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Cristine Dahl, CTC
Founder/Owner |
Linda
McVay, CCS
Manager and Head Instructor |
Margie Duclos, CCS,
Trainer |
Ruth
LaRocque
CCS, CTC,
Instructor |
Gari Weinraub,
CCS,
Trainer |
Sue Fox,
CCS, Trainer |
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Our staff makes Seattle Dogworks what
it is today; a place that welcomes
the community to explore the
human/canine relationship with
humor, compassion, knowledge, and
mutual respect. ~
Cristine Dahl, Owner
_____________
our approach |
First and foremost, we realize that our
students and clients are real people who
live real, busy, and sometimes hectic
lives. Our approach takes a candid,
realistic look at client needs to build a system of
training right for them. This approach
does have a secondary element of
obedience, but its primary focuses are
manners and emotional soundness.
In other words, sit, stay, and lie down
are great and are somewhat
useful, but more relevant challenges are things like jumping on
visitors, pulling on leash, surfing the
counters, jumping on furniture when not
invited, barking, bursting through the
door, etc. We frequently find ourselves
saying, "I don't care if my dog can sit
if he eats my turkey off the table!"
We also aim to relieve our clients of
the task of training. While
well versed in clicker training and
other technical applications, our
founder, Cristine Dahl, dislikes the idea of finding time
each and everyday to sit down with her
own dogs to train uninterrupted. Because
of this, we
strive for a lifestyle approach to good
dog behavior comprised of checks and
balances. Discipline can be applied in a
kind, gentle, and effective way without
suppressing any of the great personality
traits a dog has. Owners shouldn't have
to give up the intimate relationship
they have with their dog just because
he's poorly behaved, as many currently
popular methods would suggest. Instead,
that relationship can actually grow by
putting a few simple guidelines in
place.
Our staff is comprised of highly
educated, dedicated, compassionate
people who share the same goal:
helping people and their dogs live
harmoniously through education and
effective training methods.
Because we are well versed in a broad
number of techniques, we are suited to
modify a vast array of behavior
challenges faced by today's companion
animal owner. Our behavioral staff is
highly experientially and formally
educated. For details, please see
our pedigree.
Our approach allows us to apply
a solution-based behavior and training plan that is not only
appropriate but is kind and effective as
well. All of our methods adhere to
the
American Humane
Association guidelines for humane
training. We do not employ aversive tools
such as
prong collars, shock collars, choke
chains
and the like because we are able to
accomplish our behavioral modification
goals without these props. We will
never use a scruff grab, an "alpha
roll", ear pinch, or the
like, as these techniques are considered
inhumane. This does
not mean that we do not use punishment.
We do, we simply use a kind method of
punishment much like that used with
young children to mold the behaviors we
want to see change.
meet the staff
Cristine Dahl, CTC,
Owner/Founder
Seattle native Cristine Dahl has over
15 years of formal experience working with
animals of all sizes. She holds a
BS in Biological Science
with a focus on
mind and brain science,
and is certified in training and
behavior counseling by the
San Francisco SPCA
Academy for Dog Trainers, (Jean
Donaldson, Director).
Identified
as a distinguished graduate of
this program, she has been featured in
numerous publications, and just
completed her
first book,
Good Dog 101
(Sasquatch Books)
with foreword by Jean Donaldson.
She is the in-house canine behavior and
training expert for Seattle Dog
Magazine, sits as drugstore.com's
in-house animal behavior expert, and has
articles featured on msn.com.
Cristine has been recognized by the
American Medical Association for
helping doctors better understand the
circumstances around dog bites to
children, and she is a Dream Job Mentor
for VocationVacations.
While Cristine's years of experience
include a broad range of techniques
including popular traditional/military
methods as well as more progressive,
kinder, alternative techniques, today
she teaches and trains solely by
Learning Theory methods, and upholds the
oath set forth by the
American Humane
Association guidelines
for humane training. Because of her
well-rounded background, Cristine is
able to speak to a vast range of
behavior modification philosophies,
backing up her style with science, data,
and experiential expertise.
