Meet Julie: Your Compassionate Canine Coach

Hi, I'm Julie, and I'm deeply passionate about fostering positive relationships between dogs and their people. My journey began in 2009, when I immersed myself in the world of dog rescue, working to rehabilitate dogs, match dogs with loving families, and provide them with the care and support they need to thrive.

Because of my experience and need for an efficient, easy, but incredibly effective way to reach dogs that have suffered trauma, been free-roaming, feral, shut down, or otherwise aloof towards people, I developed Nose-Centric Dog Training and Rehabilitation.

I strive to close the gap between the dog and human species by improving understanding, communication, and trust between humans and dogs. I teach humans how to help dogs be more confident, calm, and content. I combine improving relationships, trust-building exercises, leading your dog to better choices, and obedience training to help my clients achieve success with their dog. Dog training is an art, not an exact science. I use creativity and a combination of many techniques, depending on the individual dog-human team in front of me. I teach clients how to communicate with dogs using the dog’s language, plus how to effectively teach your dog some human language.

A dog’s nose is tied to a dog’s cognitive abilities. If the nose isn’t being used, which is often the case in fearful or reactive dogs, the dog will not assess the environment accurately. I focus on solving the cause of problematic symptoms such as reactivity and fear.

From years of having a pack of 4 or more dogs, and integrating about 300 foster dogs into my home, I understand how dogs build trust and also value a pro-social pack environment. This understanding can help your dog become happier and less afraid.

I have rehabilitated severely fearful dogs since 2009 and feral dogs since 2019. I can work with dogs that don’t have leash skills and won’t take food as rewards. Medication does not equal rehabilitation for fearful dogs, but using their natural behaviors to improve feel-good chemicals does wonders. All dogs, but particularly fearful dogs, value movement, exercise, sniffing, exploring, and belonging to a stable social group. These are the biggest rewards for dogs, so I teach people to join their fearful dogs in doing these activities to promote rehabilitation. Dogs are resilient creatures, and humans often underestimate the ability of dogs to change simply to feel calmer, safer, and more confident. I guide dogs to achieve bravery and limit their ability to practice fearful behavior through a structured environment. I have developed my Nose-Centric proven method, which involves routine, rest, leash training, and confidence-building activities that can rehabilitate a fearful or feral dog to become a great pet in less time and with better results.

I am often asked what methods I use in my training. I use methods that get positive results for the dog. My training is relationship-based, meaning I develop a trusting partnership first and foremost between human and dog. This makes any obedience training needed minimal and easier. I use versatility and creativity, plus real-life scenarios in my training. I support Cynopraxic training, Relationship-Based training, and the original LIMA (least intrusive minimally aversive) principle. I do not limit myself or the dog’s potential based on one quadrant, method, or dogma of dog training.

I ask my clients to be ready to change how they think of and relate to their dog with an open mind. The changes that result will be worth it. I give my clients quality input in the form of experienced advice, but the output from you to your dog will make all the difference.

For more info about me please see the “About Julie” page.