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Click here to read what people say
about Canine Mind classes.
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| Brett with Addie, Vera, and Theo |
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| Click here to read about CPDT certification |
InstructorsBrett Warren, CPDT
Founder/Training Director
Brett Warren is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT) and the owner of Canine Mind, LLC. She serves on the Board of Directors
of the Calvert Animal Welfare League. She is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), the Humane Society of
the United States (HSUS), the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Truly Dog-Friendly, and the No
Shock Collars Coalition. Brett is certified in Pet First Aid by the American Red Cross.
Brett teaches Puppy Preschool,
Good Manners (basic obedience), Better Manners (intermediate obedience), and Street Smarts (working in real-world settings)
at various locations in southern Maryland. She also offers behavior consultations, individual training, humane education programs
for children, and training for kennel, veterinary, and shelter staffs.
Brett maintains strong interests in holistic
animal health, animal behavior, humane education, and animal advocacy and rescue. She has worked with a number of humane organizations,
including the San Francisco SPCA (animal-assisted therapy volunteer), the Montgomery County SPCA (cat socializer and coordinator
of the pet-assisted therapy program), and Pets on Wheels (screener of therapy dog candidates).
Brett has a cat, Yuki,
and two dogs: Addie (English Setter/Lab mix) and Vera (Boston Terrier/Jack Russell Terrier mix).
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| Brett's grandmother, training a dog circa 1910 |
Click here to send an email to Brett
Lori Walker
Senior Trainer
Lori Walker studied Psychology at St. Mary's College
in Maryland and was a horsewoman for more than 15 years before
joining Canine Mind in 2004. After apprenticing with an equine veterinarian during high school, she got her first horse, a
32-year-old Welsh pony named Misty, in 1995. Her second and current horse, Annie, is a Paint/Thoroughbred cross who came to
Lori in 2000 as a 3-year-old with a tendency to buck and run sideways. Lori corrected these problems, and the pair went on
to participate in many hunter/jumper events. Annie was sidelined from competition by a hip injury but is still ridden frequently.
Lori sees many similarities between training horses
and training dogs, specifically that "if they don't respect you, they
won't do what you ask." Learning how to teach skills and elicit good behavior from large animals who can't be "out-muscled"
gave Lori a head start on using positive training principles with dogs. Lori teaches Puppy Preschool, Good Manners, and Street
Smarts classes for Canine Mind.
Lori's dogs Zoey and Zack have both received the AKC Canine Good Citizen Award and work as therapy dogs, regularly visiting
hospital patients. Lori's youngest dog, Madison, is a Newfoundland mix who developed severe fear and anxiety issues due to
abuse and neglect during puppyhood. Lori is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and serves on the Board of Directors
at Calvert Animal Welfare League.
Click here to send an email to Lori
Barbie Brown
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| Barbie with Liberty and Quinn |
Barbie Brown is a Department of Defense analyst in
the Intelligence Community, where she has worked for the past
10 years.
At a young age, Barbie discovered her love of animals, and made a habit of bringing home stray dogs. Barbie learned that if
a dog respected and trusted her, it was always more willing to behave in an acceptable manner, even in stressful situations.
Her interest in finding a “better way to train dogs” stemmed from witnessing the abuse of dogs and becoming aware
of the negative effects that bullying has on animals. Barbie also wanted to teach her children that dog-friendly methods
are not just kinder but also more effective than abusive methods.
Barbie's involvement with Canine Mind began when she took her dogs through various group classes. As she describes it, "I
was amazed how quickly my dogs responded to positive training. I learned so much about dog signals, genetics, aggression,
and other subjects, and I learn something new each week. I love training."
Barbie has six dogs: Quinn (German Shepherd), Mazie (Lab mix), Domino (Cocker Spaniel), Yankee (black and white mini-Dachshund),
Liberty (long-haired Dachshund), and Limo (Dachshund).
Training Assistants
Janette Petersen
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| Janette with Libby, Truffle, and foster dog Parker |
Janette Petersen got her first dog, a beagle named Tom, from a breeder in Virginia in 1990. Tom and Janette got through
two "old-school" training sessions before Janette called it quits. Choke-chain leash corrections just didn't feel right, and
when Tom experienced his first epilepsy incident following a training session, Janette knew training wasn't going to work
for either of them.
Three beagles and 17 years later, Janette adopted Daisy and became a CAWL volunteer. There she
heard about the positive
training techniques offered by Canine Mind. She and Daisy took a Good Manners class in 2007, and Janette was hooked. Liberty
(Libby) and Truffle have since been rescued into Janette's pack. Being a Canine Mind Training Assistant allows Janette to
develop training skills she can use with her own dogs, as well as dogs in classes and those awaiting adoption.
Janette fosters dogs and cats, and serves as CAWL's Volunteer Coordinator.
Laura Taylor
Laura Taylor has worked as a veterinary assistant and at a dog groomer's. Though she always had dogs while growing up,
she got her own dog, a shepherd mix, in 1992. Ren had many issues and would have benefited greatly from training. She became
destructive when left alone, eventually destroying an entire couch, section by section. A second dog, a Doberman Pinscher
named Roxanne, gave Ren something to focus on besides her anxiety.
In 2007, after both dogs had passed away, Laura and her husband adopted Devon, a 9-month-old lab/hound mix who was abandoned
at 4 months of age and then spent 5 months in a shelter. Devon was not well-socialized or housetrained, and was extremely
reactive. The shelter recommended Canine Mind for training.
After graduating from Canine Mind's Good Manners and
Street Smarts classes, Devon became a wonderful addition to the family. Though still a "work in progress," Devon continues
to improve. Through Canine Mind, Laura first realized the benefits of positive reinforcement training and learned that training
is for life—for both her and Devon. Working as a Training Assistant allows Laura to help other people and dogs who
are in the same situation she was when she first got Devon. It also reminds her to have fun while she and Devon continue
to learn together.
WE DON'T WHISPER, WE TRANSLATE.
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