I have grown up being an animal lover my entire life. There were always plenty of pets in my house, dogs, cats, birds, fish, ferrets, hamsters, snakes, and the occasional turtle. I am a native South Floridian, but attended and graduated college from Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in photography…my other passion. My career path was always some form of photography. In 2001, with the increased quality and decreasing cost of digital photography, I decided to combine my two passions and started specializing in pet photography. www.professionalpetphotography.com
Over the years I have photographed thousands of dogs and in only a few cases was I unable to obtain an excellent photo. This experience of working with dogs encouraged me to learn more about dog training. I was also reading and acquiring information from other trainers. In 2010 I began photographing dogs for a local animal shelter. On a weekly basis, I would go to the shelter, set up a little studio, and take professional photos of the dogs that were ready for adoption. Those photos were then used on their website to help find the dogs a new home. Needless to say it was a big success and I remain actively involved with this work.
Many times while at the shelter I would hear clients with training and behavior questions about their newly adopted dog. I have always been willing to give advice and teach the clients a positive method for training their new dog. I eventually started providing private training sessions. Thus, I decided to become a certified dog trainer.
After I decided that I was going to em-“bark” on becoming a professional dog trainer, I started researching the top schools and methodology of animal training. That is when I found the Karen Pryor Clicker Training Academy. Karen is the foremost leader in and is credited with the modern day advancement of this science-based methodology of animal training. Becoming a certified clicker training professional has brought my training skills and knowledge of dog training to a level that I never even knew existed.
Over the years I have photographed thousands of dogs and in only a few cases was I unable to obtain an excellent photo. This experience of working with dogs encouraged me to learn more about dog training. I was also reading and acquiring information from other trainers. In 2010 I began photographing dogs for a local animal shelter. On a weekly basis, I would go to the shelter, set up a little studio, and take professional photos of the dogs that were ready for adoption. Those photos were then used on their website to help find the dogs a new home. Needless to say it was a big success and I remain actively involved with this work.
Many times while at the shelter I would hear clients with training and behavior questions about their newly adopted dog. I have always been willing to give advice and teach the clients a positive method for training their new dog. I eventually started providing private training sessions. Thus, I decided to become a certified dog trainer.
After I decided that I was going to em-“bark” on becoming a professional dog trainer, I started researching the top schools and methodology of animal training. That is when I found the Karen Pryor Clicker Training Academy. Karen is the foremost leader in and is credited with the modern day advancement of this science-based methodology of animal training. Becoming a certified clicker training professional has brought my training skills and knowledge of dog training to a level that I never even knew existed.
