My name is Julie Cantrell, and I have been training dogs as a profession and vocation since 1990. In that time, I have worked with approximately 1700 dogs and their owners, and taught over 700 class hours. Below you can read a bit about my background and qualifications. The photo at left is me with my first dog and first partner in training, Shep - almost 18 years old in this photo - a Sheltie mix with heart and willingness I will never forget.

1992: Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology, with special interest in animal behavior and natural history, from the University of Washington in Seattle.

February 2006: Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.

December 2006: Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT), through the Certification Council For Professional Dog Trainers.

April 1990-1996: Full time trainer for a large capacity Board and Train program at a large board and train facility in western Washington state. This is an in-house program, generally one month long, where pet owners send their dogs to get a very thorough grounding in basic obedience and well-mannered behavior. About 5 hours a day were spent training dogs directly, the rest of the day was spent teaching owners to work with their dogs, and conducting on-site and in- home follow-ups, as well as behavioral consultations and puppy training lessons. During this time, I also taught obedience classes at the basic, advanced, off-leash, and novice competition levels, as well as tricks and non-competitive agility classes, as well as basic obedience for adopted shelter dogs for a local humane shelter. From 1993-1996, I developed an apprenticeship program for individuals wishing to learn dog training. Interviewed and helped select candidates for the 16 week program, coordinated program structure and oversaw apprentices' progress and training. From mid 1994-1996, I was Head Trainer at this facility.

1996-Present: Private Trainer, offering private lessons, behavior consultations, group classes, and occasionally board and train, in Washington, Pennsylvania, Montana, and West Virginia.

My personal training interests are varied. I started out becoming involved in competitive obedience with my adopted German Shepherd, Taiga. My main attraction to it was that it gave me some structure and goals to work toward with an extremely intelligent dog. Since then, I have also become involved in training my dogs in therapy and demo work. Therapy work involves training to visit the ill and elderly at local hospitals, nursing homes, and rehab centers. With demos, generally a group of trained dogs perform obedience and tricks, again to people who are confined due to illness or disability. I also train and show in conformation, and particularly enjoy teaching tricks, and exploring Frisbee (disc dog) work. Lately we have also begun training for competitive agility and tracking.

Titles I have attained with my dogs include Canine Good Citizen awards, AKC and UKC Companion Dog titles, Herding Instinct Certificates, Therapy Dogs Incorporated certifications, and an AKC breed Championship.

While I have worked with most breeds, I have generally lived with herding breeds, including a Rough Collie, a Shetland Sheepdog mix, a German Shepherd and, currently, Belgian Sheepdogs.

Flower Essence Therapy: from 1994 to present, studied and employed Bach Flower therapy as an aid to a behavior modification in dogs. Also conducted Bach Flower formulation classes for a Seattle-based health food co-op.

Nutrition: from 1994 to 1999, produced and retailed a custom frozen, whole-foods diet for pets, and lectured and consulted on canine diets and nutrition.

December 2007 - Veronica Boutelle (telecourse): "Curriculum Development: Building Better Classes"
April 2007 - Int'l Assoc. of Animal Behavior Consultants Annual Conference, Cleveland, OH: Multiple Presentations

• Karen Overall, MA, VMD, PhD, DACVB: "From Leashes To Neurons: How Dogs Think, Why This Matters, and What We Can Learn About Becoming More Humane"
• Karen Overall: Psychopharmacology
• Lynn Hoover, MSW, CDBC: Expanding the Possibilities: Use of Self With Families
• Carey Williams, PhD: The Basics of Equine Behavior
• Steve Dale: Kitten Socialization Classes
• Sue Kapla, PhD: A Functional Reconceptualization of Aggressive Behavior in Dogs
• Terance Cranendock: Application of Psychoanalytic Principles to Dog Behavior Consulting
• Dani Weinberg, PhD, CDBC: Celebrating Differences
• Lee Livingood, CDBC: Growing Your Animal Behavior Consulting Business
• Chris Bach, CDBC: Reinforcement - Knowing and Using Its Power With Dogs
• Ken McCort: Motor Patterns and Their Influence on Breed-Specific Behavior Problems
• Niki Lampropolos, MA, CDBC: Taking a History
• Beth Aldeman, MSJ, CABC; Brenda Aloff, CDBC; Debbie Strother, MS, BCBA, CABC; Liz Wilson, CVT, CABC: Panel Discussion on Bite Case Studies

Professional Member: Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT #67160)
Certified Member: International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC #260)
Practitioner Member: Flower Essence Society