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A champion carriage driver and professional dog trainer who has spent years learning about animal behaviour, our lead trainer Helen is committed to creating great relationships between dogs and their people. She is a certified dog trainer and behaviour consultant, Pet First Aid Training Instructor, and licensed presenter of the internationally recognized dog bite prevention program Doggone Safe - "Be a Tree" for school-aged children. She is also well-respected for giving back to her community. In 2010 she received the Ontario Equestrian Federation's "People Make A Difference" award for her dedication to improving horse sports and over ten years of organizing competitions, seminars, events and sitting on association executives. She is current Chair of the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers. When not helping clients develop well-mannered family dogs, Helen enjoys training her own animals and spending time taking professional development courses in learning from other dog training experts about dog training, attending seminars that strengthen her training skills and keeping current on the latest scientific literature. She proudly supports the CAPPDT, CCPDT and IAABC Standards and Code of Ethics - and has made a professional commitment to do her work based only on humane training methods. Read more about her below, including a list of the most recent continuing education she has attended. Dog Friendship's assistant trainers are specially chosen to support our program and have received training that supports them in delivering excellent service.
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Julia Volkov - Assistant Trainer -- Julia can be found assisting Helen at many of the Dog Friendship Classes. On top of teaching her own classes, Julia has spent the past few years working with puppies and adult dogs at Canine Academy, teaching classes for the College Royal Dog Show, and being the oncall trainer and assessment specialist for Needlenose Greyhound Adoption. Raised on a horse farm, she has always had a deep connection with the many animals around her, big and small. She has experience working with aggression cases, anxiety, as well as her year long dedication to educating herself on many different breeds. She has also successfully trained three of her own dogs, one as a Service Dog for National Service Dogs in Cambridge, and one as a Rally Obedience champion (who is also her loving companion), and an off-the-track "demo dog" Greyhound.
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More about Helen - in her own words:
I’ve always had a strong interest in working with animals - from helping puppies and foals learn how to be great people partners, to showing dogs and training horses and Welsh ponies. After attending University of Guelph and getting my Master's degree in Animal Behaviour, travelling throughout North America competing in carriage driving (combined and pleasure) taught me even more about what makes animals tick. In 2007 my team and I won the Ontario Combined Driving Association Grand Championship and I went on to represent Canada in International competition. In 2010 I received the "People Make A Difference" Award from the Ontario Equestrian Federation.
My own dogs have taught me a lot as well - I've rehabilitated a shelter-adopted miniature American Eskimo. Shelby is now a happy nine-year-old dog who enjoys the new dog sport of Treibball and who - like her owner - loves meeting people and having fun while learning new things.
And I'm committed to building a community of certified dog training professionals in Ontario. Currently, I'm the Chair of the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers. I hold a North-American-wide professional designation as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) and am also a Certified Dog Behaviour Consultant (CDBC - with the International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants). To get these certifications, you have to take a third-party exam and review of your qualifications -- unlike many other "certifications" in the dog training world where the person who is offering to certify you is selling you their credential (i.e. I'm John Smith and for $1,000 you can be a John Smith Master Trainer.). Please note that Erika Eden is no longer a volunteer with Dog Friendship.
I am also deeply committed to continued education and learning, to remain up-to-date on the latest advances in the fields of dog training and behaviour.
Here's a sample of the type of continuing education seminars I have attended:
Managing Separation Anxiety (American Animal Hospital Association) - August, 2011
Preventing Problems in Puppyhood - November 11 - 13, 2011
First Aid & Critical Care (Ontario Veterinary College) March 31, 2012
Bad Behavior and The Veterinary Practitioner (Dr. Ian Dunbar) (8 hour intensive) June 13,2012
Psychology of Dogs & Humans - Common History and Bond (Dr. Stan Coren) - June 14, 2012
A Recipe for Behavior Modification Success: Behavior change for dangerous problems using antecedent control - (Angelica Steinker) - September 25, 2012
New Advances in the Management of Otitis Externa (external ear canal infections) - Veterinary Dermatology - Virbac Animal Health - April 3, 2013 (AAVSB RACE -1.0 hours)
Conference Attendee - SPARCS (Society for the Promotion of Applied Research in Canine Science) International Conference on Dog Behaviour, June 28-30, 2013
University of Guelph - Humanely Working with Animals - July 2013
Urinary Incontinence - When Good Dogs Leak - August 9, 2013
Getting the Most Out of Your Teaching Experience - University of Guelph - August 29, 2013
Presenter - 7th Annual Animal Welfare Symposium - Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare - May 14, 2014
Conference Attendee - 12th Annual Meeting - International Society for Applied Ethology (Animal Behaviour Science) May, 2014
Conference Attendee - SPARCS (Society for the Promotion of Applied Research in Canine Science) International Conference on Dog Behaviour, June 20 - 22, 2014
Parasitology - Zoetis, July 20, 2014 (aid in better understanding the common parasite symptoms found in dogs/puppies and cats)
University of Edinburgh, UK - Certificate in Animal Behaviour and Welfare: July - August, 2014
Maddie's Fund & Jean Donaldson - Behavior Problems and Long-Term Housing of Shelter Dogs - September 12, 2014
Compassion Communication - Angelika Steinker - Pet Professionals Guild - October 7, 2014
Social Learning in Dogs - Jan Casey - Pet Professionals Guild - October 14, 2014
Virtual Conference Attendee - SPARCS (Society for the Promotion of Applied Research in Canine Science) International Conference on Dog Behaviour, June 19 - 21, 2015
Virtual Conference Attendee - International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants - April 9 & 10, 2016 - sessions on Resource Guarding (Sheila D'Arpino, DVM, DACVB), Euthanasia (Miranda Workman,MS, CABC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KSA), Working with Clients, Taking a Case History (Christopher Pachel, DVM, DACVB), Safety and Defensive Handling (Michael Shikashio, CDBC), Longeivity/Health (David Waters, DVM).