Cristine’s personal life and career are
fully dedicated to building strength in
the human/dog relationship. She is
highly qualified and committed to her
clients; both the two-legged and
four-legged variety. She approaches each
case individually with a sense of
balance, a sense of humor and respect,
and a confident hand.
For more details
please see
our pedigree.
Cristine lives in Seattle's Mt. Baker
neighborhood with her husband, Anders
 ,
daughter, dachshund, Maddison
 ,
and mixed-breed, Ollie
 .
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Linda
McVay,
Manager & Head Instructorr,
CCS
Linda McVay has always enjoyed the
companionship of dogs. When it was
impossible for her to have her own, she
would find herself “borrowing” one from
a neighbor to walk with and train.
There was a time when each of her
immediate neighbors had dogs and she was
working with each and every one of them!
With the arrival into her household of
Kuba, her first Basenji, a willful
little fellow with plenty of ideas of
his own, Linda discovered that she both
wanted and needed to know much more
about a dog’s perception of the world.
Thus began a new journey for her. The
long trail has led ultimately to
Seattle Dogworks where she has found a shared
enthusiasm for understanding the ‘how’
and ‘why’ of canine behavior and a way
of working with dogs that builds a
relationship founded on trust and
cooperation. Linda
has successfully completed the
Seattle Dogworks Canine Studies Program and
holds a certificate in Canine Studies.
Linda brings to our team an unrivaled
sense of compassion, an intoxicating
enthusiasm for the canine, and a
teaching style accessible to everyone.
Linda
lives in Seattle's Laurelhurst
neighborhood with her husband, Barry,
and their gang of Basenjis, Sylph
, Caboose, and Kuba.
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Margie
Duclos,
Trainer, CCS
The daughter of a veterinarian, Margie
has always been part of an
animal-appreciating family. Before
coming to Seattle Dogworks, she volunteered
at the Humane Society of Seattle/King
County in their Dog Behavior &
Socialization program where she was
first introduced to clicker training and
began assisting public classes. Margaret
is still actively involved in her
family's veterinary business as a
veterinary assistant.
Margie's passion for dogs began when she
was a little girl. She spent much of her
free time growing up reading everything
dog related that she could get her hands
on, as well as interacting with friends’
dogs whenever possible. Dog behavior and
training in particular have always been
a central interest of hers and finding
Seattle Dogworks has been inspiring. She
fully believes in and reveres the
methods and ideas this studio was built
on, and is proud to be a part of it.
Margie has successfully completed the
Seattle Dogworks Canine Studies Program and
holds a certificate in Canine Studies.
With her cool, calm, unflappable manner,
Margie brings our team a well of
knowledge and a keen natural sense of
dog behavior.
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Ruth LaRocque,
Instructor, CCS, CTC
Ruth holds both a Certificate in
Training and Counseling (CTC) from Jean
Donaldson's esteemed Academy for Dog
Trainers in San Francisco and a
Certificate in Canine Studies (CCS) from
Cristine Dahl's Canine Studies Program
in Seattle, graduating with honors from
the former. Ruth’s career in dog
training started in the fourth grade
when she trained her family dog Tippy to
sit for a school project. Tippy was too
excited to perform in front of class,
but that didn’t stop Ruth from
developing a lifelong fascination with
making friends with every dog she
meets.
Ruth is thrilled to be part of the
teaching staff at Seattle Dogworks and
she brings to our team a confident sense
of compassion, patience, and knowledge.
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Gari
Weinraub,
Trainer,
CCS
A New York City native, Gari began her
working career in the art department of
an advertising firm in New York. In her
twenties, she took a position as
assistant mammal curator at The American
Museum of Natural History. After working
with renowned Zoo exhibit designer, Ray
Mendez, Gari became consumed by her
appetite for more formal education in
the fields of animal behavior and art.
