MEET OUR ClickerExpo LIVE
FACULTY
Want to learn a bit more? Click on a pic!
Please note: ClickerExpo LIVE faculty are subject to change.
Want to learn a bit more? Click on a pic!
Please note: ClickerExpo LIVE faculty are subject to change.
Registration for LIVE (virtual) closes on Sunday, January 21, at 11:59 pm (PT).
Laura VanArendonk Baugh is a crossover trainer. She is particularly interested in more efficient behavior change as well as the general holistic effects of training. Laura became a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner in 2008 and has since returned to the Academy as an instructor. She is also certified in TAGteach and is the author of Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out and Social, Civil, and Savvy.
Learn more about Laura on her website, Facebook page, Instagram, or Twitter.
Eva Bertilsson has a master’s degree in behavior analysis and a passion for animal welfare. She has been hooked on positive reinforcement training since the early 1990s. She and her dogs have participated in a variety of dog sports, including high-level obedience; they were part of the national team in agility. Today Eva teaches about behavior in multiple settings, always enjoying networking and connecting people and ideas.
Together with business partner Emelie Johnson Vegh, Eva runs their collaboration Carpe Momentum. “E&E” teach seminars and online courses on a wide variety of topics. They are known for concepts such as seamless training sessions, start-button behaviors, and flowcharts, along with their passion for foundation training for agility and other sports. TAGteach faculty members, Emelie and Eva are committed to creating the best learning environment for humans and non-humans alike. Eva and Emelie met at the agility field 20 years ago. In their book Agility Right from the Start they share their philosophy and structured approach to training, which makes the book a valuable read for all trainers (not just dog-agility enthusiasts).
Eva is a FearFree speaker and a board member of the Swedish Association for Behavior Analysis. One of her most recent cooperations has the nerdy name ABC247.wtf. It is an international web shop with an online learning hub, where Eva organizes webinars based on the theme of Choice, Control & Communication and where Eva and Emelie offer their own webinars and courses.
Learn more about Eva on her website, Facebook page, or Instagram.
Veronica Boutelle, MA Ed, CTC, is co-founder of dogbiz (formerly dogtec) and the author of several books, including How To Run a Dog Business: Putting Your Career Where Your Heart Is. Through dogbiz and their flagship program THRIVE!, she and her team help dog trainers start, grow, and run thriving businesses. Veronica writes regular business columns for multiple industry journals, including PPG’s BARKS from the Guild, and is a sought-after speaker at dog training schools and conferences across the country and internationally. Veronica and dogbiz co-founder Gina Phairas are proud to provide the business curriculum for Karen Pryor Academy.
Learn more about Veronica on her website or on her Facebook page.
Hannah Branigan has been training dogs and teaching people for more than 15+ years. In addition to being a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP), she is a faculty member for KPA, a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT). Hannah is also a popular speaker and teaches workshops all over the country. As the owner of Wonderpups, LLC, Hannah is committed to training both dogs and people with positive reinforcement methods.
Hannah has titled her dogs in conformation, obedience, schutzhund, agility, and rally. Her dogs have multiple class wins, both AKC and UKC High in Trial awards, and scores that qualify for several Front & Finish Awards of Excellence (FFX).
Learn more about Hannah on her website, on Facebook, on Instagram, on YouTube, or on Twitter.
Aaron Clayton is the CEO of Karen Pryor Clicker Training (KPCT). He joined the company in 2001 and with Karen Pryor, and now with Ken Ramirez, has piloted the company’s growth for over a decade and a half. He is a management executive with approximately 25 years of experience growing service-based businesses. Of all his experiences, Aaron’s involvement with teaching and learning as the president of KPCT has been the most fun and reinforcing (pun intended!).
Prior to joining KPCT, Aaron helped found and fund a human resources company and was a partner at a business strategy consultancy focused on improving the market position and performance of Fortune 500 companies. He is a board member of TAGteach, LLC. Aaron holds a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and an M.B.A from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
Juliana DeWillems (she/her) is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and KPA Certified Training Partner in the Washington, DC, area. She owns and runs JW Dog Training and Behavior Consulting. When she’s not working with clients, Juliana regularly shares her training expertise on TV, radio, and online programs. She has been featured on WTOP News and Good Morning Washington and was a regular guest on The Pet Show with Dr. Katy for many years. Juliana currently co-hosts the Live from The Ranch online broadcast with Ken Ramirez.
