Meet Kim
I have spent decades working hands on with dogs. I ran my own business offering dog training, obedience, and boarding, and I founded and ran a nonprofit animal rescue organization.
Between boarding dogs away from their owners, training dogs of every temperament, and taking in frightened rescues, I have seen anxiety in nearly every form it takes: dogs who panic when left alone, dogs who will not let a stranger near them, dogs who shut down at the sight of a leash.
Over time, the anxious dogs became the focus of my work, because they were the ones who needed the most help and got the least of it.
I hold a Certificate in Animal Behavior and Conservation from Hunter College, and I have completed my graduate coursework for a Master of Arts in Psychology, with a concentration in Animal Behavior and Conservation. That study grounds my hands on experience in current research on how animals learn and how fear works.
My Approach
I Work With You, Not Just Your Dog
After decades of working with anxious dogs in person, I have seen almost every form anxiety can take. Every dog is different, but the behaviors fall into recognizable patterns, and each pattern has a proven way forward.
That experience is why this works over Zoom. I do not need to be in your living room to recognize what your dog is going through. I need to see it, hear about it from you, and understand your daily life together.
Here is the part most people do not expect: my real work is with you. An experienced trainer can get a calm response from almost any dog for an hour. That proves very little. What matters is how your dog behaves on an ordinary Tuesday when you pick up your keys.
You are with your dog every day, so you are the one who can change this for good. I will teach you why your dog reacts the way they do, how the plan works, and exactly what to do at each step.
Real change takes days and weeks of small, steady practice. When you understand the why and the how, the progress sticks.
How I Help Dogs Change
Anxiety is an emotional problem, so I treat it as one. My plans use gradual desensitization and counterconditioning, which means changing how your dog feels about a trigger, one small step at a time.
I do not use punishment, intimidation, or tools designed to cause discomfort. Frightening an anxious dog only makes the fear worse.
Beyond Dogs
When I am not working with dogs, I practice law. I hold a JD with a certificate in International Law, and speak four languages.
I am also a pasta chef, so I understand better than most what it takes to master a craft through years of daily practice.