Casey Coughlin
(Owner, Pet dog training, Puppy training, Problem solving, Service Dog Foundations Instructor)
Casey Coughlin specializes in solving difficult behavior problems, positively starting puppies, and building strong relationships with your dog. She loves working with reactive and sensitive dogs.
Casey has been surrounded by animals since childhood and grew up competing nationally in multiple equestrian events. She attended college at the University of Findlay for Equestrian Studies and later went on to develop and lead the riding instruction program at Nash Hill Equestrian Center, in Gowanda, NY. It was there that Casey picked out her first puppy of her own, a Border Collie/Lab Mix named Riley. Riley was an expert farm dog but lost his job when Casey moved back to suburbia to finish her studies. This was when Casey’s love for training and dog sports started. Riley had a new career as a trick, agility, and disc dog!
Around the same time, a young neglected English Mastiff joined the family. Through helping Sophie recover, Casey learned the power of positive reinforcement training in rehabilitating dogs with severe behavior problems, allowing Sophie to go from people phobic and dog aggressive to confident family companion.
Casey is committed to furthering her education and promoting science-based humane training, she has completed Dr. Susan Friedman’s behavioral change course “Living and Learning with Animals” (2019), enjoys attending Clicker Expo, instructed for the Fenzi Pet Professional Program (2019, 2020), and has contributed and collaborated with several dog podcasts, including Cog-Dog Radio and Fenzi Dog Sport Podcast. Casey has taught seminars across the country and Canada on topics ranging from behavioral wellness to solving dog reactivity.
Casey is positive, upbeat, and confident that she can help change your family’s relationship with your dog. She currently lives in Windsor, CT with her partner Kristin and their family.
Laura DeMaio Roy
(Service Dog Training)
Laura is a Certified Guide Dog Instructor, Certified Trick Dog Instructor, and Stunt Dog Judge. She regularly attends seminars and conferences to stay on the cutting edge of training and has attended seminars with instructors such as Kay Lawrence and Suzanne Clotheir, along with attending Clicker Expo on a regular basis.
Laura is an energetic, passionate person who loves to teach families how to bring the best out of their dogs. While in college Laura held a variety of animal-related positions including working at the UConn horse barn, teaching as an Assistant Naturalist at Westmoor Park, and interning with endangered species at White Oak Conservation Center in Florida. While finishing her Master’s degree at UConn she began volunteering at Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation helping to lead the puppy classes. Soon after she was hired as a full-time trainer where she trained and placed German Shepherd guide dogs throughout the country for 5 years.
Laura completed a rigorous three-year apprenticeship, after which she was certified as a guide dog trainer/instructor. She has trained countless guide dogs for service work throughout the US and Canada. She has also traveled all over the country to teach visually-impaired clients how to use their service dog.
Laura also enjoys training tricks. She regularly performs shows with her Expert Trick Dog, Jake, a dog she rescued as a 2 year old from Tennessee. He can perform a multitude of tricks including climbing a ladder, jumping rope, and getting a drink from the fridge. As a pair, they teach children’s summer camp and educate people on the benefits of rescuing an adult dog.
Laura has taught everything from basic obedience to herding foundations classes and enjoys empowering clients to problem solve with their own dogs. Her programs focus on solid fundamentals in order to encourage long-term success for the dog/handler team.
Laura is passionate about helping owners train their own service dogs. She has recently spoken at statewide conferences on service dog training, laws, and etiquette, including at the 2018 ADACC, and consults for other trainers and handlers across the country. Laura capitalizes on her passion for people and service dogs to build a solid working team.
Laura’s philosophy is grounded in positive reinforcement to unlock the potential in your dog. She believes training should be fun for both the human and the dog. She also believes in having a wide variety of tools and methods to choose from, as one solution does not fit all dogs. Laura can teach you how to help your dog become the valued member of your family they were meant to be.
Fully Insured
