Our Certified Dog Trainer

Fortunate Fido’s certified dog trainer is dedicated to staying up to date to support you & your dog on your dog training journey!

Fortunate Fido is known for our experienced, knowledgeable dog trainers! We have and are continually pursuing continuing education and certifications to better understand and help you with your dog training journey.

Read our certified dog trainer’s biography and see for yourself!

Deanna 

IAABC-CDBC, IAABC-ADT, CPCFT

Deanna has had dogs her whole life, but has a soft spot for those working through big feelings! Currently, she has two dogs, a Rough Collie, Stitch, and a working line Belgian Tervuren, Mork. Stitch came to her with anxiety and health issues that led to him being dog reactive and people reactive. He taught her patience and the huge role that health plays in dog behavior. He was her entry into the dog training & behavior modification world. Through him, she discovered Fortunate Fido and started her journey toward becoming a certified dog trainer herself.

While Stitch enjoys relaxing at home on the couch, Mork is a working line Belgian Tervuren that embodies the meaning of fun. He’s taught her all about over arousal and helped her learn methods to help dogs calm themselves down rather than act out of frustration and arousal by biting, barking, etc. He loves working on scent work, frisbee, rally, parkour, and more! Every day he reminds her to enjoy what life brings!

While she enjoys training for sports, one of her favorite things to teach is cooperative care. She loves teaching dogs to be comfortable being handled at the groomer, vet, etc. and to have their nails trimmed and more! Even if it seems impossible, with small steps, you’d be amazed at what progress can be made while your dog remains comfortable and opting in to the experience.

She started her certified dog trainer journey by apprenticing under other trainers at Fortunate Fido to learn from them and their experience with puppies, adolescents, reactive dogs, aggressive dogs, and fearful dogs. First, she helped out with puppy and manners classes to get a view into the basics and see the progression of learning for a variety of dogs and humans.

From there, she learned and studied more and apprenticed under Ginger Alpine CPDT-KSA with aggressive, fearful, and reactive dogs. Ginger had decades of experience working with dogs of all sorts from shelter environments to home environments and she taught Deanna how to use positive reinforcement dog training to empower and help dogs from all walks of life. Apprenticing gave her insights into the nuances involved with dog behavior modification cases, a sense of what progression can look like depending on a variety of factors, and a view into the timeline of dog behavior modification cases and the affects various factors such as health and history can have on them.

She bought the business from Ginger in 2019 as Ginger when Ginger opened her dog boarding and enrichment center, Alpine Acres.

Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (IAABC-CDBC)

Most recently, Deanna earned her Certified Dog Behavior Consultant Certification (IAABC-CDBC), which asks for a minimum of 4 years and 500 hours of experience in dog behavior consulting; 400 hours of coursework, seminars, mentorships, and other education; endorsements from other professionals and clients; a thorough written exam; and case studies detailing successful behavior modification cases from intake through execution.

Accredited Dog Trainer (IAABC-ADT)

When she first started mentoring and teaching classes, Deanna continued to pursue continuing education and earned her Accredited Dog Trainer Certification (IAABC-ADT) through two years of dog training experience; a knowledge of learning theory, husbandry, training techniques, and terminology; a written discussion of training scenarios; and completion of training related questions as well as completion of continuing education through seminars, workshops, classes, and mentorships.

Certified Professional Canine Fitness Trainer (CPCFT)

Deanna has always loved the interplay between canine fitness and confidence building so she sought out the Certified Professional Canine Fitness Trainer (CPCFT) program in order to learn more about how to safely and effectively design and have client dogs execute canine fitness plans. This program focused on form, safety, evaluation of dogs, and how to adequately assess and progress through a canine fitness plan that fits client dog’s needs.

By teaching dogs how to safely and effectively use and strengthen their bodies, we see them start to gain confidence within themselves. Beyond that, by having a well thought out canine fitness plan, we ensure our dogs are ready to safely handle the difficulties that the dog sports world presents.