FACULTY
You are a lucky dog!
We are known for our exceptionally qualified teachers and their commitment to students.
You are a lucky dog!
We are known for our exceptionally qualified teachers and their commitment to students.
Laura Van Arendonk Baugh, KPA CTP, is a member of the Karen Pryor Academy Faculty. She teaches the Dog Trainer Professional program and is herself a graduate of the program (2008). Laura believes wholeheartedly in the ability of clicker training techniques to improve not only a dog's behavior but human interaction as well. She has a special enthusiasm for working with what others consider "over-the-top" dogs—dogs that are too energetic and too rambunctious to be controlled by conventional means!
Laura is the owner of Canines in Action and the author of the best-selling dog training book, Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out: Training Crazy Dogs from Over-the-Top to Under Control. She is a member of the ClickerExpo Faculty, where she teaches on a variety of topics, including back chaining, puppy socialization, and teaching. Laura is also a professional member of APDT.
Allie Bender, CDBC, CPDT-KA, SBA, is a faculty member for KPA's Behavior Consulting Program, and the founder and co-owner of Pet Harmony Animal Behavior & Training. She co-authored the book Canine Enrichment for the Real World and co-hosts the Enrichment for the Real World Podcast. Through Pet Harmony, Allie specializes in helping pets with maladaptive behaviors and their owners achieve harmonious households worldwide. She also mentors and educates aspiring behavior professionals to deliver exceptional services to their clients.
A national speaker and published author, Allie is a passionate advocate for animal welfare, with a career spanning since 2006 in roles including founding a student-run animal welfare organization. Her professional dog training journey began in 2012, and by 2015, she assumed the role of lead dog behavior consultant for a large, multi-species animal sanctuary. Allie holds a BS in Animal Science from Iowa State University and certifications from the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants and the Council for Certification of Professional Dog Trainers.
Based in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, Allie shares her home with her husband, their dog Oso, and turtle Zorro.
Steve Benjamin, KPA CTP, is a member of the Karen Pryor Academy Faculty. He teaches the Dog Trainer Professional program as well as the Dog Trainer Foundations course. Steve retired from the federal government in January 2004 to pursue his passion for working with dogs and their owners. Steve hails from upstate NY where he owns the training center Clicking with Canines in Endicott, NY. Steve specializes in teaching clicker training to his clients, helping them teach their dogs to be socially acceptable, happy, and intelligent family pets.
Jen Biglan, KPA CTP, is a member of the Karen Pryor Academy faculty. She leads the Dog Trainer Professional program and is herself a graduate of the program. Jen has loved all things furry since her childhood, which included summers spent riding and caring for horses in Arizona.
Jen earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon. In 2016, Jen and a business partner launched Training Spot, a 4,000-square-foot facility dedicated to community education, positive training, and improving the human-animal relationship. Training Spot has a training team of 7 trainers (and growing) and offers more than 35 classes a week, including group classes, private lessons, behavior consultations, and a unique video channel for current and past clients.
A Certified Dog Behavior Consultant as well as a KPA Certified Training Partner, Jen’s natural talent for understanding, addressing, and alleviating fearful and aggressive tendencies in dogs has earned her the respect of local veterinarians and the community.
Shelly Brouwer, KPA CTP, is a member of the Karen Pryor Academy Faculty. She teaches the Dog Trainer Professional program and is herself a graduate of the program (2010).
Shelly has been training animals since 1999 when she began as a marine mammal trainer at the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon, FL. She has also served as a marine mammal trainer at the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, CT, and at the Minnesota Zoo in Minneapolis and as the Training and Behavior Manager at the Humane Society of Boulder, CO. There, she oversaw the development and implementation of the Society's Behavior Modification Program for shelter animals and the public dog training classes.
Carolyn Clark, KPA CTP, is a member of the Karen Pryor Academy Faculty where she teaches the Dog Trainer Professional program as well as the Dog Trainer Foundations course. Carolyn has a background in education. She has taught elementary school in Ottawa and, at the college level, classes in the continuing education department at Algonquin College and the Carleton Board of Education. A guest lecturer at the Veterinary Technician program at Algonquin College, Carolyn has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in pastoral group work, as well as an Ontario teacher certificate. She Teaches the Dog Trainer Professional program in her native Canada. See upcoming classes
Alexis Davison, KPA CTP, is a member of the Karen Pryor Academy Faculty. She teaches the Dog Trainer Professional program and is herself a graduate of the program. Alexis also coaches students in KPA's Dog Trainer Comprehensive course.