After realizing that there was a huge need for good, humane training advice on social media, Juliana started JW Dog Training’s Instagram page at the end of 2020. Since then, she has grown her Instagram page to more than 135,000 followers, reaching a worldwide audience. Through trial and error, along with marketing experience she has from a past life, Juliana has figured out what works and what doesn’t in getting positive reinforcement training information out to the public in the ever-changing world of social media.
Learn more about Juliana on her website, Facebook, or Instagram.
Susan G. Friedman, Ph.D., is a professor emeritus in the Department of Psychology at Utah State University. She has co-authored chapters on behavior change in 5 veterinary texts and her popular articles have been translated into 17 languages. Susan teaches seminars and courses on animal learning online (How Behavior Works: Living & Learning with Animals) reaching students from 60 countries at last count. She also consults with zoos and animal organizations around the world. Susan was appointed to the F&WS California Condor Recovery Team from 2002-2010, after which time the team was retired due to the success of the birds in the wild. She is currently the Chairperson of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Film and Television Unit of American Humane.
Learn more about Susan on the Behavior+ Works website and Facebook.
Terrie Hayward is a certified professional animal trainer and the owner of PAW-Positive Animal Wellness, LLC. She is the author of the pocket guide to working with deaf dogs, A Deaf Dog Joins the Family: Training, Education, and Communication for a Smooth Transition, co-author of Grooming Without Stress: Safer, Quicker, Happier, and the book for every dog family Your 10 Minute a Day Dog.
Terrie’s specialties include working with deaf dogs and canine separation anxiety cases. She works with families and their animal companions, presents workshops, travels, and consults, focusing on positive reinforcement interactions and modifying behavior through applications in behavior analysis.
Terrie holds a master’s degree in Education and is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP) and faculty member. She is also certified by the Council for Professional Dog Trainers, a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and a Professional Member of The Pet Professional Guild.
Learn more about Terrie on her website , Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
Peggy Hogan fell in love with horses at age 3. Alongside passion for horses, she began to train dogs. At age 15, Peggy owned a dog that was trained to respond to hand and verbal cues; she even found an agent for the dog!
Since those early days, Peggy has been devoted to improving communication with all animals, but her passion has remained with horses. She began to study Natural Horsemanship, but the use of pressure and negative reinforcement led her to hunt for something different. She immersed herself in the teachings of Peggy Cummings, a master clinician and founder of Connected Riding, and transformed her ability to stay connected with a horse on the ground and in the saddle. Now, Peggy uses Connected Riding with its emphasis on ease of movement and postural balance with alignment for both horses and humans.
Peggy heard about Alexandra Kurland who was using positive reinforcement in a technique called clicker training and achieving very clear communication with horses. Peggy saw the effects and knew clicker training was right for her. She began to watch and learn from clicker trainers of other species. She learned from renowned trainers, including Ken Ramirez and Dr. Susan Friedman.
Peggy investigated ways to add shaping, capturing, luring, and targeting—pressure-free techniques—to teach equine behavior. Peggy embraced the idea that horses would respond and offer behavior freely, if given the choice. Using positive reinforcement and offering more control to the animal have led her to the development phase of consent signals, start buttons, and requested behaviors.
When you watch Peggy's current videos, you will see horses, at liberty, offering behaviors that range from freestyle to agility to medical procedures. Peggy has trained full-sized horses as well as miniature horses; her techniques have been used to help rescued horses. Peggy's current goal is to share the steps for learning about clicker training, primarily the lesser-known techniques of shaping, capturing, luring, and targeting, all fueled by the horse’s control and power of choice. With clicker training, the horse owners can achieve wonderful results that, until now, were reserved for professional trainers. Peggy has been a guest speaker at ClickerExpo since 2013.
Learn more about Peggy on her website, her Facebook page, Instagram, or on Twitter.
Jennifer Kolar is a founding board member and President of Atlas Assistance Dogs, a nonprofit organization dedicated to working with people with disabilities to train their dogs as service dogs. In her seven-year tenure at Atlas, she has played a pivotal role developing programs that cater to individuals with disabilities and their canine companions while also spearheading the creation of professional training offerings for service dog trainers. Jennifer has also served as the lead trainer for the Seattle Animal Shelter volunteer foster dog program for more than 10 years.
Prior to her involvement with Atlas, Jennifer co-founded and nurtured a for-profit business specializing in owner-based service dog training. She also contributed to the establishment and management of a non-profit training program where she oversaw puppy raisers, dog-trainer education, kennel operations, and advanced task training for numerous service-dogs-in-training simultaneously.
