Meet Laurie, Trainer

Laurie’s journey to becoming a dog trainer was a natural progression, driven by her lifelong bond with animals. From an early age, she found that animals gravitated towards her, and people frequently sought her help with their dogs. This innate connection with animals inspired Laurie to pursue a career where she could make a significant difference in the lives of dogs and their owners. With over 20 years of experience training friends’ and family members’ dogs, Laurie has honed her skills in various settings. Professionally, she has been training dogs for about five years. Laurie holds training certifications from multiple organizations and has a certification in behavior analysis, which applies many principles beneficial to dog training. Additionally, she is certified as a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator. Laurie believes that understanding a dog’s wants and needs is crucial before expecting the dog to understand ours. This empathetic approach ensures that the training process is respectful and effective, fostering a mutual understanding between the dog and the owner. Clear, open, and concise communication is at the heart of Laurie’s training method. She actively involves owners in setting specific goals and devising plans to achieve them. Laurie attributes effective dog training to persistence, consistency, and thorough follow-through. By maintaining these principles, she ensures that training is effective and long-lasting. Laurie tailors her training to each dog’s unique needs by asking detailed questions about their schedules, habits, vices, motivations, and goals. This individualized approach allows her to create customized training plans that cater to each dog’s specific requirements. Outside of dog training, Laurie enjoys a variety of hobbies, including reading, writing, dancing, soccer, comics, video games, and playing Dungeons & Dragons. Laurie is eager to expand her expertise and is currently focusing on certifications to help her come back into training service dogs, a field she finds immensely rewarding. Her favorite aspect of training is teaching dogs that calm behavior is what gets rewarded. She also enjoys educating owners on appropriate responses to unwanted behaviors to avoid accidental reinforcement. For Laurie, the most gratifying part of being a dog trainer is providing owners with the tools they need to save and strengthen their relationships with their dogs. Seeing these bonds flourish brings her immense satisfaction. Laurie loves working with the Missoula community and appreciates the quirky and accepting nature of Missoula, which aligns with her values and enhances her connection to the area. She can’t wait to meet you and your dog!