Do you guarantee your services?

Nope! Animals are autonomous, sentient beings. That means that their behavior is fluid and we have to work with them as they make decisions. Behavior training and consultation is both a science and an art. I'll do my best to assist you and your pet, but nothing about behavior is guaranteed.

Are virtual consultations effective?

Yes! Sometimes they're even more effective than in person consultations. Many animals have difficulty with strangers or new stimuli, in an effort to reduce stress for you and your pet, we try virtual consultations first. Depending on the behaviors that you're seeing from your pet or the issues that are going on, an in person consultation may be recommended. There will be an additional $20 travel fee that is included in the price of in person consultations. At this time, in person consultations are only considered within 40 miles of Springfield, VA.

Are there any issues that you don't work with?

Yes. I do not work with separation anxiety cases in dogs. I believe separation anxiety cases should be handled by Certified Separation Anxiety Trainers (CSAT) as trainers who pursue that certification go through significant education and training. For help with separation anxiety cases, please click here.

Do you work with just dogs?

Nope! I also work with cats!

What do your certifications mean?

• A Certified Professional Dog Trainer- Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) is someone who has completed an assessment focused on learning theory, ethology, dog training techniques and instruction. It is taken after completing 300 hours of hands on training.

• Certified Family Dog Mediator (FDM) is an individual who has completed additional education that goes beyond training and behavior consulting to better understand the "why" behind the behavior. This is done through the science of a dog's L.E.G.S. (learning, environment, genetics and self) which are closely reviewed to take the entire dog into account.

• Licensed Family Dog Mediator in sheltering (LFDM-S) is an extension of Family Dog Mediator certification in the specific field of animal sheltering to better understand the animal sheltering system in the hopes of providing solutions to gaps in the system using L.E.G.S.

• Certified Cat Behavior Consultant (CCBC) is someone who specializes in preventing, managing and modifying behaviors in cats of which their knowledge is assessed through a detailed written exam.

Do you work with shelters?

Yes! I do offer shelter consulting. For more information and/or to help identify what would best fit your shelter, please reach out via the contact form.

What does L.E.G.S. mean?

L.E.G.S. is a wholistic approach to looking at an animals’ behavior. L.E.G.S. stands for learning, environment, genetics and self (meaning the individual animal). By taking this approach, we take the entire animal into consideration which allows us to not only understand how to potentially change the animals’ behavior, but also why the behavior is occurring.

How did you get your name?

Both dogs and cats may instinctually knead with their paws out of comfort or to self soothe. We, as humans, often have high expectations of our pets, only it can be very difficult for these animals to fit in and understand our human world. Therefore, our methods do not only use training, we also look at environmental and cognitive enrichment while taking the individuality of you and your pet into consideration to ensure their instinctual physical and emotional needs are met. Therefore, we provide both you and your pets with the peace that they need.

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