Jennifer holds several certifications, including as a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP), Atlas Certified Trainer (Atlas CT), Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, Certified Diabetes Alert Dog Trainer, Certified Behavior Adjustment Training Instructor (CBATI), and Certified Peer Supporter. Furthermore, she earned a BS in Applied Mathematics in Engineering and an MS in Astrophysical, Planetary, and Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Jennifer has shared her expertise at numerous conferences and events, including the Association of Migraine Disorders, Washington Epilepsy Foundation, Abilities Expo, Association of Pet Dog Trainers, Fenzi Academy, and Pet Professional Guild. A longstanding ClickerExpo attendee, she is thrilled to deliver her first feature presentation at ClickerExpo LIVE.
A resident of Seattle, Washington, Jennifer shares her home with her service dog, Theodore, and a revolving cast of visiting dogs, much to the chagrin of her partner and their two cats.
Learn more about Jennifer on her website, on Facebook, or on Instagram.
Alexandra Kurland has built her life around horses. She is a graduate of Cornell University where she specialized in animal behavior. Alexandra began teaching in the early 1980s. Her area of particular interest is the development of a horse’s balance: physical and emotional. Helping horses stay sound throughout a long lifetime is the goal. The results are beautiful horses that feel like heaven to ride.
In 1998, Alexandra launched the rapidly growing field of clicker training for horses with the publication of her first book, Clicker Training for Your Horse. Pre-pandemic Alexandra traveled widely, teaching at clinics and conferences. In 2020, she switched to teaching on Zoom and discovered that this medium is a great way to help people with their horses.
Alexandra has written The Click That Teaches: A Step–By–Step Guide in Pictures and has also produced The Click That Teaches: Riding with the Clicker. She has also produced The Click That Teaches DVD lesson series, and an online training course. People outside the horse community may know her best through her weekly Equiosity podcast.
Laurie Luck has been involved in the dog world for more than 25 years. Her formal education includes a master of arts degree in psychology, but she credits dogs for teaching her the most important concepts of behavior and training.
An entrepreneur (Smart Dog University) and social media enthusiast, Laurie delights in sharing her knowledge and experience with dog owners across the country. She is committed to helping improve the lives of dogs through education of the humans at the end of the leash. Laurie's YouTube channel offers free dog-training videos and her blog details training experiences and ideas that every dog owner will find helpful. New(ish) to running, she has found a way to share that passion with her dogs. Laurie wrote several articles on her blog detailing her progress—and the progress of her canine running partner. The girl who hated running has run a half-marathon!
A member of the ClickerExpo faculty, Laurie has been a Karen Pryor Academy faculty member of since 2008. She leads the Dog Trainer Professional (DTP) program at various locations in the United States. Laurie has spoken at regional and national conferences about both dog behavior and social media.
Laurie has been a volunteer puppy-raiser for a service-dog organization since 2001. She has had a hand in raising and training more than 20 service dogs and enjoys being involved in the education of dogs that go on to do so much good for their human partners. Laurie combines her passion for puppies with her passion for craft beer by visiting local breweries with whatever service dog she's raising.
Learn more about Laurie on her website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Debbie Martin, LVT, VTS (Behavior), KPA CTP, CPDT-KA is a Licensed Veterinary Technician and a Veterinary Technician Specialist in Behavior (VTS-Behavior) in Texas. She has been a fulltime registered/licensed veterinary technician since 1996 and worked in private practice for more than 14 years. Since 2005, Debbie has been the animal behavior technician for Veterinary Behavior Consultations, LLC. She assists Kenneth Martin, DVM, DACVB, with behavior consultations.
Debbie is the co-owner of TEAM Education in Animal Behavior, a business focused on providing education on humane training and behavior modification and on fostering collaboration between various animal-behavior professions. She is a Karen Pryor Academy (KPA) Faculty Member Emeritus and a member of the Karen Pryor Clicker Training ClickerExpo conference faculty.
Debbie is a contributing author and co-editor of the textbook Canine and Feline Behavior for Veterinary Technicians and Nurses by Wiley-Blackwell. Debbie and Dr. Kenneth Martin have also authored a book on normal development and training for dogs: Puppy Start Right: Foundation Training for the Companion Dog. The pair also authored the Karen Pryor Academy course Puppy Start Right for Instructors. Debbie’s combined experience in general practice and behavior specialty has fueled her passion for preventive behavior medicine and the Fear Free initiative. Debbie is honored to be a subject matter expert for Fear Free Pets and Fear Free Happy Homes. When she is not seeing clients, writing, or speaking, Debbie enjoys spending time at home with her husband, young border terrier, Chip, and Malinois, Ozzi, on their five-acre property in Spicewood, Texas. She also loves exploring the beautiful hill country of Texas on her motorcycle!