Alexis began developing Un-Chase!® in 2012 to help clients and students seeking solutions to their dogs’ chasing behaviours. Since then, she has helped countless dog lovers curb their dogs’ chasing behaviours and shares her innovative approach with other dog training professionals.
Alexis is committed to positive reinforcement for both dogs and owners. She continues to learn about dogs, training, and behaviour, and regularly attends workshops, seminars, and conferences both in Australia and overseas.
Juliana DeWillems, KPA CTP, is a member of the Karen Pryor Academy faculty. She leads the Dog Trainer Professional program and is herself a graduate of the program. Juliana is the owner and head trainer at JW Dog Training & Behavior Consulting in the Washington, D.C. area. She works fulltime as a private trainer, specializing in reactivity, anxiety, and aggression cases. Juliana enjoys applying the science of learning when she works with owners to improve their dogs’ behavior. Watching positive reinforcement training strengthen the bond between owners and dogs is her favorite part of the job.
Juliana regularly shares her training expertise on radio and TV, including on WTOP and Good Morning Washington. She was a regular guest on The Pet Show with Dr. Katy for many years. Juliana also presents seminars and webinars locally and nationally, spreading good training information to as many pet owners as possible.
Helix’s wish is for force-free training to become the social norm. She offers group classes and private consultations, all with the goal of helping people and their dogs learn to live together and have fun. Helix’s wish is for force-free training to become the social norm. She teaches the Dog Trainer Professional course in the Pacific Northwest. See upcoming classes
Susan G. Friedman, Ph.D., is a professor emeritus in the Department of Psychology at Utah State University and the owner of Behavior Works Consulting, LLC. She has co-authored chapters on behavior change in five veterinary texts, and her popular articles have been translated into 17 languages. Susan teaches seminars and courses on animal learning online (How Behavior Works: Living & Learning with Animals), which have been attended by students from 64 countries so far.
Susan consults with zoos and animal organizations worldwide and teaches annually for the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) Animal Trainer Accreditation program. She was appointed to the Fish & Wildlife Service’s California Condor Recovery Team from 2002 to 2010, after which the team was retired due to the success of the birds in the wild. Currently, she is the Chairperson of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the American Humane Association (AHA) Film and TV Unit. In 2022, Susan was honored to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
Dr. Friedman is a faculty member for KPA's Behavior Consulting Program.
Terrie Hayward, KPA-CTP, is a Karen Pryor Academy Faculty Member. She teaches the Dog Trainer Professional program and is herself a graduate of the program. Terrie also coaches students of KPA's Dog Trainer Comprehensive course.
Terrie is the owner of PAW-Positive Animal Wellness, LLC in Rincon, Puerto Rico, where she specializes in canine Separation Anxiety cases. She works in person and remotely with families and their animal companions, presents workshops, travels, and consults, focusing on positive reinforcement interactions and modifying behavior through applications in behavior analysis. She is also the author of the pocket guide to working with deaf dogs titled "A Deaf Dog Joins the Family: Training, Education, and Communication for a Smooth Transition," "Your Ten Minute a Day Dog" with daily exercises for limited time, and co-author of "Grooming Without Stress," which focuses on positive husbandry and handling
Laurie Luck, KPA-CTP, is a Karen Pryor Academy Faculty Member. She teaches the Dog Trainer Professional program and is herself a graduate of the program. She served as President of the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), and is a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT). Laurie is the owner of Smart Dog University and has been working with dogs and their owners since 1994. Laurie specializes in teaching dogs and their people how to work together. She loves what she does and has developed many happy friendships, both canine and human, along the way.
When she is not teaching, Laurie raises and trains service dogs for a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing service dogs to assist people with disabilities, and has raised and trained service dogs for Hero Dogs, a charitable organization based in Maryland. Laurie and her dog are Delta Society-certified Pet Partners. Tango is a therapy dog and we are involved in the Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program, helping children to improve their reading skills. A social media junkie, she can be found at all the usual hangouts and on her Smart Dog Blog. Laurie is also a regular speaker at the ClickerExpo conference.
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obbie Lyons, KPA CTP, is a member of the Karen Pryor Academy faculty. She leads the Dog Trainer Professional program and is herself a graduate of the program. Bobbie, a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer (CCFT) through the University of Tennessee, was on the team that created the program. Bobbie taught the CCFT lab program from 2015-2021.
