Penny is the program manager of the GoodDog! Helpline. She began training her family's dogs as a young child, and her love of dogs and working with them has been her primary passion in life. She began professionally training and competing in 1988. Penny is a certified trainer with Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers; professional member of Association for Professional Dog Trainers; mentor for Animal Behavior College; and an evaluator for AKC Canine Good Citizen and AKC Agility Course Test.

Penny has earned the most advanced level titles on several breeds in Agility, Obedience, Rally, Dock Diving, Barn Hunt, and Flyball. In addition, she and her husband have bred some top conformation Flat-Coated Retrievers.

''Helping people improve their relationship with their dogs is the goal of the GoodDog! Helpline,'' she said. ''People and dogs do not speak the same language so helping bridge that communication gap is a very satisfying part of serving our clients.''

A native of Venezuela, Milena is our resident bilingual trainer and is happy to assist our Spanish-speaking dog owners. About 19 years ago, Milena and her family moved to the United States where she started volunteering at an animal shelter. The experience inspired her to pursue a career to help dogs and their owners have a longer and more enriching relationship.

Milena studied dog training at the Animal Behavior College (ABC) and graduated as a certified dog trainer. In addition, she is an ABC Certified Dog Groomer and has continued her education even further, earning certificates in Pet Massage and Training Shelter Dogs. She is also an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, a Trick Dog Instructor, a Stunt Dog Judge, and a Canine Conditioning Coach.

''The best part about training is watching the whole family get in to it. It's great to spend that time together,'' Milena said. ''My philosophy is to focus on the solution and not on the problem.''

Dogs have always been a part of Hilarie's life. As a teenager, her biggest hobby was training and showing her quarter horses in 4H events while her mother went to dog shows, but as an adult competing in conformation, obedience, and agility with her own standard Wirehaired Dachshunds and Wirehaired Pointing Griffons took over. She is currently training and plans to compete with the newest addition to her family, a Border Terrier.

Hilarie's professional career has been in graphic design and she has worked for several advertising firms and corporate in-house creative departments. She is also an artist who does canine portraits. She teaches puppy training classes at a training facility and is a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator.

''I have been involved in training dogs long enough to see what a difference positive methods make. They create happy dogs and build trusting relationships between them and their people. One of the best things about being a GoodDog! Helpline Trainer is helping owners use fun and safe ways to help their dogs succeed at their most important jobs: being true members of their families.''

Erin has been involved with working with animals all her life and rode and showed horses as a young age as well as teaching tricks to the family's dogs.

As an adult, she has devoted her life to working with animals and has been employed as a veterinary technician, kennel technician, dog trainer, and groomer. Currently, Erin is an animal control officer, a position that has presented her with many opportunities for high-level training on dealing with reactive dogs and other issues commonly found in abandoned and stressed animals.

She shares life with two Border Collies and a Pug. She competes with her dogs in Flyball, Agility, Dock Diving, Barn Hunt, and Conformation and also enjoys taking her pack swimming and walking.

Breanne started training at a young age when she taught her Poodle mix to roll-over and shake hands, and has been utilizing her skills ever since.

She competes with her Papillons in AKC Rally®, obedience, agility, flyball, conformation, and AKC Canine Good Citizen®. Her retired Papillon also performed therapy work at local hospitals.

Breanne rode horses for many years, and competed in hunter/jumpers. She applied dog training principles to horse training. An engineer by profession, she also teaches dog training classes, including agility and obedience, at a dog training facility.

Breanne believes in positive reinforcement training and using each dog's preferences to shape their behavior. ''With consistency and the right motivation, any dog can learn to live happily with its human family.''

Paisley began her dog training journey shortly after graduating with a degree in veterinary technology. ''As a veterinary technician and first time dog owner, I very quickly began learning about animal behavior in the veterinary hospital. What interested me the most was how to make dogs and cats better patients through positive reinforcement training.'' Paisley is a member of the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians and a student of the Karen Pryor Academy of Animal Training and Behavior. ''My primary passions in the world of dog training are baby/child and dog safety, fear free and cooperative veterinary care, and educating owners to create deeper and lasting bonds with their pets.'' Paisley, her husband and young son share their lives with two dogs, a mixed-breed and an Australian Shepherd; as well as a horse, a pony, three cats, and five chickens.

Kim began training her family dog in formal obedience at a very young age and dogs and dog training have been her passion ever since. She works as a CGC & Therapy Dog evaluator at a local training school & enjoys assisting students with obedience, rally and agility. Kim has competed in agility, herding, obedience and rally with her border collies.

''I think my role as a dog trainer is actually more of a 'communication facilitator' between dogs and their families. Since every situation is unique, sometimes you have to use a little creativity to bridge that communication gap. Achieving the end goal of happy dogs with happy dog families never fails to make me smile.''

Growing up, Erin was active in animal rescue and training, with a particular passion in horseback riding and training competition dogs. She recently graduated from veterinary school and is now working in a small animal practice. She lives with her 11 dogs and has competed and titled dogs in rally, herding, obedience, agility, flyball and lure coursing.

Elizabeth has always loved animals, especially dogs, and as a child enjoyed spending time training her family dog tricks and obedience. She has competed with her Shetland Sheepdogs in several dog sports, including AKC Rally® and agility. Her sheltie, Nivy, has titled in Rally Excellent, Excellent Agility, and Excellent Agility Jumper. Elizabeth and Nivy are also a therapy dog team, bringing comfort and happiness to residents of an assisted living facility. Nivy has her AKC Therapy Dog title and also visits children in schools and students during exam breaks as a part of the See Spot Read program. Elizabeth has volunteered with Triangle Sheltie Rescue and fostered dogs waiting for their forever homes. Elizabeth has taught classes in AKC Canine Good Citizen, Rally Obedience, and Therapy Dog.

''I believe in positive reinforcement training and believe it creates a great bond between you and your dog,'' she said. ''The more time you can spend on consistent and positive training, the greater the rewards are for you and your dog.''