Learn more about Debbie on her website.
After more than 30 years as a national-level gymnastics coach, Theresa was determined to find a way to speed up skill acquisition for her athletes while simultaneously decreasing stress and fear in the learning environment. Her search for behaviorally sound techniques, clean instructions, and the proper timing of feedback and reinforcement, led to the development of the TAGteach methodology. Theresa teamed with Joan Orr, Beth Wheeler, and Aaron Clayton and Karen Pryor of Karen Pryor Clicker Training to found TAGteach International, LLC. Since then, TAGteach has evolved into an entire teaching protocol benefiting an endless variety of human applications. The success of the methodology has been accented by the wide range of applications embracing it.
Theresa now consults and designs TAGteach programs in business management, industrial safety, medical, and surgical training, sport coaching, family communication, and, of course, training for those who teach people to train their companion animals. She is the author of Don’t Nag... TAG!: Success the First Time with TAGteach. Theresa is a sought-after speaker across the United States and around the world, including in Europe, the U.K., Taiwan, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
Melissa Millett is the founder and head trainer of In Dogs We Trust and The Ultimutts, and Ultimutt Animal Actors. As an animal expert, Melissa has been featured internationally as well as on programs on every major Canadian TV network, including Breakfast Television (Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary), CP24, Global News, CTV (Toronto, Vancouver), Animal Planet, The Pet Network, and more. Melissa is the host of the Canadian television show Doggy House Calls and the spin-off series Doggy Diaries in cities across Canada.
Melissa is known internationally as an advanced trick trainer and performer with Ultimutts. A few of the Ultimutts have been featured internationally on: Good Morning America, The Rick Mercer Report, The Family Channel, CBC, and Guinness World Records. Bella the Boston terrier has traveled across the country with Ripley’s Believe it or Not! to promote her appearance in the 2016 publication. Jellybean the deaf Australian cattle dog made it to the semifinals of the Facebook Watch show World's Most Amazing Dog, receiving 36 million views and coming very close to winning $100,000 USD!
Melissa provides an elite service for animals in film and TV. Most notably, co-training the cats for Stephen King’s 2019 Pet Sematary and worked on a 2019 Super Bowl commercial as well as commercials for Duracell, Ford, Yoplait, and Gund. Past clients have included Paramount, Netflix, Warner Brothers, and more!
Learn more about Melissa and Ultimutts on her website, on Facebook, or Instagram.
Kathie Nurena is a physician and a dog trainer. She graduated from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed her Family Medicine Residency at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut. She is currently a faculty member in the same program, teaching residents in both the outpatient and hospital settings. Within the field of medicine, Kathie is particularly interested in social determinants of health, health equity, and scholarly activities.
Growing up, Kathie always had pets in her household. After completing her residency, she acquired her first dog as an adult. Fortunately, she discovered a remarkable training facility and trainers who eventually became her friends. Together with her Maltese companion Shorty, Kathie competed in canine sports such as agility, nose work, and canine freestyle. Her journey into professional dog training began when she attended her first ClickerExpo conference, unaware at the time that it would shape her future. Subsequently, she graduated from Karen Pryor Academy (KPA) as a KPA Certified Training Partner (CTP) and obtained her Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI) certification. Kathie is actively involved in teaching nose work classes.
Through years of observation and continuous education, Kathie has developed a keen interest in the bond and understanding that evolves between a handler and his or her canine partner through training and play. She has long recognized the relevance of principles derived from learning theory and positive reinforcement, which she learned in animal training initially, to her work with human learners. Kathie also believes that some theories within the medical literature could potentially be applied to animal training.
Sarah Owings is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP). She specializes in learner-centric applications of behavioral principles that help transform the lives of fearful, shut-down, and over-the-top dogs—as well as the lives of the people who care for them. As an international speaker and regular contributor to online training forums, she is known for her innovative approaches to tough behavior problems and her compassionate and insightful teaching.
Sarah has written for Clean Run magazine on topics such as stimulus control, release cues, and toy-related cues. Her current passions include reframing concepts like “impulse control,” and encouraging trainers to embrace a philosophy of brave learning. Sarah is a member of the ClickerExpo faculty, an instructor for Cyber Scent Online, a tutor for Tromplo, and an advisor to the Glendale Humane Society in Los Angeles. She recently began teaching classes for Marin Humane in Novato and consults with their behavior team.
