Faculty

Nan Arthur has been training with positive reinforcement and operant conditioning since 1996, and is committed to using only positive methods with both humans and animals. She owns Whole Dog Training, and offers private in-home behavior consultations and training in the San Diego area. Nan emphasizes helping pet parents understand their pets, and opening the lines of communication between the two species.

Nan writes a weekly “Ask a Trainer” column for a local paper, and contributes to other dog publications, including Animal Wellness magazine. She has a new book called: Chill Out Fido! How to Calm Your Dog www.dogwise.com

In addition to running DOGS! Learning Center in Hudson MA, Carolyn has completed one and is writing a second book for Clean Run Productions, lectures on occasion, co-teaches two canine cognition/behavior courses at Harvard University Extension School, and works as a behavior consultant for the MSPCA. At the MSPCA she provides reactive dog training classes and behavior therapy for shelter dogs and their families.

Steve Benjamin is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT) and owner of Clicking With Canines in Endicott, NY. He served over 23 years as a Special Agent of the FBI, primarily conducting investigations of large-scale drug trafficking organizations, and six years in management, first at FBI Headquarters as a Unit Chief in the Criminal Investigative Division, and then as a Supervisory Special Agent in the Albany (New York) Division. Steve retired from the FBI in January 2004 to pursue his passion for working with dogs and their owners. Steve specializes in teaching clicker training to his clients and helping them teach their dog to be a "socially acceptable, happy, and intelligent, family pet."

Gerilyn Bielakiewicz is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer and a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She and her husband Paul Bielakiewicz own and operate Canine University in Malden, Massachusetts. Gerilyn has been teaching people to train their dogs for the past 15 years in both group classes and private settings. She teaches clicker training in all of her classes and incorporates the same principles in teaching the human half of the team. She is the author of several books including The Everything Dog Training and Tricks Book, The Everything Golden Retriever (co-authored with Paul), The Only Dog Training Book You'll Ever Need, and The Only Dog Tricks Book You'll Ever Need. In addition to teaching and coaching people, she also breeds and raises Golden retrievers under the kennel name Pine Springs Goldens. In her spare time she competes with her own dogs in agility, obedience, and field. She has trained and coached all of her current instructors and volunteers, many of whom have been with her for 8 -10 years.

Carolyn Clark has a background in education. She has taught elementary school in Ottawa and, at the college level, has taught classes in the continuing education department at Algonquin College and the Carleton Board of Education. She is a guest lecturer at the Veterinary Technician Course at Algonquin College. Carolyn has a BA in psychology and an MA in pastoral groupwork, as well as an Ontario Teachers Certificate.

Helix Fairweather has been training with operant conditioning since 1996 and is truly committed to this way of communicating with dogs. She teaches Clicker Trained Dog Agility classes and Beginning Clicker Training classes at her home in Oregon and offers private consultations helping people and their dogs learn to live together and have fun. She also teaches online agility classes for clicker trainers to homeschool their clicker trained agility dog prior to taking a local agility class. Helix is a contributing author to Clean Run magazine and The Clicker Journal and has been a ClickerExpo faculty member for four years to date.

Dog problems got you down? Laurie Luck of Smart Dog University can help you and your dog.

Visit the Smart Dog University website to learn more about we can help you and your dog. You'll find helpful articles (free!), as well as recommended resources.You can subscribe to Your Smart Dog, our free newsletter filled with lots of information about common problems and how to solve them, what's new at SDU, as well as new class information.

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Emma Parsons, BA, is the Canine Behavior Training Consultant for the VCA Rotherwood Animal Hospital, and Training Director for Karen Pryor Clickertraining. She runs her own dog training business, is an author, and has been featured on numerous television shows. Emma gives seminars internationally on training and managing the reactive/aggressive dog and has taught clicker training classes to graduate students at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.

Janece Rollet is a canine behaviorist and a charter member and long-time conference committee chairperson of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT). She has been training animals professionally since 1988. In addition to meeting the needs of her pet-animal clients, Janece trains service dogs for clientele with a variety of physical challenges, works with clients and their animals to prevent or solve behavioral problems, and is a consultant to Alaskan dog mushers whose working and racing teams consist of rescued Alaskan huskies and husky mixes. Janece’s training methods emphasize the importance of the personal bond of mutual trust between clients and their dogs.

Terry Ryan is the president of Legacy Canine Behavior & Training, Inc. Through Legacy, Terry writes books, presents national and international seminars and workshops, instructs pet dog classes, hosts interns, and consults. View her upcoming speaking schedule here: http://www.legacycanine.com/news.html.

Terry has been a community dog training class instructor since 1968, specializing in pet dog classes using motivational exercises presented as games. She was the Coordinator of the People-Pet Partnership, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, from 1981 until 1994.