Veronica Sanchez M.Ed. CPDT-KA, CABC

A native of the Washington DC area, Veronica grew up surrounded by dogs and cats in her suburban Fairfax home. After 7 years of experience as an elementary school teacher 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 develop a better relationship with their pet!

Veronica has been training dogs professionally since the 1990's and has experience teaching puppies the basics, training service animals, competing in dog sports and providing continuing education for trainers/working animal handlers. Veronica's goal is to make training fun, practical and do-able for her clients.

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 (CPDT-KA)- Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers
Certified Animal Behavior Consultant- 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
Approved American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Evaluator
Certified by and Faculty Member of Operation Socialization an organization that focuses on puppy socialization
Member of Dog Gone Safe-a non profit focused on dog bite prevention

Experience

Behavior consultant and private dog trainer for Cooperative Paws Training services for pets, therapy dog candidates and working dogs (including service dogs for mobility/hearing) recognized twice in Washingtonian Magazine and 4 times in Northern Virginia Magazine ("Best Of" issues) 2006-present

Guest Lecturer for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms-Sept. 29, 2010, presented on animal behavior for trainers, handlers, and law enforcement professionals involved with explosive and arson detection dogs at the Front Royal Canine Training Center.

Speaker at International Association for Animal Behavior Consultant conferences - 2004 (Columbia, MD) and 2007 (Cleveland, OH)

Former Vice President of the IAABC (2006), Veronica founded the division on Human-Animal Mutualism that focuses on therapy, service and other working animals.

Speaker at Paws for Service Dogs conference in Orlando, FL in 2003

Educational Program Coordinator for Paws-Up, Inc. a non-profit association that trained assistance and therapy dogs 2003-2007

Group class and private lesson instructor for a well-established Arlington and Falls Church dog training company 1990's. Veronica taught both group and private lessons for puppies, adult dogs and Canine Good Citizen preparation. During this time period she had the opportunity to work with a team of dog training instructors with a wide array of experience from dog sports, conformation and even search and rescue.

Experience living with dogs for over 30 years. She has lived with a variety of breeds from different breed groups including breeds well known for being "challenging to train" such as nordic breeds. She has personally owned up to 6 pets (four dogs, two cats) at one time and managed the challenges of a multi-animal household successfully. She has titled dogs in obedience, trained several to work as therapy dogs and has experience in dog sports and service dog training. All of her current adult dogs have passed the AKC CGC at a minimum.

• Interviewed for Dog Fancy, Sept. 2011 issue on training mixed bred dogs
• Top Tips from Top Trainers, The Association of Pet Dog Trainers, 2010
  
• Northern Virginia Dog Magazine, "dog expert" contributor for quarterly column, Jan. 2009 to Aug. 2010.
• The Hill Rag, July 2008, Why Can't My Dog Play Nicely?
• GoodDogz.org "But I thought my newly adopted adult dog was already housetrained!"
• Washington Parent, March 2007, A Cautionary Tail
• Association of Pet Dog Trainers' newsletter, Chronicle of the Dog
• Association of Pet Dog Trainers book, The Dog Trainer's Resource
• Interviewed in August 2010 for the Washington DC Examiner online
• Interviewed for an article on dogs that had experienced trauma or abuse by Northern Virginia Magazine, for Oct. 2008
• Veronica worked with colleagues to draft 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.
• Interviewed by the Washington Examiner for an article on separation anxiety in Sept. 2005
• 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.

Read testimonials

Learn about Ken Oberle, Cooperative Paws' Owner

Read about Veronica in the Fairfax Times

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