>An avid nose work competitor, Sarah currently competing at both the Elite and Iron Dog levels with her Labrador retriever, Tucker. Tucker was the recipient of the Harry Award in 2015 and has the distinction of titling at each level of NACSW without a single miss. In Sniffing Dog Sports, he has won High in Trial in both Advanced and Excellent divisions and has earned a HIT at Iron Dog. Tucker's trained final response for nose work, a hover-freeze at source, was taught with a marker signal, following clicker training principles.
Learn more about Sarah on her Facebook page.
Emma Parsons is a Canine Behavior Training Consultant at Gemini Dogs in Littleton, Massachusetts. She also owns her own business, Emma Parsons, LLC. Focused on managing and rehabilitating reactive and aggressive dogs, she brings extensive experience and respected expertise to her work. Emma has authored three books on the subject of reactive and aggressive dogs, including her most recent book, The New Click to Calm: Solutions for All Dogs in a Challenging World. She also assists agility competitors whose dogs experience emotional difficulties.
In addition to her consulting work, Emma is a faculty member of Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior (KPA) and ClickerExpo. She is certified by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (CDBC).
Emma earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She and her husband Greg have four clicker-trained competition dogs: Austyn-Roque and Spirit-Rayne, both golden retrievers, Joshua Lee Hunt, a border collie, and Zachary-Benedict, a papillon.
Learn more about Emma on her website.
Chirag Patel runs Domesticated Manners in London, UK. He consults on the ethical and science-based practice of behavior management and training for animals housed in domestic, zoo, and laboratory environments. Chirag also conducts workshops for professionals internationally and was a behavior consultant on the BBC 1 television show Nightmare Pets SOS.
Chirag earned his BSc (Hons) in Veterinary Sciences from the Royal Veterinary College in London and a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Animal Behavior from the University of Lincoln, UK. He is also a certified parrot behavior consultant (CPBC) with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). Currently, Chirag is studying for a MSc in Applied Behavior Analysis.
Learn more about Chirag on his website, on Facebook, on Instagram, on YouTube, or on Twitter.
A central force behind dogbiz, the dog pro industry’s leading business support company, and a former instructor at the San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers, Gina Phairas oversees the dogbiz University program, developing business courses to help R+ trainers succeed in their dream businesses. She is a dynamic speaker, teaching business workshops across the country and for Karen Pryor Academy. Gina previously ran a successful dog training business of her own and consulted nationally for shelters and rescue groups.
Michele Pouliot has worked with dogs and horses professionally since 1970. She studied horsemanship under Linda Tellington-Jones and graduated at the school’s highest riding instructor level. When Michele acquired her first dog, she quickly became hooked on dog training, which altered her career path focus. Horses continue to be Michele’s hobby and life love.
In 1974, Michele joined Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB), the largest guide-dog school in North America. She trained more than 350 guide-dog teams over her 42-year career with GDB. She began to shift her training methods to clicker training in 2000. Michele guided the GDB organization away from historical punishment-based techniques to positive reinforcement methods. Michele has led her school, and dozens of guide-dog programs globally, in the adoption of clicker training for all aspects of guide-dog work. In 2016, the International Guide Dog Federation presented a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award to Michele.
Since retiring from her guide-dog career, Michele continues to teach and consult for guide- and service-dog organizations within the USA and internationally; she also coaches clicker training for dog sports. She was invited by Karen Pryor to join the ClickerExpo conference faculty in 2007. Michele considers ClickerExpo the highlight of each year, learning as much from faculty associates as others learn from her.
Michele has been successful in canine dog sports since 1972. She was active in competition obedience for 20+ years, gaining four OTCH (Obedience Trial Championships) titles with her own dogs. Michele also competed in tracking and agility. In 2005, Michele discovered a new sport, Canine Musical Freestyle. She fell in love with this challenging and creative hobby and became a leader in the sport, earning multiple Canine Musical Freestyle championship titles and winning national and international competitions. Michele and her Australian shepherd, Listo, made canine freestyle history with the World Canine Freestyle Organization as the first team to receive perfect scores in both Artistic and Technical categories, repeating this incredible achievement 24 times. Often referred to as a “trainers’ trainer,” Michele is known as a clear, down-to-earth, enthusiastic teacher who demonstrates her love for animals and people every time she speaks. Although she is enjoying spending more time at home since retirement, Michele continues to be passionate about teaching positive reinforcement training.