Bobbie has been training dogs for 18 years. She owns Pawsitive Performance and Bobbie Lyons Canine Campus offering in-person and online classes, 1:1 lessons, and webinars focused on general dog training, canine fitness training, canine sport conditioning, and trick training. Bobbie enjoys the training process and communicating in the best way possible with students and dogs. She begins every training session with this question: “How can we arrange antecedents to give the animal the best information to complete the intended behavior successfully?” With her five awesome dogs, Bobbie trains a variety of skills for agility, obedience, fitness training, trick training, flyball, and dock diving.
Debbie Martin, KPA CTP, co-teaches and is the co-author of the course Puppy Start Right for Instructors. Debbie is among only 14 veterinary technicians to have achieved the status of a Veterinary Technician Specialist in Behavior. She is also an avid trainer and teacher. Debbie graduated from, and went on to work as faculty for, the Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Professional program from 2010-2016, Not only are Debbie Martin and her partner Dr. Ken Martin highly qualified veterinary professionals, they are also extremely experienced trainers and handlers. They have trained and handled their dogs in AKC Conformation, Obedience, Rally, Agility, Search and Rescue, Dog Therapy, and Ringsports. Debbie is also a frequent lecturer at veterinary conferences and speaks internationally in the dog training world, including ClickerExpo where she is a member of the Faculty. Debbie is the co-author of Puppy Start Right: Foundation Training for the Companion Dog and her writing has been featured in the Veterinary Technician, Today's Veterinary Technician, and American Veterinarian journals. Learn to Teach Puppy Classes with Debbie
Dr. Ken Martin, co-teaches and is the co-author of Puppy Start Right for Instructors. Dr. Martin is one of only 72 veterinarians in the world to obtain the status of a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. He completed a clinical behavioral medicine residency at Purdue University's Animal Behavior Clinic under the mentorship of Dr. Andrew Luescher PhD, DVM, DACVB in 2004 and graduated from Louisiana State University - School of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. He was invited to join Phi Zeta, the honor society of veterinary medicine, while at Purdue University. Ken is not just a veterinary behaviorist, he is also an avid dog trainer. He began training dogs for AKC obedience and conformation when he was just eight years old. Dr. Martin also assisted with the training of search and rescue dogs in the New Orleans area. Ken is the co-author of Puppy Start Right: Foundation Training for the Companion Dog and his writing has been featured in the Veterinary Technician, Today's Veterinary Technician, and American Veterinarian journals. Learn to Teach Puppy Classes with Ken
Emma Parsons, KPA CTP, is a Karen Pryor Academy Faculty Member. She teaches the Dog Trainer Professional program. Emma specializes in managing and rehabilitating the reactive and aggressive dog. She is the author of two highly popular books on this subject: Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog; and Teaching the Reactive Dog Class: Leading the Journey from Reactivity to Reliability.
In addition to being a faculty member of Karen Pryor Academy, Emma is a Faculty Member of the ClickerExpo conferences. Emma delivers Click to Calm seminars around the world, teaching others how to manage and rehabilitate reactive and aggressive dogs. Emma is also a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) and holds a BA degree from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She shares her life with her husband, Greg, and their four clicker-trained competition obedience/agility dogs; three Goldens, Lizzie-Taylor, Kayden-Blue, Austyn-Roque, and a Papillon, Wylie-Rae.
Michele Pouliot teaches KPA's Canine Freestyle course. Michele and her dogs are winners of multiple national and international competitions; they are known for creative behaviors and entertaining routines.
Michele and Listo made history in the World Canine Freestyle Organization as the first team to ever receive perfect “10” scores in both Artistic and Technical categories! They repeated this incredible achievement 23 more times with six different routines.
Michele instructs seminars nationally and internationally each year on clicker training and on the sport of canine musical freestyle. She is a member of the ClickerExpo conference faculty where teaches a variety of training's core elements including strategic reinforcement delivery, competition environments, stimulus control and creativity. Learn Freestyle with Michele
Ken Ramirez is the Executive Vice President and Chief Training Officer of Karen Pryor Academy and Karen Pryor Clicker Training, where he both teaches and oversees all educational programming. Ken teaches courses online at Karen Pryor Academy, including the Behavior Consulting Program, in-person and online at the ClickerExpo conferences, and at the KPCT National Training Center ("The Ranch”), located an hour south of Seattle, WA.
