Jacqueline Gaillard

Jacqueline is one of the few dog trainers in the Los Angeles area who has degrees in Exotic Animal Training, Animal Behavior Management, Wildlife Education & Sociology. She began working with dogs and cats as a walker and pet sitter on the west side of Los Angeles as a teenager.Jacqueline has the experience and educational background to understand the motivation to help your dog foster or cease certain behaviors. Working with dogs that need a little extra attention requires someone with a deep understanding of animal behavior and motivation.There are trainers who can teach, sit, down, and stay, but your dog's behavior consists of more than just those behaviors. Hiring a trainer who understands animal behavior and psychology is more valuable and can help you and your dog avoid unwanted or undesirable behaviors and become the secure and happy dog you want your dog to be.TRAINING APPROACHThe training approach Jacqueline uses for training dogs is the same approach she uses for training wild animals, positive reinforcement. She has trained many species of animals including large, medium, and small cats, as well as bears, hyenas, wolves, monkeys, coati's, horses, dogs, birds of prey, parrots. She even trained rats to run a maze. The common thread in training all types of animals, including dogs, is that they respond very well to positive reinforcement training. She will be happy to tell you that 'You cannot put a pincher collar on a bear.‚' 'Try Alpha Rolling the Tiger; what do you think the outcome would be?' All animal training requires understanding their motivation. By using positive reinforcement, the animal will be motivated to do any behavior you ask, and it will stay with them into the future.EDUCATIONJacqueline spent 5 years studying both Animal and Human Behavior receiving degrees in both at Moorpark College, California. The EATM Program (Exotic Animal Training and Management) is a working zoo and college for the care and training of exotic and domesticated animals. Her mother asked, 'So, you are going back to college to work at the zoo?' While studying she was privileged to work with numerous species at school and other animal parks and facilities. Having completed externships at various facilities she has used her knowledge of training wild animals to train the easier species, the dog. Jacqueline still volunteers a few days a month at the Wildlife Waystation in the Angeles National Forest. This allows her to keep in touch with the wilder species and benefit from deepening her experience in Animal Behavior and Management.