July 2012 KPA CTP of the Month
Mariela Castillo is the owner and head trainer of Every Dawg’s Dream, offering private training lessons and group classes serving Orange County, California. Mariela first became interested in animal training when she rescued her beagle-mix puppy, Mo, who had severe anxiety issues.She set out to educate herself about how to train her new puppy, and discovered that many training methods used an aversive approach. A good student, she followed the various instructions even though she didn’t agree with some of the negative techniques. Mariela soon discovered that the little progress that was made with the negative techniques was not long-lasting.
Mariela says, “I knew there had to be a better approach. So I continued my research and came across Karen Pryor’s book, Don’t Shoot the Dog, which opened my eyes to how animals actually learn.”
Shortly after, Mariela decided to give up her career in graphic design and make it her life’s mission to improve the lives of both animals and pet parents. As a result, she launched a pet services company, Every Dawg’s Dream, and began offering dog-walking and pet-sitting services. A few months into it, she realized she needed to do more. Impressed by the teachings from Karen Pryor’s book, Mariela decided to apply to and was accepted into Karen Pryor Academy(KPA). She was also awarded the prestigious B.F. Skinner scholarship.
As a result of the education and training she received through KPA, Mariela’s dog-training clients have tripled. She will be opening a dedicated training facility in Costa Mesa, California on August 1, 2012 and is proud to bring with her one of her best staff members, Martha Rodgers, who recently graduated from KPA (Mariela introduced her to the program!). Both Mariela and Martha are very excited to have a fulltime facility where they can really make a difference and demonstrate their company slogan, “Positively Helping People and their Pets.”
Contact Karen Pryor Academy to find a great dog trainer in your area or to find out if our highly regarded program for dog trainers is right for you.