Jen

Jen has been training dogs for around fourteen years, beginning immediately after graduating college with a bachelor's degree in Animal Behavior, Training and Enrichment with a concentration on canine behaviour. She grew up surrounded by animals, as she and her mother were constantly rescuing pets in need, but the specific passion for training started in high school with a border collie and labrador mix named Piper. Piper was a project, and the two of them went on to qualify as a certified therapy dog team visiting nursing homes, schools and libraries. Jen is candid that without Piper she would not be doing this work today.

Placing service dogs with veterans and first responders to help them live more independently is work Jen describes as a privilege, and the experience of training the humans as much as the dogs has been central to her development. In the years before joining Dogwise she trained both pet dogs and service dogs at a local facility, expanding her skills across many breeds and a wide range of behavioural issues. That service dog background is a significant credential. Dogs trained to that standard must be reliable in unpredictable public environments, and the handler coaching involved is considerably more demanding than typical pet training. When she is not working, Jen spends time with her family and rides motorcycles with her husband. Her dogs Jet, George and Josie are, in her words, excited to help train visiting dogs and play alongside them.