pink pawEricka Duggan – Owner / Instructor

Since 2000 I have been detected to all forms of dog training. My list of accomplishment includes: Running a working ranch for an Australian Shepherd Breeder, developing and managing the behavior department of the local humane society, training and competing with dogs in agility, conformation, obedience, rally-o, weight pull, nosework, mondioring, and lure coursing, and helping thousands of people and dogs live better lives together.

Continuing Education is very important in this field.  I have traveled several times to New York to work with world renown behaviorist Sue Sternberg of Round Out Valley Animals for Adoptions. There I was certified in the Train to Adopt program. The goal is to make dogs in the shelter more adoptable as well as provide them with daily mental stimulation through training. I was also certified in the Training Wheels program, that keeps dogs out of the shelter by providing behavioral and medical assistance to the community. I also became a part of the Lug Nuts program that helps intercity kids keep out of dog fighting and give them an outlet to “show off” their dogs while using positive reinforcement training and fostering a community bond. In the Asses-A-Petprogram I excelled in the ability to match dogs and people together to make life long matches. In addition I am certified with the Humane Society of the United States in the Pets for Life program and have attended countless workshops and seminars with Puppy WorksHSUS, and Positively Trained to name a few. Recently I was one of five people that got to work with international competitor and trainer Bart Bellon when he came to the US. I have also had the pleasure of working quite a bit with Michael Ellis beginning around 2009. He is not only a internationally sought after trainer but was a huge contributors to helping motivational training methods enter the dog sport world. His School for Dog Trainers offers a wide variety of classes all of which I have attended.

Dog sports are my passion. I love to help pet dog owners make the jump to dog sports and reap the benefits! For me training is more than just teaching dog behaviors. Seeing the relationships that develop between dog and owner and the freedom that well-trained dogs can experience is what is it all about for me. I am an guest sport instructor at Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers and travel to Santa Rosa every few weeks to teach other trainers about the wonderful sport of Nosework. Nosework has become a big part of my training programs and I am a Certifying Official Judge for the United Kennel Club program.

Since I don’t offer or believe in cookie cutter dog training, I can’t tell you over the phone or on this website what I would recommend for your dog. No ethical dog trainer will be able to do that. My training philosophy is based on science with a foundation in motivation methods. Jump into training with a private training package or book a consultation and allow me to meet you and your dog in order to give you detail as to what kind of training plan I would put together.