Meet Mary

I'm a full-time Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, running a small business focused on pet behavior consulting and training classes. Over the past 22 years I've worked to modify animal behavior as a researcher, veterinary assistant, trainer, and behaviorist — including behavioral research at the National Institutes of Health before starting Helping Pets Behave.

Much of the information about cats and dogs on the internet and popular television is inaccurate (read more on Medium), and it's our pets that suffer the consequences: a fearful dog labeled as “dominant” is mistreated with unnecessary, harsh methods while the real problem goes untreated.

My approach is science-based. I look at your pet's environment to find the triggers and factors contributing to unwanted behaviors and the consequences maintaining them, then teach you humane, positive techniques, proven effective for even the most challenging dog and cat behavior problems. We train your pet what to do instead of punishing repeated mistakes.