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Aug 7, 2026

Dog Trainers

Sara McLoudrey

Dog trainer in Portland

#302 in United States, #22 in Oregon, #9 in Portland

United States

Portland

https://www.decisivemomentconsulting.com/

Service areas:

Virtual Consultant based in Portland, OR I do offer some in-person classes and follow-up behavior modification in the Portland metro area

Support your dog trainer by sharing your story

Sara McLoudrey owns Decisive Moment Pet Consulting and has been a professional dog trainer since 2004. Sara is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC with IAABC), CPDT-KSA, Fear Free Certified Professional Level 1 Elite and Certified Trainer, Low-Stress Handling Certified, Pet End of Life Doula, FitPaws Master Trainer, and TagTeach Level 3. For Sara, it is inspiring to help continue and promote this growth mindset for fellow trainers, behavior consultants, and pet guardians. In addition to Decisive Moment Pet Consulting, she is the former Head Trainer at Synergy Veterinary Behavior. Her professional animal training career started by founding ROOT Dog Training in suburban Chicago. In 2016, she sold ROOT, moved to Portland, and joined the team at Synergy Veterinary Behavior.Over the years, Sara has completed with positively trained dogs in retriever field tests, high-level competition and rally obedience (Utility and RAE level), conformation, and elite level nose work. Sara shares her life with Lindy and Punky, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers.

Certifications:

Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) CPDT-KSA Fear Free Certified Professional Trainer and Level 1 Elite Low Stress Handling Silver Certified Pet End of Life Doula TagTeach Level 3 FitPaws Master Trainer

Dog training services include

  • Aggressive dog training
  • Reactive dog training
  • In home training

More info about Sara McLoudrey's dog training:

I offer virtual behavior modification consults and continuing therapy sessions. My practice specializes in Care with Consent (cooperative care), human-directed aggression, resource guarding, helping senior dogs thrive, and living with intact dogs. Interactive group classes are offered virtually and in person in the Portland, OR, metro area. The virtual classes are focused on Care with Consent training from foundations, nail care, muzzle training, and more. My in person classes focus on parkour and competition level nose work.

Behavioral issue focus:

I offer virtual Behavioral Consults on various problem and common dog behaviors. My training specialties are Care with Consent (cooperative care), human-directed aggression, resource guarding, helping senior dogs thrive, and living with intact dogs. While I specialize in these topics, of course, I see all types of severe behavior cases, except separation anxiety

Dog training methods:

I have been a proud positive reinforcement, force-free, professional animal trainer for 19 years. Even though I focus on severe behavioral issues, my goal is to provide a safe, supportive, and fun environment to help both dogs and their people. After an initial consult, I offer virtual behavioral therapy packages tailored to each client.

Why I became a dog trainer:

Like so many dog trainers my dog training life started by accident. I was volunteering at a punishment-based/shock collar service dog organization. There I met my eventual partner Mark. Mark brought Bailey, a dog-reactive, shock collar-wearing, service dog to our family. I am forever grateful for Bailey, and his behavioral struggles. Bailey's heavy-handed training as a service dog was at the root of his behavioral issues. Bailey pushed me to seek out a different way. In 1999 I found myself at the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Behavioral Department. I didn't know it at the time, but I was starting my journey as a trainer and behavior consultant. I became passionate about positive reinforcement training. I never wanted another dog treated the way Bailey was in the name of training!

My favorite part of being a dog trainer:

Since I work with severe behavior cases, my favorite moment is when the clients realize there is hope. There is hope to helping their dog, hope to giving their dog a better life, and hope to make lasting transformations.

My #1 dog training tip:

Be more generous. Be more generous with your treats, your interactions with your dog, to yourself, and to the dog you have now. Be generous, even if it is not the dog, you dreamed of sharing your life with.

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