Trainers | Dog Training | House of Dog Training | Colorado Springs (2024)

Hi my name is Stevie Fields!

I'm a Colorado Native and grew up in Falcon, Colorado, back when there was only a volunteer fire station and one gas station. I grew up surrounded by animals and had a neighbor with several horses that sparked my interest in the animals.

I have always had a dog in my life but they always stayed outside and were not perceived as family members. Now I have three dogs and they are my family!

As I got older I went to the University of Colorado Springs Colorado and studied Interpersonal Communications. I realized this was not what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I wanted to work with animals but didn't know how to go about doing it. I was looking for an apprenticeship to become a dog trainer when I foundAngie Neal, (CDBC). I became her apprentice in 2009 and completed the program in 2011. While learning with Angie, I also earned my Canine Behavior Science Technologist (CBST) certification in 2011 from theCompanion Animal Sciences Institute, while at the same time worked with and learned from several rescue dogs at Lucky Dog Rescue.

After that I realized getting a job as a dog trainer was near impossible, so I started House of Dog Training in 2012. I didn't have a facility and only did private lessons for two years. When I was ready to branch out, I contacted Allison and Astrid and we found the location where we are today and the rest is history

I currently live in Colorado Springs with the love of my life, George Fields, and my reason for living, George Joseph Fields. I have a beautiful White German Shepherd named Leela, a distinguished old German Short Haired Pointer, Zeek and my sweetest one of all, Peanut, a toy Rat Terrier.

Famous Austrian animal behaviorist Konrad Lorenz inspired me to want to understand animals better and to constantly search for ways to help animals and their owners. My winding road started in 2001 and leads from volunteering atBest Friends Animal Sanctuaryin Utah numerous times, to attending a 5 day long intensive workshop there on “How to start your Own Animal Sanctuary”. This experience would later become crucial when I had an integral part of helping found Lucky Dog Rescue in July of 2010 where I was the Vice President and Secretary ofLDRfor almost 5 years.

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My journey continued volunteering at Helping Horse therapeutic riding program, by helping children with various disabilities experience the magic of a horse and helping them learn how to ride, to working with the Animal Legal Defense Fund (A.L.D.F.) on a precedent setting puppy mill case, helping rescue, rehabilitate and place 400 dogs in new homes. After moving to Colorado Springs I completed certification for Pet First Aid through the American Red Cross and put my private pet care experience to good use, developing Lucky Dog’s at-home Pet Sitting Service. I started studying under Angie Neal, CDBC, in her training apprentice program in February 2010, where I have worked rescue dogs as well as my own dog Sierra in the Levels Program and started to assist with training in November 2010. I became an approved Canine Good Citizen Evaluator with the American Kennel Club in January of 2011 and began conducting tests in February of 2011. In October of 2012 I received my first Certification (CPDT-KA) through the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). With my second certification in June of 2013 (CPDT-KSA: Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge and Skills Assessed) I became the first in Colorado Springs to hold this certification. In October of 2014 I left Lucky Dog to open up my own dog training facility “House of Dog Training” together with two friends and colleagues. I am a professional premium member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), a professional member of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) as well as supporting member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) #849 and continue to educate myself by attending workshops and conferences with my next goal of achieving certification in behavior consulting.

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In 2016, I became part of the pilot programme for the Pet Professional Guilds Pet Dog Ambassador programme. Ultimately I saw more value in this evaluation than in the CGC, because it puts responsibility on both the handler AND the dog. I immediately applied to become an instructor and assessor and passed. We are incorporating the assessment markers in our classes. After speaking to a troop of boy scouts about dog training, I realized that I would like to reach more children and thus became a licensed “Be A Tree Program” presenter, which teaches children about dog safety and how to prevent dog bites. My two dogs Moritz and Sierra have both passed but were Canine Good Citizens. My new dog Takoda is shaping up to be a decent demo dog and due to his laid back temperament, is a great "distraction dog" for reactive dog lessons. My menagerie is completed by cat Cedric, one of a sibling pair of three whose feral mother was smart enough to give birth to the kittens at the puppy mill shelter (see above) and who were subsequently adopted by me and my sister.

Angie has over 27 years of experience as a trainer and behavioral consultant. Her long career began as an apprentice under Joan Guertin, founder of Common Sense Dog Training in Sacramento California.After her apprenticeship she opened her own business, Manners by McGuire, and was certified as an instructor for Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael California. After returning to Common Sense Dog Training (which later became4 Paws University)

she spent 7 more years teaching puppy classes, advanced obedience, and doing private client sessions for dogs with behavioral problems.

