I have been training animals since I was a child. I grew up around horses and dogs and began teaching riding and horsemanship at a very early age through the United States Pony Club ( I am a graduate H-A).  I attended Virginia Tech where I earned a B.S. degree in Animal Science in 1997. (Go HOKIES!!!) While still in school, I accepted a job training explosives detection dogs through Galaxy Scientific Corporation. This marked the beginning of my dog-training career, and ever since I have been schooled in the art of positive reinforcement training and learning theory. I found myself, and my passion, in the world of animal behavior.

In 1998 I became a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), which is an organization that promotes continuing the education of trainers in humane and positive training techniques. 1998 also marks the inception of my business, Best Behavior Dog Training (BBDT) in Beaufort, SC. The Marine Corps transferred my husband, Ty, and me to Virginia in the summer of 2001, where BBDT started anew!  I  found the dog industry  there quite welcoming and wonderful to be a part of! While in VA, my business grew considerably.  I hired two new and wonderful trainers, Deanne Davenport and Christine Johnson,  who helped me reach as many dogs and owners as possible.  For information on training in the Fredericksburg, VA area, check out  Everyday Dogs Training and Behavior and K9 Kids Dog Training . Additionally in 2003, I earned my certification through the APDT and am now a Certified Pet Dog Trainer.   The USMC moved us a gain and we spent the following three years in the wonderful town of Ramona, CA (near San Diego).  There I had the privilege of meeting and working with many dogs and people from all over the area with behavior issues and to further their obedience and agility training.  BBDT was fortunate to find dog trainer Bree Beery, who now has a thriving business in Ramona.  For training in the Ramona area check out Pawsitive Principles Dog Training.  Congrats Bree!  I'm very proud of you! 

Over the last several years I have treated many behavior problems referred by veterinarians including many types of aggression, anxiety issues, house training problems, and various other general behavioral issues. Though my passions are agility and behavior, I also love the challenges and rewards found in teaching pet dog obedience. 

 My behavior studies include attending multiple seminars and workshops as well as furthering my education in psychology at the University of South Carolina. I  completed an online behavior class with the Institute of Animal Science. My final research project was done on stress and the performance dog; a portion of my paper was web-published on Agilitynet.   My future goals are to earn my Master’s Degree in either Animal Behavior or Experimental Psychology so that I may better serve my clients.  I feel there is never an end to education! 

I began doing agility in 1996 with dogs from work (Galaxy Scientific). When my fist (very own) dog, an aussie named Salsa (ADCH, AX, AXJ, CGC, TDI), was born in 1997, I knew I'd be hooked forever!  We started competing in 1999 and she earned her Agility Dog Champion (ADCH) title in 2004 and was retired soon after.  Salsa has been a truly fantastic and forgiving first agility dog and deserves a medal for her time spent putting up with me.   My attempts to get a second agility dog led me to Twin Oaks Tuff Money, aka Peso, another aussie.  Peso had the drive and the attitude but didn't have the hips.  She was diagnosed with hip dysplasia before she was a year old and was never able to do more than backyard agility (which she did very well!).  My heart was broken when she was diagnosed but we decided that it would be just fine if she wanted to hang out and be her animated, adorable self (2000-2004).  A few years later a border collie puppy,  Pyro, came along.  My hopes were high and we were on our way when he was also diagnosed with hip dysplasia.  I was totally heart broken once again.  I couldn't believe it could happen to me twice!  But, he too would be unable to continue with training.  Instead of torturing him with watching the others play at agility while he could not, I made one of the hardest decisions I've had to make in my life and placed him in another home.  If you can imagine the perfect home for a dog, he got it!   My third attempt at ANOTHER second agility dog landed me in Oklahoma to visit Lock-Eye Border Collies and Michelle Weese.  Pronto (Lock-Eye Evel Knievel OA, NAJ, CGC) joined us in 2002 and has been both a pleasure to live with and train!  My husbands dog Chillie left us for the Rainbow Bridge in December 2005.  She is sorely missed!  I am most thankful to her for all she taught me. 

I have learned a tremendous amount about dogs in my life, and am learning more every day.  Chillie was always  a true challenge with her dog-dog and dog-human aggression problems.  She sparked an interest in me for learning about these issues that has allowed me to help many dogs, like her, live a better life.  Salsa is perhaps my "softest" dog and has taught me an enormous amount about human relationships with dogs, dog and human attitudes and stress, and building drive.  She has also taught me how critical  timing is, AND the importance of a good SOLID grasp of learning theory in order to successfully  teach any skill.  She made me realize that "positive is not permissive" (Susan Garrett).  Salsa and I have done a ton of agility, a dab of fly-ball, a little herding, a bit of competition obedience and lots of clicker training, all of which have fed the training and learning need in both of us.  The list goes on and on!  From Peso came a finer understanding of counter conditioning and desensitization.  I learned the importance of building toy drive, and gained the ability to work with a higher drive level than Salsa or Chillie possessed.  From Pyro came the beginnings of an understanding of how border collies and aussies differ, more finely tuned counter conditioning skills, better training skills in general and an appreciation for a level of drive that I had not had the pleasure of working with on a daily basis.  Finally, Pronto is constantly challenging me!  His capacity for learning is even greater than any of my other dogs and he constantly has me on my toes.    I thought my aussies were amazingly quick learners, but Pronto has them beat.  He is teaching me about  the importance of instilling a SOLID foundation without skipping anything.  We're learning about all kinds of "fast" dog training issues and loving every minute, thanks to many of the wonderful instructors we've had the pleasure of working with. 

We now have three human babies!  Jackie was born in 2003 and Anna was born in 2005 and we just brought Micah home from Ethiopia in March 2010.  They are the ultimate training challenge!  So far, they all love the dogs!  I'm hoping for little Junior Competitors some day!