About Us

As owner of Canine Culture I work to understand and enhance your relationship with your dog by evaluating your needs along with your dog's and creating a program that works for everyone involved. I spend much of my time working with rescued shelter dogs helping them become adoptable and helping new adopters build a successful relationship with their new dog.

After more than a decade of managing pet supply stores and working with the many dogs that came into my life, I decided to pursue a career as a professional dog trainer. I studied with Elen Weiss from 1998–2000. She was working with the kinds of problems I wanted to work with aggression and destruction, problems that often ended with the dog going to the pound. I began to learn about positive reinforcement and operant conditioning. It was clearly a better way to train and interact with these animals I love so much. To gain a thorough understanding of these methods, I attended the Academy for Dog Trainers at the San Francisco SPCA and graduated with honors in December 2000. Since then I have worked with hundreds of Bay Area dogs in private homes, classes and shelters.

Training benefits both you and your dog.

A dog who responds to you, walks with you and waits patiently for you is a pleasure to be with. At Canine Culture it is our goal to foster a successful learning relationship between you and your dog. We teach your dog to love to learn and we teach you how to guide and shape your dog's behavior. Every dog is unique from breed traits to the environment he or she lives in.

We want to help you find the best way to train with compassion and respect for you and your dog. Most problems with dogs are a result of not training. Not because the dog doesn't respond to commands but because the dog has no structure or challenges. Dogs are born problem solvers; if we do not provide challenges dogs will create their own. Providing mental stimulation builds confidence, reduces anxiety and improves concentration. A trained dog enriches both of your lives.