A trainer and consultant for more than 50 years with a global clientele, Ken has trained and cared for tens of thousands of species. Ken is highly active in animal conservation worldwide, working with organizations to protect species from butterflies to elephants. Prior to joining KPCT, he served as Executive Vice President, Animal Care and Training, at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. Ken is the author of a seminal book on animal training, many articles, blogs, and scientific publications. A selection of his lectures is available on streaming video.
Linda Ryan has been a veterinary nurse (VN) since 2000, beginning in general practice and then working in specialist clinics at two university referral hospitals. She has attained the Diploma in Advanced Nursing (Medical), the Veterinary Technician Specialty (Oncology), and the Veterinary Technician Specialist (Behaviour). Linda is a qualified animal trainer and behaviour practitioner, a Fear Free Certified trainer, and a Certified IAABC Behaviour Consultant (Canine & Feline).
Linda’s specialist interests are in clinical behaviour, medical/oncology nursing, and patient quality of life/welfare. She is passionate about low-stress handling and patient-friendly practice and regularly teaches on these topics to veterinary professionals.
Linda’s interest in training and behaviour has evolved over her nursing career. She has become more aware of its importance relative to patients as they receive medical care, especially in her work with felines, oncology patients, and animals requiring chronic care. Linda’s passion about the vet-trainer connection and patient-friendly veterinary practice allows her to meld her veterinary nursing and behaviour knowledge for the benefit of patients, staff, and owners.
In 2012, Linda became one of the first U.K. graduates of the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior (KPA) Dog Trainer Professional program. She is now proud to be a KPA faculty member, leading KPA’s Dog Trainer Professional program in the U.K.
Linda owns and operates Inspiring Pet Teaching, a business aimed at pet and owner training and education. She also offers CPD provisions for VNs and para-professionals, both in person at local, national, and international events and online.
Linda collaborates and provides course content and/or instruction and review for Karen Pryor Academy, International Cat Care/International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), Fear Free, ONCOREePD and many other continuing education providers—locally, nationally, internationally, and online.
Linda lives in the beautiful New Forest, in the UK, with her lovely hubby, their fabulous little dog, Evie, a super-cool kitty, and two pet sheep. She loves learning from every pet, peer, owner, and student that she is lucky enough to work with!
Terry Ryan, KPA CTP, is a Karen Pryor Academy Faculty Member. She teaches the Dog Trainer Professional program. Terry founded Legacy Canine Behavior & Training in the early 1970’s with the goal of promoting humane and effective dog training techniques for a variety of pet, working dog and competitive applications.
For many years Terry was a competitor and is a former AKC Judge. She was the Program Coordinator for the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University,where she focused on human-animal bond and animal assisted activity projects. Terry has served on numerous boards of a variety of pet-related organizations. She maintains a busy national and international workshop schedule and speaks at ClickerExpo.
Emily Strong is a faculty member for KPA's Behavior Consulting Program, Co-Owner of Pet Harmony, LLC, co-author of the book Canine Enrichment for the Real World and its companion workbook, and co-host of the podcast "Enrichment for the Real World". She and her business partners, Allie Bender and Ellen Yoakum, developed and operate a professional development mentorship program called PETPro, through which Emily has the profound pleasure of mentoring and learning alongside many other animal behavior professionals from around the world.
Emily has been involved in various animal welfare fields since 1990, working and volunteering in animal shelters, rescue groups, sanctuaries, veterinary hospitals, stables, wildlife rehabilitation centers, aviaries, and, as a behavior consultant, a role she has held since 2008. Her passion lies in working with multiple species, but her favorite species to work with is humans, which is why her primary focus is on mentorship. She lives in Seattle with her partner, Chuck; their dogs, Copper and Miley; their rabbit, Harey Bundini; their Eclectus parrot, Cah'ya; a freshwater aquarium; an abundance of plants; and an entire wall dedicated to tea.
Laura Monaco Torelli, KPA-CTP, is a Karen Pryor Academy Faculty Member. She teaches the Dog Trainer Professional program and is herself a graduate of the program.
In addition to her KPA CTP certification, she is CPDT-KA, a TAGteach Level 2 Instructor, and Operation Socialization Certified Trainer (OSCT).
Laura is the founder of Animal Behavior Training Concepts. She and the company's training team work in collaboration with clients and animal health professionals to provide high-quality care for the animals in their lives. Force-free training principles and guidance are provided through seminars, interactive groups, and individual sessions. Laura is a frequent speaker at the ClickerExpo conference on creating stress-free veterinary procedures through positive reinforcement training.
