A Little Bit About Us...

Julie Westphal is a licensed veterinary technician in the state of Wisconsin. She also became Level 3 Fear Free Certified as a veterinary professional after rigorous course-work and examination and member of the Fear Free Elite team as well. Unlike the unregulated field of dog training, veterinary medicine does hold its members to higher standards of care and well-being. Julie has taken the extra steps to become certified even further for behavior and she has taken her pledge with the Fear Free Board and is also a proud member of The Pet Professional Guild for force-free professionals. She holds her CPNC for pet nutrition consulting and has certificates in Animal Psychology and Dog Behavior & Training, issued by the International Council for Online Educational Standards (www.icoes.org) which is the accrediting body for establishing and maintaining online educational standards.

Julie is dedicated to science-backed and humane pet training and is an experienced reinforcement & motivational instructor who helps owners shape new and modify old behaviors. She has been actively training and educating the public since May of 2002, but started in animal care and husbandry in Jan 2001, where her love of behavior and teaching began. She fell in love with a Siamese cat and he became her first behavioral project, learning agility, obedience, tricks, and holding a special place as Demo Cat in her very first dog classes. She then moved on to working with dogs, rats, horses, birds, and even trained a FISH (tetra) to go through the hideaway "tunnel", swords as "weave poles" and milk ring "jumps"...all just to learn how each species learned. She then fell in love with the sport of Schutzhund (then IPO, and now IGP) in the Fall of 2004 and started to compete in that and AKC Obedience, Rally-O, and Tracking in 2005. She and her dogs have earned placements, certifications, awards, and titles in many sports.

Julie is referred to by many veterinarians, animal rescues, shelters, and students worldwide (many letters available upon request). She attends continuing educational seminars for the ever-changing training fields and has or has held certification in many areas including: Veterinary Technician, Reiki Level 1, Clicker Training, and Canine Good Citizen Evaluation. She has also been featured on news stations, at pet fairs, in a UW-Milwaukee documentary on animal behavior, and arranges many fundraising events in various states.

Julie's life's goal is (and has always been) to help pet owners strengthen their human-animal bond to the utmost possible level and create wonderful relationships that are based on trust, clear communication, and understanding.

As Always, Happy Training!