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David Adams

Aug 7, 2026

Dog Trainers

Maggie Pearson

Dog trainer in Rapid City

#167 in United States, #1 in South Dakota, #1 in Rapid City

United States

Rapid City

https://Tenaciousdogtraining.com

Service areas:

Sioux Falls, South Dakota ( metro, includes Tea, Renner, Harrisburg, Hartford, Brandon)

Support your dog trainer by sharing your story

Maggie Pearson graduated from the Karen Pryor Academy for dog trainers, has her certification as a Separation Anxiety Trainer, a Certified Controlled Unleash Instructor, a Certified Family Dog Mediator, and her Fear Free Certification. She is an Accredited Dog Trainer with IAABC, a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator for AKC, and an AKC CGC and Fit Dog instructor. To Maggie, it feels like she has never not been a trainer. She's always been fascinated by training. As a child, she had Guinea pigs, rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, salamanders, frogs, and dogs everything under the sun. She went on to get a degree in psychology to feed her fascination with learning theory and how animals learn. Her passion never wavered, and she kept taking classes. It happened naturally that she started teaching group classes at her local kennel club. After a few years of doing that, she decided she should get more education. This is a theme for Maggie, a lifelong learner. After Maggie got her separation anxiety credential, those cases quickly became her favorite. She has had a dog with separation anxiety and is familiar not only with the panic disorder itself but also with the stress it can put on a dog guardian. She loves helping dogs overcome their separation anxiety and giving pet parents the ability to leave their dogs without guilt and worry, hence giving the entire household some relief. Maggie has a background in human resources, which helped her learn to advocate for people and to communicate. She is versatile and flexible in her interactions with people. She's a superb listener and works to understand where clients are coming from and what their goals are with their dogs. Then she helps them bridge that gap. She enjoys explaining dog behavior and helping people understand that often, what their dog is doing is normal. She can then help them find out an outlet for the dog to do dog thingsin ways that better fit in their human lives.You can see Maggie's practicality in the educational offerings she has created for local clients, including Office Dog, a program for business owners who want to provide their employees with the unique benefit of bringing their dogs to work and do so safely. It's one of her most popular offerings. Maggie provides her skills to her community. Along with search and rescue work with her dogs Ruger, Rlo and Arson. She does therapy work with her dog Gracie. She is active in her local kennel club. She volunteers with Almost Home Canine Rescue and her local animal shelter. Maggie Pearson is on a mission to positively impact lives, one dog at a time.

Certifications:

Certified Dog Trainer, CSAT, ADT, FDM, FFCP, CCUI & B.S.

Dog training services include

  • Deaf dog training
  • Reactive dog training
  • In home training
  • Off leash training
  • Puppy training

More info about Maggie Pearson's dog training:

Maggie Maggie provides services for: Separation Anxiety in Dogs Puppy Training Puppy Rearing Reactivity in Dogs Fear full Dogs Recall Training Potty Training Life Skills all dogs should know Cooperative Care Tricks with a purpose Family Dog Training Breed Selection Help

Behavioral issue focus:

Separation Anxiety, Reactivity, Confinement Anxiety, Fearful Dogs and Phobias.

Dog training methods:

We use positive reinforcement training. For behavioral training we work in partnership with your veterinarian. Firstly, we need to address if there are any underlying health issues effecting your dog's behavior. We also address if their nutritional needs are being met with your veterinarian. Then we focus on exercise, enrichment and then a behavioral modification plan.

Why I became a dog trainer:

I love helping people. I used to do human resources and dog training is not any different. It is all about coaching people, creating harmony in their homes. I am on a mission to positively Impact Lives, one dog at a time.

My favorite part of being a dog trainer:

Creating Harmony in a home. I love helping people understand their dogs behaviors and finding outlets for their dogs, to do dog things.

My #1 dog training tip:

Focus on what you want a dog to do and reinforce it.

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Dog Trainers

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