Mara Velez, MA, CPDT-KA, is the Executive Director of the Shelter Playgroup Alliance (SPA) and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Mara has been working in the shelter setting for over a decade.
Most recently, Mara was a behavior and training consultant at Contra Costa Animal Services, where she collaboratively designed, developed, and implemented behavior program structures, including a robust volunteer training program, revised behavior evaluation, canine enrichment, and playgroup guidelines. It was these procedures that served as the basis for the Shelter Playgroup Alliance guidelines. Mara holds both a bachelor's and a master’s degree in psychology and completed all of the coursework for a doctorate in education.
In addition to completing several animal behavior and training-related programs, Mara continually develops her skills and knowledge of canines by attending seminars and reading science-based canine literature. To date, she has completed over 2,500 hours of continuing education. Mara also enjoys training other species because it expands her training and observation skills. She has worked with: cats, bunnies, wolves, foxes, guinea pigs, coyotes, buffalo, donkeys, goats, alpacas, chickens, birds, and fish.
Mara and the team at Shelter Playgroup Alliance are faculty members for KPA's Behavior Consulting Program.
Kiki Yablon, KPA CTP, CTP, CPDT-KA, is a member of the Karen Pryor Academy faculty. She leads the Dog Trainer Professional program and is a graduate of the program herself. She is also a faculty member for KPA's Behavior Consulting Program.
Kiki has been training professionally since 2011. She started by teaching group classes, helping private clients, and serving as training manager for Animal Behavior Training Concepts, under fellow KPA faculty member Laura Monaco Torelli. Kiki now offers private in-home training and online consulting/training under her own name. Since 2014, Kiki has also worked under Dr. Susan Friedman as a co-instructor for the Living and Learning With Animals course.
A graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and the Radcliffe Publishing Course, Kiki has recently completed all coursework for a master’s degree in applied behavioral science at the University of Kansas; she is working on her thesis. Kiki is TAGteach certified (Level 1). Each year since graduating from KPA she has earned “Client Endorsed” distinction through KPA’s voluntary Assurance, Commitment, and Education program. A former editor of Outside, Chicago, and the Chicago Reader, Kiki has also edited courses, articles, and books for other training and behavior professionals.
E llen Yoakum, KPA CTP, C-SAPBC, BSc, is a faculty member for KPA's Behavior Consulting Program. She began her career as a research assistant at the University of Washington, focusing on captive animal welfare and enrichment. She co-authored a peer-reviewed paper on Ursid behavior during her undergraduate studies. For over a decade, Ellen has worked in various sectors of the animal care and behavior industry, including dog daycare and boarding, wildlife rehabilitation, zoological settings, captive animal welfare research, private training, and behavior consulting.
Currently, as a co-owner of Pet Harmony Animal Behavior and Training, Ellen specializes in helping families and their pets achieve harmony, even in challenging situations. Utilizing an Enrichment Framework, Ellen is dedicated to fostering collaboration, compromise, and improving the well-being of people and their pets with maladaptive behaviors, including separation anxiety, fear, aggression, and more.
Andre Yeu, KPA CTP, is a member of the Karen Pryor Academy faculty. He leads the Dog Trainer Professional program and is himself a graduate of the program. In addition to his KPA CTP certification, he is a CPDT-KA and TAGteach Primary Certified.
Andre left a career in technology to pursue dog training as his profession. In 2010, he founded When Hounds Fly in Toronto, Canada. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and has grown his training business to include seven full-time trainers and three training facilities across the city, with more than 10,000 dogs (and their families) as clients.
Sherrie Yuschak, RVT, VTS (Behavior), KPA-CTP, Elite FFCP, is a faculty member of the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Behavior and Training, where she contributes to curriculum and teaches several courses. She is a Practice Certification Consultant for Fear Free℠ and has collaborated on several Fear Free℠ educational modules and certification standards, and is a member of their speaker bureau. Over 25 years as a Registered Veterinary Technician with 12 years specialized in animal behavior, Sherrie’s experience encompasses general practice, academia, research, specialty practice and consulting. Still passionate about continuing education, Sherrie frequently attends events, lectures at veterinary conferences, and publishes articles and book chapters, including the Low Stress Handling book revision and American Animal Hospital Association behavior education booklets. Sherrie is also an Editorial Advisory Board member of Today’s Veterinary Nurse and a Family Paws Parent Educator contributor.