Balancing Client Confidentiality and Ethics - Angelika Steinker - Pet Professionals Guild - July, 2016
Counter-Conditioning - Angelika Steinker - Pet Professionals Guild - October, 2016
Genetics for the Behavior Consultant - Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 - Jessica Heckman, DVM - International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
Stop Coaching, start Training - Veronica Boutelle - Pet Professional Guild - October, 2016
starting in 2017 I've moved to keeping my own list of professional development opportunities on a spreadsheet as the list was getting just too big for the website, feel free to email me for a copy.
I’ve always had a strong interest in working with animals - from helping puppies and foals learn how to be great people partners, to showing dogs and training horses and Welsh ponies. After attending University of Guelph and getting my Master's degree in Animal Behaviour, travelling throughout North America competing in carriage driving (combined and pleasure) taught me even more about what makes animals tick. In 2007 my team and I won the Ontario Combined Driving Association Grand Championship and I went on to represent Canada in International competition. In 2010 I received the "People Make A Difference" Award from the Ontario Equestrian Federation.
My own dogs have taught me a lot as well - I've rehabilitated a shelter-adopted miniature American Eskimo. Shelby is now a happy nine-year-old dog who enjoys the new dog sport of Treibball and who - like her owner - loves meeting people and having fun while learning new things.
And I'm committed to building a community of certified dog training professionals in Ontario. Currently, I'm the Chair of the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers. I hold a North-American-wide professional designation as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) and am also a Certified Dog Behaviour Consultant (CDBC - with the International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants). To get these certifications, you have to take a third-party exam and review of your qualifications -- unlike many other "certifications" in the dog training world where the person who is offering to certify you is selling you their credential (i.e. I'm John Smith and for $1,000 you can be a John Smith Master Trainer.). Please note that Erika Eden is no longer a volunteer with Dog Friendship.
I am also deeply committed to continued education and learning, to remain up-to-date on the latest advances in the fields of dog training and behaviour.
Here's a sample of the type of continuing education seminars I have attended:
Managing Separation Anxiety (American Animal Hospital Association) - August, 2011
Preventing Problems in Puppyhood - November 11 - 13, 2011
First Aid & Critical Care (Ontario Veterinary College) March 31, 2012
Bad Behavior and The Veterinary Practitioner (Dr. Ian Dunbar) (8 hour intensive) June 13,2012
Psychology of Dogs & Humans - Common History and Bond (Dr. Stan Coren) - June 14, 2012
A Recipe for Behavior Modification Success: Behavior change for dangerous problems using antecedent control - (Angelica Steinker) - September 25, 2012
New Advances in the Management of Otitis Externa (external ear canal infections) - Veterinary Dermatology - Virbac Animal Health - April 3, 2013 (AAVSB RACE -1.0 hours)
Conference Attendee - SPARCS (Society for the Promotion of Applied Research in Canine Science) International Conference on Dog Behaviour, June 28-30, 2013
University of Guelph - Humanely Working with Animals - July 2013
Urinary Incontinence - When Good Dogs Leak - August 9, 2013
Getting the Most Out of Your Teaching Experience - University of Guelph - August 29, 2013
Presenter - 7th Annual Animal Welfare Symposium - Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare - May 14, 2014
Conference Attendee - 12th Annual Meeting - International Society for Applied Ethology (Animal Behaviour Science) May, 2014
Conference Attendee - SPARCS (Society for the Promotion of Applied Research in Canine Science) International Conference on Dog Behaviour, June 20 - 22, 2014
Parasitology - Zoetis, July 20, 2014 (aid in better understanding the common parasite symptoms found in dogs/puppies and cats)
University of Edinburgh, UK - Certificate in Animal Behaviour and Welfare: July - August, 2014
Maddie's Fund & Jean Donaldson - Behavior Problems and Long-Term Housing of Shelter Dogs - September 12, 2014
Compassion Communication - Angelika Steinker - Pet Professionals Guild - October 7, 2014
Social Learning in Dogs - Jan Casey - Pet Professionals Guild - October 14, 2014
Virtual Conference Attendee - SPARCS (Society for the Promotion of Applied Research in Canine Science) International Conference on Dog Behaviour, June 19 - 21, 2015
Virtual Conference Attendee - International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants - April 9 & 10, 2016 - sessions on Resource Guarding (Sheila D'Arpino, DVM, DACVB), Euthanasia (Miranda Workman,MS, CABC, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KSA), Working with Clients, Taking a Case History (Christopher Pachel, DVM, DACVB), Safety and Defensive Handling (Michael Shikashio, CDBC), Longeivity/Health (David Waters, DVM).
Balancing Client Confidentiality and Ethics - Angelika Steinker - Pet Professionals Guild - July, 2016
Counter-Conditioning - Angelika Steinker - Pet Professionals Guild - October, 2016
Genetics for the Behavior Consultant - Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 - Jessica Heckman, DVM - International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
Stop Coaching, start Training - Veronica Boutelle - Pet Professional Guild - October, 2016
starting in 2017 I've moved to keeping my own list of professional development opportunities on a spreadsheet as the list was getting just too big for the website, feel free to email me for a copy.