Angie was the first trainer in Sacramento to become a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), making her one of a select group of trainers certified in California, joining the ranks of elite dog trainers Ian Dunbar, DVM and Jean Donaldson.

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n 2006 Angie moved back to her native Colorado Springs. With her experience in operant and classical conditioning, agility, fly ball, tricks, clicker training, and canine nutrition, she was immediately hired as the Director of Training at Lucky Dog Resorts. At Lucky Dog Angie began teaching basic obedience, puppy classes, family dog agility, and doing private consultations. She developed a canine “levels” obedience course, which allows dogs to work their obedience program at their own pace of learning, and provides more flexibility for her clients’ schedules. Angie also began “Lucky Dog University” which offered an apprenticeship program for those desiring a career in dog training. Her mentorshipso far resulted in 5 certified trainers. She was a founding member and part of the Board of Directors of Lucky Dog Rescue, and oversaw the entire training program for the dogs rescued by that organization. In 2011, 2012 (both gold), 2013 (both silver) and 2014 (bronze) Angie was voted “Best Dog Trainer in Colorado Springs” by the Colorado Springs Gazette. In 2013 Angie published herfirst DVDwithTawzer Dog, an in-depth look at Flirtpoles. Angie is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT).

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Testimonials

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Thank You Angie!

I take great pleasure and enthusiasm to endorse Angie Neal’s training at .

My husband and I first worked with Angie when we took her basic obedience class with our puppy Smokey. During the course we were amazed at how knowledgeable Angie is, working many participants and a variety of issues between owners and their dogs. Angie went above and beyond what you would expect from a trainer, taking extra time to help you learn, even if it meant staying late after class.

Classes were fun, and always filled with a full hour of material to work on. Angie has excellent communication skills, easy to follow instructions, and always puts the well-being of your dog first. She helped us both feel like winners, as well as the other participants.

Angie is also responsible, calling everyone ahead of time if she has to cancel a session, she responds quickly to your messages, and she’s also courteous with a reminder call before classes start.

Since then we’ve attended more of Angie’s classes, and hired her for a personal evaluation when we got our third dog Sally. Angie was able to detect and help solve and prevent future behavior problems.

I urge you to consider Angie Neal for your training and dog behavior needs. I believe the amount of knowledge she offers for the cost of a class or private session is a tremendous value.

Sincerely,

Kris and “Smokey & Sally”

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I am Stephanie Dowdell; opening the Door to Dogs' Intelligence captured my interest in joining Angie Neal's Lucky Dog University Apprenticeship Program in March 2014. I received my Trainer's Assistant Certification in September 2014. During the six-month course, I logged over two hundred and eighty hours walking, training rescue dogs with various issues for their placement in loving homes, and continued volunteering with rescues. I continue to attend educational seminars such as (Dogs - From Pups to Problems), with renowned author Certified Dog Trainer Trish King CDBC and Dr. Ian Dunbar's seminar (Dog Aggression: Fighting) and (Barking Up the Wrong Tree), as well as Nando Brown'sAggression, Loose Lead Walking, Tricks, and Puppy Foundation course. My experience includes assisting Angie Neal in classes and accomplishing a working knowledge of dog training. The program provides the privilege of attending in-home consultations, gaining a better understanding of learning principles when applied correctly, and consistently resolving problems and issues, creating happy dogs. In late 2014, I was promoted to Trainer through Lucky Dog University, aspiring to follow in the footsteps of my accomplished mentor, Angie Neal CDBC. Since then, I have taught Puppy Kindergarten and Beginner Obedience Classes with House of Dog Training. My passion is to show you how to have fun with your dogs. I have developed a "Fun with your Nose" class launched at House of Dog in the summer of 2016, and I now have 3 levels of Nosework. In May of 2016, I achieved my Treibball Certification and have been teaching classes in that discipline when there is interest. I earned my Canine Nutrition Certification in 2018 and my Professional Canine Trainer - Accredited (PCT-A) through the Pet Professional Accreditation Board in 2019. Pet First Aid 2021. In May 2023, I became a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer through Malena DeMartini CDBC.

The most important thing to me is to provide you - the client - with practical, professional, humane dog training. It makes life easier for you by teaching your dog the rules and structure of everyday family life.

Dogs have always been a huge part of my life. My first dog growing up was a Dachshund Mix named 'Oscar.' He was adopted from the Humane Society when my parents finally relented to my constant discussion of wanting a dog. Throughout childhood, he was patient, kind, and a great companion!

