Virginia Beach Dog Training - Meet our newest trainer

From Emma,
Hi, my name is Emma! From the time I was a child, I always knew I wanted to do one of two things -help people, or help animals. As a dog trainer, I am able to do both! Growing up, my family always had dogs ranging from show line Golden Retrievers to rescued shelter mutts, to giant breeds like Saint Bernards and Mastiffs and hounds. Not to mention cats, hamsters, bunnies, and hermit crabs!

Into adulthood, I married my high school sweetheart who joined the Navy just after high school. We’ve lived the nomadic military lifestyle for 11 years, and continue to do so! We are both from Upstate New York and have lived in Washington State, Florida, Italy, and now Virginia! It’s a joke within our inner circle that we always get a dog at each command (it’s true, we do!). In Washington we adopted our now 9-year-old lab mix Athena who was 1 year old at the time, in Florida, we adopted our German Shepherd Zeus who crossed the rainbow bridge in 2019, in Italy we fostered an abandoned puppy who ended up a Foster failure who is now 3 years old and is a true Italian mutt (we think mostly comprised of herding breeds).

We moved to Virginia in 2020 and in January 2021, we picked up our Golden Retriever Argo who is now 8 months old and excelling in his training to become a Service Dog for myself. What led to becoming a dog trainer was what many owners come to us for -a dog who left us feeling frustrated, helpless, and lost. Our lab mix Athena became incredibly reactive after being attacked by another dog and I knew I needed help so I sought the help of various dog trainers, shadowed trainers who specialized in different things from behavior modification to basic and advanced obedience, to puppy training, and service dog training.

I’ve learned many different techniques from multiple different training styles, culminating in my balanced, tailor-made for each individual dog approach. As someone who struggles with disabilities and chronic illnesses, I offer a unique approach and come from a place of understanding for clients who may also struggle with daily life. It brings me no greater joy than to help owners cultivate a bond with their dog(s)! I look forward to helping you and your dog(s) improve your quality of life together!