Ken Ramirez is the Executive Vice-President (EVP) and Chief Training Officer of Karen Pryor Clicker Training (KPCT). There he helps to oversee the vision, development, and implementation of training education programs for the organization.
A 50+-year veteran of animal care and training, Ken is a biologist and animal behaviorist who has overseen or consulted on training projects for many zoological organizations throughout the world. He began his training career working with guide dogs for the visually impaired and continues to work with organizations training dogs for service work, search-and-rescue, bomb detection, and narcotic detection. Ken has also maintained a close affiliation with pet training throughout his career.
Prior to his work with KPCT, Ken served as EVP of Animal Care and Animal Training at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium for more than 25 years. There he developed and supervised animal care and animal health programs, staff training and development, and public presentation programs for more than 32,000 animals. Ken has written for numerous scientific publications and authored countless popular articles. He is the author of the bestselling Animal Training: Successful Animal Management through Positive Reinforcement as well as his newest book, The Eye of the Trainer: Animal Training, Transformation, and Trust.
Ken taught a graduate course on animal training at Western Illinois University for 20 years and has been active in several professional organizations, including as a past president of the International Marine Animal Trainer’s Association (IMATA). He is actively involved in the creation of a certification process for animal trainers in zoological settings. Currently, Ken is developing courses and programming at The Ranch, the Karen Pryor National Training Center in the state of Washington.
Linda Randall, DVM, KPA CTP, TAGteach Level 3, LLA, is a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She has been certified by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners for 20 years and is a graduate of the Karen Pryor Academy (KPA) Dog Trainer Professional program.
When she owned a veterinary hospital in Medina, Ohio, Linda was actively involved in community organizations. She served as a Rape Crisis Center call respondent and held positions on the board of the Medina County Battered Women’s Center, including President. Linda was an expert witness in multiple animal cruelty and abuse cases. During that same time period, she was also a member and the President of the Ohio Veterinary Medicine Licensing Board.
Linda has traveled to Ghana multiple times, gaining valuable experience in veterinary medicine across different environments. She has also given talks to companion animal practitioners in Ghana on maximizing resources in their practice.
Currently, Linda owns One Smart Dog in Seville, Ohio, a comprehensive dog training facility. Her specialties are coaching agility and kids classes. Linda's primary passion is understanding the behavior of dogs and people in both sports and home settings, particularly when the behavior is influenced by adverse life experiences. As both a veterinarian and a trainer, Linda combines her expertise to assess her patients holistically. She frequently delivers talks on animal behavior and trauma-informed care, approaching the understanding of individual behavior and its function with confidence and curiosity. Linda is highly regarded for her work with children and youth. She has found that the skills young people develop working with dogs can have positive impact on their interactions with others and on their overall world outlook.
Linda trains her own border collies in agility, scent work, and herding. After 30 years competing with rottweilers and flat-coated retrievers, breeds that still hold a special place in her heart, she has settled on border collies. Linda also enjoys Lindy Hop dancing, hiking, and listening to local music.
Learn more about Linda on her website, on Facebook, and on Instagram.
Libby Rockaway is an author, trainer, and multi-business owner with a background in both human and animal behavior. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership also from Penn, and a Master’s degree in Animal Behavior and Welfare from Queen’s University Belfast.
While her training experience began at a young age with pet dogs, she shifted her focus toward the Diabetic Alert Dog industry and has been training these medical alert dogs for children with type 1 diabetes for the last 10 years. As her passion for this training grew, her desire to bring transparency and data-driven practices to the field also developed. As a result, she founded MD Dogs Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to transparentizing the field of Diabetic Alert Dogs, enabling individuals to understand the science behind these dogs’ skills and train their own Alert Dogs.
Through MD Dogs, Libby published a book and created a video series documenting step-by-step instructions to train your own Diabetic Alert Dog, providing these materials to the public for free. She has also developed a Neonatal Scent Imprinting process for breeders that results in puppies being capable of alerting to low glucose events as soon as they are placed in homes at just a few months old. Since its founding, MD Dogs' materials have been used by thousands of individuals across the world to train Service Dogs for a fraction of the cost.
In 2021, Libby joined a pet technology startup, Companion Labs, where she combines her knowledge of human behavior and neuroscience with experience in canine behavior to find innovative ways to improve the health and happiness of our canine family members.
In her spare time, Libby trains a few working cocker spaniels as Diabetic Alert Dogs, dabbles in Rally, Obedience, Agility, and Dock Diving competitions, and leads the local 4-H dog club.
