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| Cooperative Paws llc
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| Dog obedience training, puppy training and behavior consultations with a focus on owner education. Serving residents in Northern Virginia (Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax County), Washington DC and Maryland (Bethesda, Chevy Chase) |
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About Veronica Sanchez M.Ed. CPDT, CABC
Veronica is a native of the DC area. After 7 years of successful experience teaching elementary age children for Fairfax County Public Schools, she developed a condition called generalized dystonia and was forced to discontinue. Fortunately, she found another venue to pursue her passion to educate, helping people resolve their pet behavior problems!
Credentials
- Masters Degree in Education, Bachelors Degree in Psychology from George Mason University
- Certificate in Brain Research in Education from University of Washington - an NIH sponsored program on the physiology of learning
- Certified Professional Dog Trainer- Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers
- Certified Animal Behavior Consulting- International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC)
- Endorsed member of the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (#1044E)
- Professional Member - Association of Pet Dog Trainers
- Former Vice President of the IAABC, founder of the division on Human-Animal Mutualism that focuses on therapy, service and other working animals.
- Speaker at conferences for professional trainers and behavior consultants including the Orlando, Paws for Service Dogs conference in 2003, IAABC conferences 2004 and 2007
- Educational Program Coordinator for Paws-Up, Inc. a non-profit association that trains assistance and therapy dogs 2003-2007
- Recognized in Washingtonian Magazine (Feb. 2008 issue) as one of the area's top trainers.
- Approved American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Evaluator
- Member of Dog Gone Safe, a non-profit dedicated to dog bite prevention.
- Regularly attends conferences and seminars to remain current in the field
Veronica has a unique combination of extensive hands-on experience, formal university education, and credentials from three independent animal behavior professional associations. She provides private dog training services in the Washington DC and Northern Virginia area (including Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County).
Experience
Veronica has over 18 years hands-on experience in dog training including experience as a group class instructor and private lesson instructor for an Arlington dog training company.
Veronica has trained her personal dogs to high levels of obedience. She trained her rough collie, to compete successfully in obedience, frisbee and to assist her as a service dog. Veronica has also trained 4 of her own dogs to work as therapy dogs in area nursing homes for Fairfax County's Pets on Wheels program. Additionally, she trained all of her dogs to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen test and trained several complex service dog skills. Veronica has experience training hearing dogs and mobility service dogs for clients with disabilities.
Publications
- Veronica's writing has been published in:
- Association of Pet Dog Trainers' newsletter, Chronicle of the Dog
- Association of Pet Dog Trainers book, The Dog Trainer's Resource
- Washington Parent, March 2007, A Cautionary Tail
- Association of Pet Dog Trainers' newsletter, Chronicle of the Dog
- Veronica participated in drafting the definition of a professional animal behavior consultant used by the IAABC. This definition was published in the March 2007 issue of the Journal of Veterinary Behavior.
- Veronica was interviewed by the Washington Examiner for an article on separation anxiety
- Veronica was the Managing Editor for A Pawsitive Canine Experience, Paws-Up, Inc.'s newsletter for assistance and therapy dog handlers and trainers. This newsletter won the 2005 Dog Writers Association of America Maxwell Award.
- Veronica is the co-author of Step by Step: Mobility Assistance Dog Training, a book written for Paws-Up Inc. on training mobility assistance dogs. This book has been sold at Karen Pryor's Clicker Expos.