ABOUT | The Dog Nerd Academy

DEB STONE

IAABC-ADT, AKC CGC EVALUATOR

Dog Nerd, Human Coach

ABOUT ME

A close up candid of Deb kneeling next her dog, Lupin a Dalmatian wearing a rainbow bandanna and licking Deb on the nose.

A portrait shot of Deb with purple hair kneeling next to Lupin, her dalmatian dog and both are looking toward the camera. The shot is outside with a green field and trees in the background.

Deb is kneeling on the ground next to a Samoyed dog who is balancing one paw on a fitbone and waving at deb with the other.

Deb and her dalmatian dog, Neema enjoy a game of tug together in a green field. Deb is kneeling while holding the toy in her right hand while Neema has the toy in her mouth and pulling on it.

Deb and a Rodesian Ridgeback puppy are in a park, on the parking lot with grass and trees in the background. Deb is kneeling on the ground, holding a treat in her hands up high. Darby, the ridgeback puppy is in a purple sweater and has her paws on deb with her nose pointed towards the treats in Deb's hands.

Deb and her dalmatian dog Lupin are demonstrating their heeling in a fall setting. The back drop is a forest with golden grass and fallen leaves, and there are pumpkins and mum flowers on either side of Deb and Lupin as they heel together. They are walking through through the center, facing forward with Lupin on Deb's left side. Deb is in mid stride, looking down to Lupin who is looking up at her from her left side.

ABOUT ME

I am a self proclaimed dog nerd, and have been passionate about dog all my life!

When I graduated highschool I got my first job working at a doggy daycare and boarding where I got hands on experience working with a wide range of dogs of different ages, breeds and temperments.

I later went on to Kansas State universtity where I earned my Bachelors of Science in Feed Science and Management, with a minor in Animal Science focused on companion animal nutrtioin. After graduation I spent 8 years as a professional in the pet food manufacturing industry working in product development and innovation as a project manger. I worked at some companies you might recognize like Freshpet and BarkBox. In my time as a project manager I found my passion for working with people, and built strong communication and people skills.

I started teaching dog training classes part time while still working my full time job in 2020 when offered the oppotunity to teach classes. I had always loved training and working with dogs and jumped at the opportunity to teach classes! Since then I have taught many group classes, coached teams one on one and done behavior consulting.

My unique background and professional experience has helped me become not only a dog expert but an effective coach to the humans who love them, and we know who really needs the training!

I am an active member of the IAABC and have achieved their Accredited Dog Trainer certification. In addition to my IAABC accreditation I am also a Certified AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator.

I am here to help you build a strong, lasting relationship with your dog through understanding and effective communication.

TRAINING PHILOSOPHY

As a member of the IAABC I adhere to their code of ethics.

I follow modern, ethical training practices that utilize positive reinforcement based training and do not use fear, intimidation or pain in my training. I consider myself a lifelong learner and continue to invest in my own education as a dog trainer, attending conferences, webinars, workshops and following the most up to date research in the area of dog behavior.

I am focused on building good communication and understanding between dogs and humans so they can have an enjoyable relationship together!

MY DOG

LUPIN

I share my life with a reactive dog, Lupin the dalmatian you see with me in my pictures. He has taught me so much and is the reason I became a dog trainer. When Lupin began displaying reactivity and agression towards strange dogs and people I embarked on a mission to understand how to help him. In learning to undestand and help Lupin I learned much about dogs, behavior and training. You can thank him for all the kindness, compassion, and understanding he taught me when it comes to working with dogs, especially sensitive dogs.

Lupin is goofy boy and makes me laugh every day! We love to go on adventures exploring nature and spending time toghether on hikes. Lupin and I also love to play dog sports together! One of my favorite sports to play is rally obedience, an Lupin I have earned many titles in World Cynosport Rally League (WCRL) - RL1X, RL2X, ARCH, ARCHX, RL3, FL1, FL2. We have also played in tricks and earned AKC trick dog titles (TKN, TKI, TKA) and also have fun making up our own trick dog games at home. Lupin also loves to play AKC Fast Cat and has earned a few titles there as well - BCAT, DCAT. Currently we are enjoying the sport canine nosework which Lupin loves to play and we hope to get to competition soon. While we do not play competitively Lupin has also been trained in competition obedience and dabbled in agility.

I firmly believe dogs come into our lives to guide and teach us and I will always be grateful to all Lupin has taught me and all he will continue to teach me.

"Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen."

Orhan Pamuk, My Name is Red

​DEB STONE

ABOUT ME

DEB STONE