Sheri Gintner, MS, Certified Dog Behavior Consultant

The company of animals is something I have enjoyed since I was a child.  Not having a dog but wanting a companion, I decided to train the family goat.  Goats can not be forced to do anything!  I learned very quickly, however, that Billy would work endlessly for dog biscuits.  He learned to jump over buckets and broomsticks and into wagons on cue. He also climbed up and walked on wooden obstacles that I built for him. Most useful was that he walked on a loose leash to his barn at bedtime. My parents were always proudly amused, but they had no idea where my strange hobby would lead me.

How animals learn and what motivates them has fascinated me for decades. I studied Psychology and Biology at Penn State and completed a Master’s of Science in Psychology degree at Tufts University to increase my understanding of learning and perception.  I certified with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants to work on the dog-human partnership.

During my 15+ years of dog training in Western Pennsylvania I taught staff and volunteers in animal shelters to use canine behavioral assessments for better adoptions and placements. Dogs are like people, put them in the right environment and they will thrive!  I also created training plans and enrichment programs to help dogs get ready for their next homes. These years of working with people and rescue dogs gave me hands on experience with solving behavioral problems and helped me develop curriculum and training practices for problematic puppies, fearful dogs, dog-dog reactive dogs and free-shaping exercises for well-trained but overly energetic dogs.

Since 2013, Good Dog! Behavior Training has provided all positive force-free dog training in Northern Colorado.  Armed with scientifically based training tools and an understanding of dog behavior I have helped families teach their dogs to behaved better. Through Train a Dog Save a Warrior (TADSAW) I selected shelter dogs for wounded veterans and taught them to train their own service dogs, and I have taught positive dog training techniques to Clicker Club volunteers at the NOCO Humane Society so they can enrich the dogs’ lives and improve their chances of thriving in their adoptive homes.