Heather Savageau, GCT

My passion for dogs began at a young age. My next door neighbor's shih tzu had gained a lot of weight after a surgery and being on steroids. He was no longer able to go down the few steps to get to the backyard, so he began using pads in the house. His owners were elderly and weren't able to carry him so he was never outside anymore. Working with the help of adults, I taught him how to go down the stairs again so he could at least go in his backyard. Once he could do the back steps without help, I began walking him on a regular basis. At first, he couldn't even make it to the end of his property, but by following his lead, we were doing a 1 mile walk with a break mid way through. He may not have been my dog, but I spoiled him like he was.

I graduated Capital Technology Institute with a BS in Astronautical Engineering. I worked on and off as an engineer for 7 years while navigating becoming disabled. During covid, I got my first dog as an adult and learned not only how to train him but all about different training methods and how they work. I really love learning new things and training gave me the opportunity to learn new things and use what I learned as an engineer to get creative in my approach when something doesn't work. I have experience with reactive dogs and am more than happy to help with dogs that have big feelings, as long as they are not human aggressive.

My Methods

I believe in positive reinforcement (also known as R+) training. I do not use aversive training tools, only flat collars and harnesses. I am certified through GoodPup. My style is influenced by Karen Pryor Clicker Training, Leslie McDevitt's Control Unleashed, Simone Mueller's Predation Substitution Training, and the Force-free movement. I strive to make training enjoyable for both ends of the leash.

When training together, we will use treats, praise, and pets.