will give it back to you. I attended The Arizona Dog Sports / Arizona Dog Smart Academy school for dog trainers located in Scottsdale AZ. They follow CCPDT guidelines in their training program along with APDT standards that are veterinary approved and endorsed. I had the most compassionate instructors and dog trainers and even to this day, I still keep in contact with them. I moved to Las Vegas and began doing volunteer work with a local dog training agency, assisting in the Doggie daycare. I then moved over to assist other dog trainers in different dog sports and the training of Assistance Dogs. I also participated in regular dog obedience classes as well as provided private lessons. The dog training world is a small world. You meet so many people and they always seem to know you or somebody you work with. That is how I became an Assistance Dog Puppy Raiser. I have also worked with other dogs on Basics for Police Dogs (Xochi a female Belgian Malinois in New Mexico) and Quigley Basics to start PTSD Assistance Dog Training here in Las Vegas. Some people think Assistance Dog puppy raising is nothing but boarding. However, it is your daily and nightly responsibility to ensure the foundation of that puppy is a solid and reliable one and it involves training the dog 24 hours a day, seven days a week for 18 months or longer. As a puppy raiser, you have to examine the way you train the dog, the way you read the environment, the way a dog is behaving, or what is he thinking as all dogs don't think alike or train alike. Being a puppy raiser sharpened my dog training skills, humbled me, and gave me an appreciation of all the hard work it took for the dog to become a successful Assistance Dog.

Dogs have always been the center of my world. I knew at a very young age that I would dedicate my life to animals, and my love of dogs has blessed me with many incredible opportunities to do so. I have worked with dogs in a wide variety of circumstances. I started out as a volunteer for local shelters and rescue groups and have now enjoyed a total of 16+ years of professional experience working in training centers, grooming salons, doggie daycares, boarding facilities, and even as the Behavior Educator of a large veterinary clinic. I received my degree in Animal Behavior from Carroll University, always knowing that I would pursue additional professional certification in animal training one day. I am very pleased to say I am now a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) and a professional member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT). I am also an AKC CGC® Evaluator, meaning that I am able to administer all levels of the AKC CGC test and all levels of AKC’s Trick Dog certification. I am also studying to become an AKC Fit Dog Instructor! Additionally, as a trainer who is committed to the total well-being of all individuals in my care, I have proudly become a Certified Fear Free Professional Animal Trainer. I am extremely dedicated to providing my clients with scientifically sound, up-to-date training that is a fun, safe, and positive experience for everyone involved. I believe that inspiring mutually beneficial partnerships between dogs and their owners is what dog training is all about. I am lucky enough to share my life with Laia, a beautiful Australian Shepherd, and my kitty Porkchop, who became my first true training partner when I discovered clicker training all those years ago. I love to use training to collaborate and communicate with the animals in my life, especially for fun and games. My girls and I particularly enjoy working on trick training! When I moved from Wisconsin to Nevada three years ago, I was relieved to find another amazing community of dog lovers to connect with. I would love to hear more about your dog training goals, and I look forward to meeting you and your pup!

In 2010 I entered the Exotic Animal Training and Management program at Moorpark College. I went in thinking I wanted to work with Lions and Tigers and Bears oh my! As I progressed through the program I discovered my favorite part of working with animals was actually training them, and it didn't matter what kind of animal either. When I graduated in 2012 with certificates in Animal Behavior, Training, and Wildlife Education, I stayed in California and worked at Underwood Family Farms. There I was the lead in their animal shows, training the animals backstage and educating the public on stage. I also worked at Petco for 2 years at the same time as the dog trainer. Deciding I needed to focus on one job instead of two, I left Petco, however I continued to train dogs with private lessons on the side. In 2015 I started working at Woodland Hills Private school as their Nature Science Specialist. At this school they have a Barnyard full of Domestic animals as well as a reptile room. My job was to care for the animals in the morning and teach classes in the afternoon. When I started there was no curriculum, they just came up with lessons on the fly. I proposed and helped create a curriculum that had the same standards as the rest of their subjects. I taught preschoolers from ages 2-4 about basic animal facts such as the differences between mammals, reptiles and birds. The Elementary students up to 5th grade had subjects such as Animal Care, Ecology, and Evolution. During this time I continued my side business of in-home private dog training. I got all my clients through word of mouth, never advertising, and always had one or two new clients a month. Unsurprisingly this is where I developed my passion for teaching people of all ages anything I could about animals. After almost 10 years of working at Woodland Hills Private School, I came to realize something my wife knew long ago; I always came home from dog training lessons far happier than from the school. I knew I needed to make working with dogs my full time career, with a special passion for training Therapy and Service dogs, and Michael's Angel Paws welcomed me onto their team with open arms.