I began training my dog, Grimm, in the Summer of 2022. Grimm has always been very social, and I thought that meant he needed to socialize with every dog and person he met. He also had a lot of freedom in the home and listening to me was optional. I found myself with a dog who was frustrated, ruling the house, and dragging me wherever he wanted to go. I decided to put Grimm into a board-and-train program to give him (and I) the skills to be successful and give our relationship a fresh start. Since then, the training never stopped and we continue to work on tricks, obedience, rat sports (Barn Hunt, Trailing and Locating, and Urban Locating), GRC Dog Sports, and neutrality with other dogs, all while enjoying new adventures together. Our relationship has grown so much through training, and he is now a more fulfilled and happier dog.

Along this journey with Grimm, I found that I have a passion for training dogs. This led me to taking classes/seminars, volunteering, shadowing, completing a one-month Professional Obedience Trainer course at Tarheel Canine, and co-teaching classes. I love seeing dogs and their owners grow and strive to show them the importance of becoming a team.

By day, I am a scientist and earned my Bachelor of Science in Fall 2016 (University of Florida) and Doctorate in microbiology in Spring 2021 (Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology). Although my formal education is outside of the dog training world, science has given me strong problem-solving skills and a desire to understand different topics at a detailed level. I also love being in the outdoors and enjoy backpacking and hiking.