Meet Our Trainers

For months, Ashley had been trying to work with Chico, a beloved foster dog, when she met a trainer who approached things differently.

“I watched her have a dialogue with the dog and realized I didn’t need to fight with my dog. We didn’t need to bring violence into the relationship,” she says. “We could be a team instead of a dictatorship.”

That transformation, from a more authoritative mindset to a collaborative one, set Ashley on a path to becoming a positive-reinforcement trainer. At Happy Dog, she teaches many of our classes, including Puppy Training & Socialization, Chaotic Canine, Focus and Control for Teens, Foundation Skills for Adult Dogs, and About Town.

Ashley is a scientist at heart, with a knowledge mindset that regularly prompts her to attend conferences and seminars so she can stay up on the latest industry research and best practices.

Ashley has a soft spot for misfit mutts and the humans who love them. She has two misfits herself: Forrest, a rescue from Texas, and Summer, a rescue from California. (Copper, a 10-year-old rescue tabby, thinks he’s a dog.)

For more than a decade, she, her spouse, and their furry companions have fostered hundreds of dogs and helped them transition to their forever homes. They live in Rochester.

Training and Certifications:

• Northwest School of Canine Studies, distinguished graduate and team member
• Certificate in Canine Studies (CCS)
• Associate certification at the Peninsula School for Dog Trainers (PSDT-A)

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