My dogs have always come from the Humane Society or Rescue Organizations and flourished into happy and healthy family members. My first puppy, Sophie, led me into the world of dog training. Clint Eastwood was kicked out of his home for getting into the garbage, another one of my rescues, Mister Jackson, was fearful of other dogs, and Lovebug's expensive destructive behaviors began the path to understanding, helping to improve the welfare of dogs suffering from separation anxiety. I will never forget the valuable life lessons from my beloved companion and professional demo dog, Dude. These are just a few of my fur babies who mentored me on my path to learning about dogs and how to improve their quality of life. So, I understand where you're coming from!

Problem-solving is in my nature - challenging behavioral problems keep me sharp! I look forward to getting to know you and your dog!

Professional accomplishments:

Certified Professional Dog Trainer Accredited Pet Professional Guild

Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer

Certified Raw Feeder

Certified Triebball Instructor

Certified Pet CPR

Member, Pet Professional Guild

Member, IAABC

Training Philosophy

I am the type of person who enjoys working with and learning from the dog handler team to achieve the best outcome possible.

The training process is a continuous process for me. I also love making training fun! Sticking to the training plan will be challenging if it feels like a chore.

Providing Positive Reinforcement is integral to the best and most effective training.

What does that mean? Positive Reinforcement in its purest form means rewarding the behaviors we want so the dog will keep offering them.

For example, I use a variety of 'rewards' in my training sessions to reinforce a dog's good behavior. The rewards vary with each dog - and are often toys, treats, chewies, and balls, as well as petting, eye contact, verbal praise, and physical access to the dog's desires. It's impossible to limit the possibilities when it comes to rewards.

How will I respond if my dog misbehaves?

You cannot always avoid the fact that your dog will make a bad choice! You may see your dog acting out due to stress, fear, or a burst of excitement. It could also be because your dog is distracted or choosing not to listen.

I am here to help determine what your dog needs and how to meet their needs best to get to the root of the cause and resolve issues to improve their well-being. I have a vast 'toolkit' of techniques—furthermore, ideas to curb negative behavior and teach new, well-mannered behaviors.

My stance is that I won't use physical punishment, including yelling, hitting, poking, spraying, pinching, or shocking.

I do not use aversive training tools like choke, prong collars, or electronic/remote training collars (e-collars). I can stop rascally poor behavior choices in a more reliable, effective, humane way, and anyone can use it - even children!

Resources

Ian Dunbar Ph.D., (Dog Behavior), Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVetMed), Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (MRCVS), Barking up the right tree: The science and practice of positive d), The School of Canine Science.

Malena DeMartini, Certified Trainer and Counselor (CTC) and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), and Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT).

Nando Brown Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT), Certified Trick Instructor (CTDI), Competency Assessment Program Level 2 (CAP2), Professional Pet Guild (PPG), Fin Scent Games Level 1 Instructor (FSG1).

Trish King is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC).

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I wasn’t always a dog trainer. I entered the field of Medical Assisting in 1999, specializing in Orthopedics, Trauma, and Pediatrics. Reading human body language and empathy became a crucial part of helping my patients that I easily transferred to dog training later. In 2010, my husband and I adopted our first puppy, an 8 week old female border collie, named Sadie. I started taking Sadie to training classes at Lucky Dog, which is where I met Angie Neal, CDBC and Astrid Tyron, CPDT-KSA. In 2013, we adopted our first rescue dog, a 4 month old male Australian Cattle Dog/German Shepherd Mix, named Radar. I loved dog training classes with Sadie, but couldn’t find anyone willing to help Radar through his behavior challenges, except “balanced” trainers. After they tried prong and shock collars on him, his behavior had escalated so much that regular neighborhood walks were not even an option.

In 2014, I decided to take matters into my own hands; I attended the Animal Behavior College and became a Certified Dog Trainer. Part of Animal Behavior College’s program was to have students volunteer at a local rescue, so in August 2015 I started volunteering at All Breed Rescue & Training. I finally was finding answers to so many unanswered questions I had about behaviorally challenged dogs. I taught private lessons for behavior modification and co-taught/assisted with obedience, WallFlower (Shy dogs), and Reactive Dog classes. I also tried fostering dogs, but failed by adopting two of my foster dogs, Jackson (October 2015) and Piper (January 2016), but took in several temporary foster dogs until 2018. I stayed on volunteering at All Breed Rescue & Training until 2019, but left due to my dogs’ and my personal medical issues; occasionally I still go in to walk/train the dogs temporarily living at All Breed Rescue & Training and take classes with my dogs. I and my 4 dogs continue to learn and train with Meg Brubaker (Behaviorist) for their Behavior Modification, since between my 4 dogs, we currently have almost every behavior issue in one household.

