Rebecca Hilbert

I began my journey into dog training in 2017 when my adolescent corgi, Bunsen C. Honeydew, began to display aggressive behavior in human directed resource guarding and leash reactivity. I finally found hope in a local Pittsburgh based positive reinforcement trainer. What I experienced with the positive reinforcement trainer and training methods would change the trajectory of my life. In 2018, I left behind two decades in corporate America to fully devote my time and energy into my education in dog training: CPDT-KA through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers; Master Program with CATCH Canine Trainer academy; Master Program with Aggression in Dogs; Family Dog Mediator.What is family dog mediation?Family dog mediation changes the way we look at dogs and the behavior problems they are experiencing. It looks beyond training and instead of putting focus on the 'how' of 'fixing' the behavior, it explores the more important question of WHY is the behavior happening; it explores the root cause. We find the why by exploring the dogs L.E.G.S.:Learning the dogs experiences and educationEnvironment , the many aspects of their external worldGenetics , the DNA that designed them both inside and outSelf , their unique interior world (health, development, age, sex and individualityLooking at the L.E.G.S. model of behavior enables us to take a more dog centered and empathetic approach. It enables us to stop pathologizing the dog and look more critically at what the dog is and why they may be struggling to adapt to the human centric world in which they have found themselves in.By looking at the dog as an individual, we explore why your dog is doing what they are doing, how we can help them cope better and possibly thrive in their modern lifestyle by better meeting their needs and developing a mutually respectful and compassionate relationship with them.