PetSmart’s trainers are highly skilled and specialized at their craft. Often, they hold many prestigious titles, accolades, and certifications that have taken hundreds and sometimes thousands of hours to complete. In this series, we will highlight the incredible talent of our trainers across the company.
Tiffany has been a PetSmart trainer for 12 years now, but she is in her first year of participating in dog shows in her spare time, specifically agility trials. She’s clearly found a great fit because her dog, Drifter, has already reached master level in the American Kennel Club (AKC) and is working towards his Championships.
Dog agility is a sport where you direct your dog through a timed pre-set obstacle course including tunnels, weave poles, jumps, seesaws and more. “Agility is very different from obedience and, in my opinion, calls for a stronger working relationship, which I love!” she says.
In addition to these incredible recent achievements, Tiffany is a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) evaluator, which is rapidly becoming the standard for behavior for dog training, and is currently finalizing her Fear Free certification, a specialized training course designed to prevent and alleviate fear, anxiety, and stress in pets by inspiring and educating the people who care for them. She is also working to become a Certified Trick Dog Instructor and has hopes to obtain her CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed) certification soon after.
We caught up with Tiffany to ask her more about her passion for training:
What is your favorite type of dog to work with or show?
T: Definitely herders. I love a high energy working breed.
What advice do you have for other dog trainers or aspiring dog trainers?
T: Always pursue more education, whether it be self-studying, attending conferences and/or training in multiple venues.
What is one thing you want other PetSmart associates to know about PetSmart dog training?
T: Never discount a PetSmart Trainer. We are incredibly qualified and educated in this space. We pride ourselves in holding to a more humane, positive reinforcement standard of training.
What is your favorite part about dog training?
T: I love seeing growth. Also, seeing the bond strengthen between a pet parent and their canine partner.
How do you do Anything for Pets?
T: I always strive to continue my education and better myself and my training to meet the needs and goals of my clients and my own pack.
To learn more or apply to be a PetSmart Trainer, visit careers.petsmart.com!