In 2019, I passed my Certified Professional Dog Trainer: Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) from Certification Council of Pet Dog Trainers. (CCPDT). I have been a supporting, now Affiliate member of Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). I am a Fear Free Certified Dog Trainer and completed the Aggression in Dogs Master’s Course. I am an AKC Canine Good Citizen & Trick dog evaluator. I am also a Certified Canine Conditioning Coach (CCFC), Certified Trick Dog Instructor (CTDI), and Stunt Dog Judge (SDJ) for Do More With Your Dog. I have a background in Clicker/Event Marker training, BAT (Behavior Adjustment Training), Nosework (Scent Detection), Canine Enrichment Activities, and Certified in Canine CPR/First Aid. I still continue to retain my Certified Medical Assistant and Phlebotomist (CMA), even though I don’t use it that often anymore.

Hi, i'm Jordan Fox! I haven't always known I wanted to be a dog trainer, but I have always known I was going to work with animals in some capacity. I started by wanting to be a veterinarian, then I wanted to rehabilitate wild animals, like foxes, bears, and wolves. Those were my thoughts when I was young. I grew up, and decided I wanted to be a dog trainer, but before I finally got to this I worked as a veterinary receptionist, and I spent some time as a kennel technician in multiple facilities, running dog playgroups. Ultimately, every time I left one type of pet care job, I went back to the thought of being a dog trainer, and finally, here I am! I received my Canine Trainer Technician Certification (CTT-A) through the Pet Professional Guild in August of 2022.

I have 4 rescue dogs at home; Slate, a Parson Russell Terrier mix, Bo, a German Shepherd mix, Nora, a Pointer mix, and Raven, a Bull Terrier mix. I do not have any human children, as my dogs are my kids, and they're all I need. As I grow into my professional career, my passion is to one day become the go to trainer for blind and deaf dogs. Additionally, I love working with dogs who are fearful. I have been told all throughout my life that I have a special way of bonding with dogs who have a hard time trusting people, so it's incredibly important to me that I continue to help these dogs. I can't recall a specific time I was taught how to earn the trust of fearful dogs, it's just always been natural to me. To me, training dogs is not my job. It's my heart, and soul. I do this because every dog deserves someone who only wants to devote their time to them. This is what I was meant to do. My only regret is not figuring it out sooner. I hope to meet you and your family (human and canine) soon!

Hi, I’m Emory. I grew up on a farm in Texas with my Grandmother, and it was there I learned to love and care for animals. As an only child, the dogs were my best friends and play mates. There I learned that a well trained dog is a proud member of the family. At 10 years old I received Shiloh the Golden Retriever. She showed me just how powerful and influential a dog's companionship can be. I credit her with giving me the gift to always be patient and kind with any creature I come across.

I chose to study biology in college as science has always been a passion of mine. I graduated in 2018 with a Bachelors in Wildlife Biology from Hastings College in Nebraska. Instead of going straight into the National Parks or zoo programs, I decided to explore my options. Dog training ended up being a great fit that blended my love of science with my love of animal care. In Texas, Petco provided me with a great mentor and start to my career. There I became CGC ( Canine Good Citizen) certified and learned the important foundations of positive reinforcement. After moving to Colorado in 2019, House of Dog was the next step in my dog training journey. Here I enjoy being surrounded by exceptional mentors that are making me a better teacher and trainer.

I believe life is better lived with a dog (especially a well behaved one). Keeping dogs out of shelters and in their forever homes is a rewarding experience that drives me forward. With enough patience and consistency you can also learn to better communicate with your fur family. This not only helps increase your quality of life, but also the community around you!

My current fur family consists of Sunny the puggle, and two cats, Bugzy and Pabu. Sunny loves training, as it not only unlocks some delicious snacks, but he gets to engage and play with me. The cats on the other hand, well… they do what they want.

If you are thinking about training your dog just look for me and fellow trainers here at House of Dog Training! I can’t wait to help you and your fur family live happier, healthier lives!

Hi I am Laura!

I moved to Colorado Springs from Omaha, NE in 2018 and was hired as a kennel tech at House of Dog in September 2020.

I graduated with my Associates Degree in Zoo keeping Technology in May 2021.

I absolutely loved all of my training and behavior course that I took during my time in school and decided to pursue a dog training career along side my zoo career as well. I was hired as a keeper assistant at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in July 2022, working mostly in the African Rift Valley and the Wallaby/Budgie exhibits.

I have now been at House of Dog for a little over 3 years and I help manage the boarding center as well as train dogs a few days a week. I am Fear Free certified as both a trainer and a kennel tech and I am currently working on my CTT-A certification as well.