Sarah Rodriguez is the proud owner of her dog training business, Home Schooled Hound, where she assists clients in-person and virtually, helping them develop stronger bonds with their pets through training. Additionally, she holds a Fear Free certification and collaborates with a local Fear Free veterinary office, conducting in-service training to ensure a low-stress experience for their canine and feline patients. Sarah also guides interested clients in teaching their pets animal husbandry behaviors, promoting stress-free care.
Born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a neuromuscular disease, Sarah relies on a power wheelchair for mobility. She finds joy in empowering individuals with disabilities to creatively train their dogs and foster enduring connections between them.
Sarah graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in Psychology and obtained her CPDT from the Ethology Institute. To stay updated on the latest scientific discoveries and provide cutting-edge training techniques to her clients, she actively participates in animal behavior conferences. Her household includes her dog, Danny, and her parrot, Gracie. During her leisure time, she volunteers and fosters animals for shelters and rescues, while also teaching her pets new tricks.
Michael Shikashio, CDBC, is the founder of AggressiveDog.com. His focus is on teaching other professionals from around the world how to work aggression cases successfully. Michael is a five-term president of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) and a full member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT).
Michael’s expert opinion is often sought by media outlets, including The New York Times, the New York Post, Fox News, The List TV, the Baltimore Sun, WebMD, Women’s Health magazine, Real Simple magazine, SiriusXM Radio, The Chronicle of the Dog, and Steve Dale’s Pet World. He also hosts the popular podcast show The Bitey End of the Dog, where he chats with the foremost experts on dog aggression.
Michael is a featured keynote speaker at conferences, universities, and seminars around the world. He offers a variety of educational opportunities on the topic of canine aggression, including the Aggression in Dogs Master Course and the annual Aggression in Dogs conference.
Learn more about Michael and Aggressive.com on his website , Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
Lori Stevens (CPDT-KA, SAMP, CCFT, CPBC) uses humane and scientific methods to improve the health, behavior, and performance of animals. Her experience is holistic and incorporates respect for animals as teachers. She continually studies the interactions among animal behavior, movement, learning, and health, and this effort is reflected in her innovative approach.
Lori is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, a certified Small Animal Massage Practitioner, a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer, and a Certified Parrot Behavior Consultant, as well as a Senior Tellington TTouch practitioner for dogs, cats, and other animals. Lori is the creator of the Balance Harness. She teaches workshops and presents at conferences worldwide, including ClickerExpo where she has presented on aging dogs, fitness, and movement work.
Learn more about Lori on her website, Facebook, or Instagram.
August Stockwell, PhD, (they/them) is a neurodiversity educator and consultant with a strong dedication to disability justice and the provision of accessible mental health supports. With a background that included founding a nonprofit organization centered around LGBTQ2IA and neurodiversity, August has 14 years of valuable experience collaborating with educators and helping professionals on diverse subjects related to culturally-sensitive practice. Augmenting their perspective as a neurodivergent, queer, and non-binary individual, August expertly combines their community-member insight with their roles as a researcher and educator.
Learn more about August on LinkedIn.
Laura Monaco Torelli is the founder of Animal Behavior Training Concepts in Chicago, Illinois. Her career began in 1991 at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, where she was part of the animal care team for beluga whales, dolphins, sea otters, seals, river otters, and penguins. After nearly a decade at the Shedd, she moved on to the San Diego Zoo and then Brookfield Zoo as a lead supervisory trainer. During her time in the zoo community, Laura worked with a wide variety of species, including primates, large cats, birds of prey, horses, parrots, tree kangaroos, giraffes, red pandas, and dogs.
Laura is a Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior faculty member and is a Teaching Assistant for Dr. Susan G. Friedman’s Living & Learning with Animals online course. She has presented at professional conferences and taught seminars across the United States, Italy, Sweden, the UK, Singapore, Japan, and the Caribbean. Laura was an invited speaker at the American Veterinary Medical Association Convention, Midwest Veterinary Conference, Penn Vet Working Dog Conference, and the Aggression in Dogs Conference. She has appeared on various broadcast media, including FOX 32, WGN, NBC 5 News, WGN Radio, and WCIU’s You & Me This Morning. Laura contributed training videos for the Fear Free Professional Trainer Certification program and the Karen Pryor Academy Better Vet Visits online course.
Learn more about Laura on her website, on Facebook, or on Instagram.
