Kerri Linn, CTC, CTB.ccs, IPDTA-CDT
OWNER | BPSYCH, PPG
Kerri is a graduate of The Academy for Dog Trainers intensive, highly acclaimed program developed and run by world reknown dog training expert and author, Jean Donaldson. Kerri has also earned a certificate of Professional Pet Dog Trainer and Behaviour Therapist while mentoring under Norma Jeanne Laurette, owner of Canine Correspondence Studies. As a certified trainer and member of the International Positive Dog Training Association, Kerri upholds the ethical standards for humane dog training. She also holds a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Queen's University. Her joy of teaching has come from time spent as a certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Growing up on a family farm surrounded by dogs, cats and horses; it’s no wonder she combined her love of animals and her education into a rewarding career as a dog trainer and teacher of their human companions. Kerri is known for her positive and patient approach to training dogs and coaching their owners.
Kerri is a member of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) which promotes only force-free training and pet care. Kerri likes to stay current on new and innovative, positive ways to teach dogs and their owners by attending seminars, webinars, workshops, and networking with others in the pet industry. She has also completed her pet first aid certification through The Pet Professional Guild.
Our Training Method
Through our years of experience and education we have created services that best help puppy owners build foundations that set them on the path to success. We have helped numerous dogs with behaviour issues and dog reactivity live in harmony with their owners and their community. At PWDT, we understand how dogs learn and use that knowledge to teach you how to train your dog using positive, reward based methods. Our dog training techniques do not use pain, fear, or intimidation. We teach our dogs the behaviours we want, which creates a stronger, more positive bond between you and your dog. Aversive techniques teaches dogs to avoid negative consequences, leading to a fearful association towards you, creates owner-absent behaviour problems, creates new problems and causes undo psychological harm.
Dogs exhibit normal dog behaviours, such as chewing, digging, and jumping up. We need to teach them, when and where they can engage in these behaviours or teach them an alternate behaviour which is more acceptable to us. If we don’t want our dog to jump on us when we come into the house, then we should teach them to sit or lie down instead. We get the acceptable behaviour we want and the dog still gets what it wants, our attention! This is a win-win situation that can be easily done using positive reward based training.
Wondering if positive, reward-based dog training will work for those reactive or fearful dogs? You bet it does! In fact, our training methods get to the root of the problem to change how the dog feels about what is causing all that emotional upheaval. This is a much better solution than just trying to suppress the warning signs such as growling and snapping, and leaving the underlying aggression or fear in place. As Ian Dunbar, veterinarian and dog behaviourist says, that would be "removing the ticker out of the time bomb!" Clinical psychologists don't punish people who are afraid or anxious about certain situations. They work to change how a person thinks and feels about the situation to create a positive association. We work with dogs to do the same.
We use what motivates your dog to create the behaviour we want, which in most cases are treats or toys. We then show you how to gradually fade the use of treats and incorporate other real life rewards that your dog values.
We will help you and your dog have a pawsitively happy life together.
