Melanie Gantt

I wasn't always a dog trainer. I entered the field of Medical Assisting in 1999, specializing in Orthopedics, Trauma, and Pediatrics. Reading human body language and empathy became a crucial part of helping my patients that I easily transferred to dog training later. In 2010, my husband and I adopted our first puppy, an 8 week old female border collie, named Sadie. I started taking Sadie to training classes at Lucky Dog, which is where I met Angie Neal, CDBC and Astrid Tyron, CPDT-KSA. In 2013, we adopted our first rescue dog, a 4 month old male Australian Cattle Dog/German Shepherd Mix, named Radar. I loved dog training classes with Sadie, but couldn't find anyone willing to help Radar through his behavior challenges, except 'balanced' trainers. After they tried prong and shock collars on him, his behavior had escalated so much that regular neighborhood walks were not even an option.In 2014, I decided to take matters into my own hands; I attended the Animal Behavior College and became a Certified Dog Trainer. Part of Animal Behavior College's program was to have students volunteer at a local rescue, so in August 2015 I started volunteering at All Breed Rescue & Training. I finally was finding answers to so many unanswered questions I had about behaviorally challenged dogs. I taught private lessons for behavior modification and co-taught/assisted with obedience, WallFlower (Shy dogs), and Reactive Dog classes. I also tried fostering dogs, but failed by adopting two of my foster dogs, Jackson (October 2015) and Piper (January 2016), but took in several temporary foster dogs until 2018. I stayed on volunteering at All Breed Rescue & Training until 2019, but left due to my dogs' and my personal medical issues; occasionally I still go in to walk/train the dogs temporarily living at All Breed Rescue & Training and take classes with my dogs. I and my 4 dogs continue to learn and train with Meg Brubaker (Behaviorist) for their Behavior Modification, since between my 4 dogs, we currently have almost every behavior issue in one household.In 2019, I passed my Certified Professional Dog Trainer: Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) from Certification Council of Pet Dog Trainers. (CCPDT). I have been a supporting, now Affiliate member of Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). I am a Fear Free Certified Dog Trainer and completed the Aggression in Dogs Master's Course. I am an AKC Canine Good Citizen & Trick dog evaluator. I am also a Certified Canine Conditioning Coach (CCFC), Certified Trick Dog Instructor (CTDI), and Stunt Dog Judge (SDJ) for Do More With Your Dog. I have a background in Clicker/Event Marker training, BAT (Behavior Adjustment Training), Nosework (Scent Detection), Canine Enrichment Activities, and Certified in Canine CPR/First Aid. I still continue to retain my Certified Medical Assistant and Phlebotomist (CMA), even though I don't use it that often anymore.