My Journey
What I’ve learned, where I’ve come from, who I am, and where I’m headed.
Who Am I?
When I first sat on a horse in 1989, dogs and horses became my teachers.
I grew up at the barn, explored a career as a veterinary technician, and spent my early years studying animal science and biomechanics. However, my real education came from observation — watching how even the slightest shift in my body or breath could change how my canine or equine partner responded. How we feel shows up in how they move.
Since then, my work has focused on helping people understand their dogs not just as training partners, but as reflections of their own energy, blending science, observation, and intuition to create true partnership.
Who Am I?
When I first sat on a horse in 1989, dogs and horses became my teachers.
I grew up at the barn, explored a career as a veterinary technician, and spent my early years studying animal science and biomechanics. However, my real education came from observation — watching how even the slightest shift in my body or breath could change how my canine or equine partner responded. How we feel shows up in how they move.
Since then, my work has focused on helping people understand their dogs not just as training partners, but as reflections of their own energy, blending science, observation, and intuition to create true partnership.
My Introduction To Dogsport
In the mid-2000s, I went to a local Schutzhund club, and was immediately hooked. I loved the controlled drive, power, and aggression of these amazing working dogs who were calm off the training field, but could turn on at a moment’s notice.
From 2004 to the present, I’ve had several German Shepherds, each one teaching me how to be a better dog parent.
Learning The Game Of Self
By 2020, I realized my dogs reflected more than my training — they were mirroring my energy.
I began a two-year journey inward, exploring how emotion, identity, and nervous-system balance shape behavior.
As I became calmer and more centered, my dogs did too.
That’s when I learned that training isn’t about control but coherence.
Integration
In December 2022, everything clicked for me.
At Maryna Ozuna’s Canine Movement Markers workshop, biomechanics, nutrition, and energy work all came together into one framework, confirming what I’d always intuitively known — that body, mind, and movement are one conversation.
This understanding became the foundation for Integrative Canine, where science meets intuition, and humans and dogs find balance.
I Be-Live
I believe that our working canine partners’ long and healthy lives relies on our ability to be a whole, healthy human first.
I believe that our dogs deserve the same level of holistic consideration that we give our selves.
Why?
Because I caused my first working dog to get cancer.
When I got Desmo, I was living in a state of fight or flight 24/7 – it was all I knew, coming from a background of trauma and dysfunction.
I could see that he was anxious, but at the time, I didn’t know why.
By the time I figured it out, it was too late for him.
He’d marinated in my elevated cortisol levels 24/7, and as a result, developed hemangiosarcoma. By the time we made the diagnosis, the cancer had spread throught his abdomen, and the kindest thing to do was painlessly let him go.
Enough stress, left un-addressed, will shorten your dog’s life, and your own.
Desmo’s crossing over was the catalyst for my deep dive into self-inquiry, getting to know all of my different identity states, ego states, and ego aspects, and meeting my Higher Self.
During that same time, I dove deep into figuring out where I‘d fallen short as a handler and canine caretaker. I’d fed him (what I thought was) the best food at the time, given him regular mental and physical stimulation, and selected holistic veterinarians—all to give him the best life possible.
So why did Desmo suffer?
It was me.
It was me all along.
I had to work on my self, and level up as a human be-ing before I could be the sort of handler that every dog deserves as their partner and caretaker, for the entirety of their lives on this plane.
If you want the best from your dog, they deserve the best from you.
My Canine Teachers
Past & PresentMaddux
The one who sparked my lifelong love of German Shepherds and showed me the sweetness of devotion.
My love of German Shepherds began with Maddux in 2004. His gentle spirit and wise, intelligent demeanor showed me the blend of strength and softness this breed carries. Together we explored obedience and early protection work, and he taught me that trust, not dominance, is the foundation of true teamwork.
Arya
My wise elder and first rescue, who reminded me that trust is earned through calm consistency.
Arya came to me as a nine-month-old rescue in 2011 — cautious but full of potential. Training her reminded me that progress isn’t linear; it unfolds at the pace of safety and understanding. Her steady presence over the years has been a living reminder that consistency creates calm.
Over the years, I poured endless herbs, supplements, and treatments into her to improve her quality of life. She was my case study for all of my certifications, and she fully gave her love back to me as thanks for all of the time and energy I put into her. She crossed the Rainbow Bridge a month shy of her 14th birthday, and lives on in our hearts.
Arya
My wise elder and first rescue, who reminded me that trust is earned through calm consistency.
Arya came to me as a nine-month-old rescue in 2011 — cautious but full of potential. Training her reminded me that progress isn’t linear; it unfolds at the pace of safety and understanding. Her steady presence over the years has been a living reminder that consistency creates calm.
Over the years, I poured endless herbs, supplements, and treatments into her to improve her quality of life. She was my case study for all of my certifications, and she fully gave her love back to me as thanks for all of the time and energy I put into her. She crossed the Rainbow Bridge a month shy of her 14th birthday, and lives on in our hearts.
Desmo
My heart dog, the mirror who taught me accountability, energy awareness, and the sacredness of time.
He was my first working-line shepherd. Brilliant, balanced, soft, intense, and endlessly attuned to me.
He reflected my every emotion, my stress, and my growth, and taught me that love and loss are both forms of transformation.
Desmo crossed the Rainbow Bridge in May 2020. His transition from this world to the next was the catalyst that drove me to be-come the person I am today. He is the genesis for Integrative Canine.
Seabee
My current working partner, teaching me every day that joy and drive can coexist in balance.
Born on my birthday (July 4th!) Seabee feels like a synchronicity, a full-circle moment in canine form. He’s my constant reminder that drive and joy can coexist.
Where Desmo anchored me through chaos, Seabee reflects me in motion. When I’m anxious, he alerts; when I’m grounded, he gives me breathtaking work. He keeps me active, curious, and honest — I can’t hide my energy from him, and he won’t tolerate unfairness.
With him, I’ve had to refine everything I thought I knew about communication. He’s taught me to trade control for clarity, to stay regulated when conflict arises, and to channel fire into focus.
Together, we travel the country exploring obedience, detection, and bitey things, carrying forward the lineage of lessons that began decades ago — this time, with balance, partnership, and joy at the center.
Seabee
My current working partner, teaching me every day that joy and drive can coexist in balance.
Born on my birthday (July 4th!) Seabee feels like a synchronicity, a full-circle moment in canine form. He’s my constant reminder that drive and joy can coexist.
Where Desmo anchored me through chaos, Seabee reflects me in motion. When I’m anxious, he alerts; when I’m grounded, he gives me breathtaking work. He keeps me active, curious, and honest — I can’t hide my energy from him, and he won’t tolerate unfairness.
With him, I’ve had to refine everything I thought I knew about communication. He’s taught me to trade control for clarity, to stay regulated when conflict arises, and to channel fire into focus.
Together, we travel the country exploring obedience, detection, and bitey things, carrying forward the lineage of lessons that began decades ago — this time, with balance, partnership, and joy at the center.