My background in dog training spans competitive sport, applied behavior work, and interdisciplinary study, beginning with competitive obedience and my first Obedience Championship in 1991. That early foundation emphasized precision, clarity, and performance under pressure—principles that later proved essential when working with dogs whose behavior could not be addressed through compliance-based approaches alone.

Over time, my focus shifted toward understanding behavior as a product of biological state, learning history, and environmental context. In 2016, I founded The Thinking K9 (TTK9) and earned my CPDT-KA, marking a formal transition into professional practice grounded in evidence-based standards. That same year, my work received regional media attention for the rehabilitation of extreme fear cases, including dogs with significant trauma histories and cases involving medication-supported behavior plans.

As demand for this type of work grew, TTK9 expanded into a facility more than twice its original size. Since 2018, I have been voted #1 Dog Trainer in Rock County each year—recognition rooted in consistent outcomes, conservative decision-making, and collaboration with veterinary professionals. My current work integrates applied training with ongoing study in biopsychology, neurobiology, ethology, and learning theory, refining how nervous system regulation, cognition, and emotional state are incorporated into behavior assessment and intervention.

Training decisions are made with explicit attention to safety, welfare, and scope of practice. Education in aggression, defensive handling, and behavior modification informs risk assessment and ethical limits, including recognizing when behavior is driven by pain, medical conditions, or unmanaged stress—and when training is not the appropriate intervention. Where appropriate, behavior plans may also incorporate physical conditioning and enrichment as regulatory tools, applied selectively to support learning capacity rather than exhaust the dog.