I spend most of my free time with my German Shepherd, Rosalind, who is the reason I fell in love with dog training. I love hiking with her, mixing obedience into play, working on nosework, and even just teaching tricks for fun.

I grew up in the Bloomington/Normal area where I attended Central Catholic High School and then later Illinois State University. I have been in love with learning and teaching people about animals my entire life. Whether it was cool bugs I found outside, zoo animals, or pets at home I always had facts about animals to share with anyone who would listen.

I have been studying dog behavior since before I even got Rosalind. I knew I wanted a dog with drive and lots energy, so I spent all of my free time learning about dog training and behavior while waiting for the right time in my life to get my dog. I enjoyed continuing to learn more about dog behavior after getting her so much that I thought it was something I could enjoy doing for the rest of my life. I began an internship with Sam from Korey the Kanine where I got hands on experience training lots of other dogs, and the opportunity to observe and ask questions during more complex behavior cases until I was ready to start taking clients of my own. I love dog training because it is the perfect intersection of teaching and constantly learning, and there are always more subjects to dive deeper into and updated information being published.

My educational background includes a bachelors degree in biology from Illinois State University with some added psychology courses my last year, Dr. Susan Friedman’s Living and Learning with Animals Course, an internship with a fellow trainer and mentor Korey the Kanine, endless online webinars, conferences, dog behavior books, and so much more.

I believe in treating our animals with kindness and compassion, and I strive towards increasing my knowledge of positive reinforcement every day to help find more humane ways to train our animals.