Our Story

I became a dog trainer entirely by accident. It all started when I brought home my very first dog, Clara. She was 7 weeks old, dirty, malnourished, and clearly had not had the best first few weeks of life. After sorting out her immediate health concerns, some alarming behavior started to surface. I received some well intentioned but misinformed advice, and, unfortunately, things got much worse before they got better. I later learned that this detrimental training intervention combined with Clara’s breeding and early development likely created a perfect storm. I soon found myself with an adolescent whose aggression I could neither predict nor understand. It was both incredibly stressful and devastating; I hadn’t signed up for this!

I was way out of my depth, so I sought help. What I learned changed my life and transformed my relationship with my dog. Most importantly, I learned that I had missed months and months of “whispers” (subtle body language indicating that something was wrong) which left Clara no choice but to “scream” (escalate her communication) in order to be heard. I learned to recognize and correctly interpret the full spectrum of her body language. I learned how to build trust and confidence. Over time, I also found the answers to my many questions about the causes of her puzzling behavior. Somewhere along the way, I had three realizations. First, that I was fascinated by the science of behavior. Second, that the misinformation which initially led me astray is rampant in the industry. And third, that Clara and I were not unique in our struggles. I felt compelled to share my newly acquired knowledge to help others, which ultimately led to a complete career change into dog training.

Despite being an accidental crash course, Clara has come a long way, and has a peaceful, pampered life. She enjoys meandering hikes through the woods, scavenger hunts for treats throughout the house, and sunbathing in the backyard. She is still my greatest teacher, and I owe my work to her. To that end, it was only fitting to name my business after why it was started: Because of Clara.