About Savy

Like many in this industry, my passion comes simply from a love of dogs. I was lucky enough to grow up in a large family who gave me that passion. Several members were hunters, and they had dogs specifically for those activities. I loved watching these amazing, well-trained dogs, thrive and fulfill the jobs they were bred for. All were beloved pets and part of the family. 

I carried the fascination of applied behaviors into my professional life and started working as a dog trainer at Petsmart in 2014. It was so amazing to work with so many different dogs and to see how positive training could shape so many behaviors. This is also when my trusty sidekick Sora entered my life. The rowdiest little border collie mix I could ever dream of to come along with me.

By 2017 I started apprenticing at a local sport dog club. I first went to find new ways to work with Sora and give him more outlets for his energy. But I had also seen that positive only training could only do so much when it came to behavioral struggles some owners were having. The great thing about dog training is, there's always something learn. 

In 2018 I said goodbye to corporate pet training and was working full-time in the sport dog world. Learning how to work with e-collars and high drive, high intensity dogs was the thrill of a lifetime. Seeing how you could take these very strict techniques and make them work for the average dog owner became my new passion. I had seen so many people struggling with unwanted or stressful behaviors from their dogs. If you can call a working dog back to you, mid sprint, going in for a bite, there was definitely a way to help reactive dog owners master their issues. 

When 2020 hit, Sora and I had to switch gears like many did who were out of work during the pandemic. Thankfully I landed at a local dog daycare company who was looking to build their training program. There I got to create my first curriculum and build a program from scratch. I started implementing more balanced training and e-collar techniques for everyday dog owners and saw how quickly they all started to thrive. We had such an amazing community built inside that company.

After two years, a bigger dog training company in Oregon recruited me to come be their general manager of operations. Sora and I said so long to the Bay Area and hello Pacific Northwest. At this big board and train facility I got to learn and work with more dogs than I ever had before and see more amazing e-collar training techniques. It was also so nice to be working with other trainers again whom I could collaborate and learn from. 

Now with over 11 years of experience and 10,000+ hours of dog handling, I came back to the Bay Area and started my own training business at the beginning of 2025. My dream is to build the best bonds between owners and their dogs so they can have amazing lives together. I want to approach dog training as a partnership with owners not just push a program. There's nothing better than the love of a dog and I want everyone to have that experience.