Home

All 4 Paws
Servicing All Counties throughout Central
Maine and Surrounding Communities

My Story:
About 11 years ago my husband and I were experiencing what
experts call the empty nest syndrome. We decided what better way
to fill the void...4 legged children...the rest was history...we were
hooked !!! Naturally we could not have just one dog. Two would
be awesome as they would keep each other company. Of course
no one told us that two would mean double the training and double
the trouble, not knowing anything about training dogs.
Having spent 30 years in Professional Nursing as a Critical Care
Nurse, and Management as Director of Nursing and Nurse
Educator, obtaining a Master's Degree in Health Care
Administration, and raising a child to become a wonderful and
successful young woman, I never imagined that owning dogs could
be more challenging than all that! Oh was I ever wrong !!!
OK...so I just needed a basic puppy training class and my dogs
would be miraculous wonder dogs... As you might guess, I soon
realized that WE were the problem and what I needed was to train
myself. After all we were now committed to caring for these
precious family members and this was a lifetime commitment.
So...I gave up my full time nursing and started my own consulting
home business to focus my time on pursuing dog training. After
completing a 9 month comprehensive curriculum through Animal
Behavior College, which included an intensive hands-on
externship, I graduated as a Certified Dog Trainer. The journey
had begun and grew into a second home dog training business
ALL 4 PAWS.

Does your dog have these behaviors?

		pulling on the leash
		won't come when called
		jumps on people for greetings,
		is reactive toward strangers, other animals, owners
		is possessive of owners, toys, food bowl, etc
		bolts out of door of house and/or car
		barks at me to get what he/she wants - will not listen
		will not give up toys, runs away with our belongings
		digs to China
		nips, chews everything, mouthy
		soils in house
		begs for food

Give me a call...see below

Dog Training in the Comfort of Your
Home and Your Dog's Home

		Puppy Good Behavior
		Basic Obedience for Any Age / Any Breed
		Problem Solving - Free Assessment & Written Plan

Educational Prep:
Intensive training program through Animal Behavior College
graduating as a Certified Dog Trainer.

9.5 year life experience working with my local vet and others to
care for our wonderful special needs Chocolate lab (Woodrow),
who had severe allergies (labeled as a "bubble dog"), which
included a protein allergy (reacting to ingestion of proteins).
Years of reading and exchanges with vets in multiple states has
afforded me a great education on many types of diets and dietary
needs of dogs. Woodrow was also our first "reactive" dog, which
at that time was labeled "aggressive". I have since become very
familiar with the term "reactive", as "Monte", who was one of four
demo dogs at Emma Parson's workshop in October 2006 was
trained totally with Positive Reinforcement.

On the job training started with a wonderful externship program at
the Humane Society of Knox Count y, with outstanding mentor
trainer Marie Finnegan of K-9 Solutions. Working with my local
Humane Society in Waterville has offered a terrific experience with
handling many breeds of dogs who are living in a very
challenging environment to help them learn necessary behaviors
for potential adoption into wonderful homes.

I am a faithful member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers
the National Organization representing and certifying pet dog
trainers all over the world.

This is only the beginning of my education as I believe that a
critical component of being a good trainer is to continuously
update skills and knowledge through attendance at workshops
and review of current reading and DVDs which I will list on Page 2
(under construction).

My Training Philosophy:
All owners can become their pet's favorite pal and still have a well
trained dog. Well trained dogs are happy dogs, and well trained
owners have well trained dogs. All dogs can learn through using
positive training methods and management of their environment.

Private training at home affords the opportunity to sit with the
owner 1:1 and discuss their particular concerns and formulate a
plan that will mutually benefit the owner and the dog in a
comfortable setting for both. Socialization is part of the training.

Group classes if preferred do offer an opportunity for dogs to be
exposed to other dogs and assist in the socialization process.
However, the group setting is not necessary to provide a social
environment for your dog as there are wonderful alternatives if that
is your preference.

My Training Methods:
I focus on the use of positive reinforcement as my primary method
of training. Positive reinforcement is an extremely effective
method for all breeds of dogs and allows for a very symbiotic
relationship for the owner and the dog. Positive reinforcement
with appropriate corrections AND an exercise plan will result in an
effective training experience that is fun for owner AND dog.

My Commitment and Goal:
I am committed to opening the doors of communication
between owner and dog, creating an atmosphere of mutual
respect where dog and owner will learn to give and take and
owners will pay attention to their dogs needs to enhance this
process.
My goal is to teach you techniques that are effective in training
your dog and skills that will help you deal with problematic
behaviors. I will share with you a way to develop a lifelong
training attitude and ways to have fun with your companion.

To Contact Me...Click Here

Continuing Education:
10/2006 Emma Parson's, Click to Calm, 2 day
workshop.

04/29/2007 Sarah Kalnajs, Canine Body Language &
Contextual Meanings, 1 day workshop.

03/29/2008 Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Canine Aggression,
1 day seminar

07/12/2008 Jean Donaldson, Stop Whispering and
Speak Up For Your Dog: Debunking the Dominance
Myth

Nov - Dec 2008 Web Cast telecourses via Animal
Behavior Associates by Susan Hetts, PhD and Daniel
Estep, PhD Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists

Using Counter-conditioning and Desensitization
Techniques Effectively
Canine Aggression to Non-Family Members
Risk Assessment

Jan - March 2009 Web Cast telecourses via Animal
Behavior Associates by Susan Hetts, PhD and Daniel
Estep, PhD Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists

Behavioral History Taking Skills
Alternatives to 'Pack Leadership' and 'Alpha
Dog' Myths
Becoming a Great Dog Training Instructor by
Pia Silvani, Certified Pet Dog Trainer Instructor

AND NOW... Classes Too !
Puppy Good Behavior (10 weeks - 4 months)

		All Basic Cues incl: Wait & Watch-Me
		Good Dog house behavior
		Meeting and Play Nice with People and Dogs
		Tips for Grooming, Vet Visits, Health & Nutrition
		Avoid problems before they start