Emelie Johnson Vegh (she/her) works both independently and collaboratively with Eva Bertilsson in their business Carpe Momentum. Emelie and Eva’s shared goal is to help individuals acquire knowledge and skills through science-based, modern, humane, and empowering teaching strategies that benefit learners of all species. Emelie also coaches individuals in developing “sustainable habits” using activities such as running and dog training as ways to approach the topic.
With a degree in education, Emelie is a high school teacher specializing in Swedish and English; her work encompasses language studies and literature. She has furthered her expertise through studies in linguistics and children's literature. Emelie writes fiction for adults and has authored a series of children's books that emphasize positive reinforcement training. She also works as a translator and editor, relishing the opportunity to craft narratives and make information accessible to a wide audience.
Emelie and Eva Bertilsson co-authored the book Agility Right from the Start (Sunshine Books, 2010), which outlines their training philosophy and structured approach; the book is a valuable resource not only for agility enthusiasts, but for other trainers and dog owners. Emelie is a long-standing member of the ClickerExpo faculty, teaching alongside Eva. Together, they introduced TAGteach to Scandinavia in 2005, becoming the first European TAGteach faculty.
Emelie lives with her husband, three children, and their field golden retriever, Tessa, in Malmö, Sweden. She enjoys a variety of sports and delights in breaking down sports skills and teaching both adults and children. Emelie's overarching aim is to make learning accessible, intriguing, and enjoyable. As a dog trainer, she is experienced across multiple disciplines and has competed in various dog sports with dogs of diverse breeds. Currently, she is focused on preparing Tessa for a range of sports and is venturing back into the horse world, engaging in training and teaching activities.
Learn more about Emelie on her website, Facebook page, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
Laurie C. Williams (CPDT-KA, CCUI) has had a love of and connection with dogs from as far back as she can remember. She is the owner and Director of Training and Behavior Counseling at Pup ‘N Iron Canine Fitness & Learning Center in Fredericksburg, VA, where she has been serving her community as a canine education specialist and dog behavior counselor for the past 16 years. Laurie holds a B.A. from Norwich University in Montpelier, VT, and was a member of the adjunct faculty of the Natural Sciences Department of Northern Virginia Community College for seven years. Laurie is a nationally published writer with works appearing in the APDT Chronicle of the Dog, The Whole Dog Journal, Dog & Handler, 911, Essence, Fitness, and Good Housekeeping magazines. She is currently a member of the Board of Governors of the Dog Writer’s Association of America and is a therapy-dog evaluator for Pet Partners, a Canine Good Citizen evaluator, and a licensed judge for the American Kennel Club.
Learn more about Laurie on her website, on Facebook, or on Instagram.
Kiki Yablon is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA), Karen Pryor Academy faculty member, and co-instructor for Susan Friedman’s BehaviorWorks, and holds a master’s degree in applied behavioral science.
Kiki came to clicker training in 2005 as the novice owner of an under-socialized adolescent shelter dog, Pigeon. She had the good fortune to live next door to a marine mammal trainer who introduced her to Karen Pryor’s work, which in turn led Kiki to her first mentor, fellow Expo presenter Laura Monaco Torelli. After briefly wandering in the unregulated training wilderness, Kiki attended and graduated from Karen Pryor Academy. She then worked as Laura’s righthand woman for eight years before focusing on her own business, Kiki Yablon Dog Training. Some of Kiki’s training interests include excessive barking, proactive puppy raising, loose-leash walking, unusual problem behaviors, and “lazy” solutions that let a well-designed environment do most of the work.
In a previous career, Kiki was a magazine editor. She currently puts those skills to use writing about the application of behavior science to dog training on her well-trafficked blog. Kiki lives with her husband in Chicago, Illinois.
Learn more about Kiki on her website, on Facebook, or on Instagram.
Andre Yeu, the founder of When Hounds Fly Dog Training, has successfully expanded his business to encompass more than five locations throughout Canada and a team of 20 skilled dog trainers and behavior consultants. One of just two Canadians selected to join the esteemed Karen Pryor Academy (KPA) faculty, Andre plays a pivotal role in delivering the KPA Dog Trainer Professional program and certifying other talented trainers.
Known for his extensive knowledge and expertise in dog training, Andre is frequently approached by the media. He has appeared on popular television programs such as CTV Your Morning, eTalk Daily, Global TV News, and CBC News. Andre is often interviewed by notable publications, including Canadian Living and the Toronto Star. Residing in Toronto, Canada, Andre earned a bachelor's degree in Commerce with Honours from the University of British Columbia.
Learn more about Andre on his website, on Facebook, on LinkedIn, or on Instagram.