Her search led her to Washington state
where she earned a triple major BA in
Animal Behavior, photography, and fine
art, and an AA in bio-medical
photography, and a certificate in
multimedia design from the University of
Washington. She is currently a zookeeper
assistant for the Malayan Sun Bears and
Indian Sloth Bears at Woodland Park Zoo
in Seattle and runs an animal
photography business, Animas Mundi.
After talking with many dog trainers in
Western Washington, Gari found Cristine
Dahl to be the most knowledgeable and
advanced in the understanding of dog
behavior and training. Because of
Cristine’s inspiring advances in dog
welfare and her generosity to share
knowledge, Gari is now part of the
training and behavior program at
Seattle Dogworks. She hopes to use the
knowledge and skills gained from this
program to build a strong understanding
of the dog and human relationship as it
pertains to photography.
Gari
has successfully completed the
Seattle Dogworks Canine Studies Program and
holds a certificate in Canine Studies.
Gari's no-nonsense analytical style
brings to the team a firm knowledge of
animal behavior theory and a can-do
attitude.
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Sue
Fox,
Trainer,
CCS
Chicago native
Sue Fox –
pictured here with her side-kick,
Quackers ( NMH Malcairn Luv Duncan
Quackers NA, MH, Am/Can CDX, WCX ***) –
holds an AA in applied science and a
certificate in private investigation.
Sue has successfully trained & competed
with her own dogs in obedience trials,
agility trials and retriever hunt
tests.
Since leaving a career position
with the United States Postal Service to
fulfill her dream of a career working
with dogs,. Sue has been
employed at Lucky Dog in Ballard. She
has worked in the dog daycare & kennel
field for the past 3 years, and
has yet to meet a dog with whom she
could not connect. She found Seattle
Dogworks in her quest to learn about dog
behavior, learning theory, behavior
modification & new training methods.
Sue firmly believes in the Seattle
Dogworks philosophy, and is especially
thrilled & excited that she has been
accepted into the 2007 Canine Studies
Program class. Sue brings to the
team an impressive background in the
industry, a fierce dedication to our
students, and a strong knowledge base in
canine behavior.
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our pedigree
Cristine Dahl
is one of a very small number of
practicing CTCs in the state. She
received her credentials from the
San Francisco SPCA
Academy for Dog Trainers,
known as the “Harvard for Dog Trainers”
(Jean Donaldson, Director). In
addition, Cristine is a professional
member of the Association of Pet Dog
Trainers (APDT), is an associate member
of the
Animal Behavior
Society,
and is fully licensed and insured. She
stays current on new techniques by
attending numerous conferences and
continuing education forums.
In
2004, Cristine
opened the doors to the
Seattle Dogworks
Training & Education Studio on Capitol
Hill in Seattle. This facility is used
for
public classes,
private training
sessions,
seminars, special programs, and
educational workshops. For more
information about the Seattle Dogworks
Training & Education Studio
TM,
please
click here.
Seattle Dogworks is very proud of the
educational background each of its
instructors and trainers holds. Most
hold advanced degrees, many have years
of hands-on experience, and all have
been specially trained by Cristine Dahl
herself to uphold the mission of
Seattle Dogworks. The common thread among all
of the staff at Seattle Dogworks is a
deep-seated, genuine, and almost
unexplainable dedication to the canine
and an unrelenting quest to foster the
smart evolution of the field.
Almost
all of Seattle Dogworks' clients and students
come from word-of-mouth referrals from
colleagues, current or past clients, and
veterinarians. Cristine
insists on elevating the standard to
which canine behavior professionals are
held, and to that end, dedicates much of
her time to the cultivation of that
mission. She and the Seattle
Dogworks staff
have created an inviting teaching and
learning atmosphere to promote continued
and future excellence in the field of
canine behavior.
To learn more about learning and
volunteer opportunities with
Seattle Dogworks,
please email us.
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