Meet Your Dog Training and Puppy Start Coach
Hi, I’m Catherine Comden.
Thank you for checking out my qualifications and experience. You are wise to do so. Since dog training is an unregulated industry, anyone can toss up a website and make a bunch of promises. Maybe they’ve had a dog or two. Maybe they finished an online course. And, even trainers who have been in the business a really long time may have not attended any continuing education in the last couple decades. They could be using old-style methods that might work – or they might make the problems worse! It’s anyone’s guess.
It’s unethical to offer guarantees of training results, as lasting behavior change requires dedicated effort across a number of factors. But, I will promise you this: I’ll put together a customized plan for you and your dog that has clear steps and I’ll support you with resources, up-to-date techniques and live feedback so you know exactly how to work with your dog. And, I’ll make the process enjoyable for the whole family – including your dog.
You will encounter very few professionals who have the depth and breadth of experience I bring to your team. When you read my reviews, you’ll notice a theme – I enjoy teaching the people as much as I enjoy working with the dogs. If you check out my background, you’ll notice I have experience in multiple areas of dog training and problem behavior rehabilitation. When you work with me, you will find the support, professionalism and sensible guidance you need. This way, you can quickly get to the ultimate goal of simply enjoying your dog. Reach out and let me know when you are ready to get started!
Having a dog should be fun. If it’s not fun, let me help.
Educated
Catherine earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Montana. She completed undergraduate research in the human canine bond by creating a service dog training program and studying the effects of team training on the bond between the participants and their dogs. Catherine has completed graduate level coursework in Education: Information Technology at Western Oregon University. As a dog training professional since 1990, Catherine has attended and participated in thousands of hours of continuing education through seminars, conferences and online courses.
Not simply an attendee, Catherine is an educator and has created courses for dog pros which have been approved for continuing education units. Hundreds of professional dog trainers have successfully passed their CPDT-KA exam due to Catherine’s course. Other courses she has created for dog pros include Kids & K9s, Exploring Canine Careers, Sensible Behavior Practices for Veterinary Professionals, and Safe Sitting for Pet Sitters who care for reactive, fearful or aggressive dogs.
Experienced
Catherine’s first career was that as an Animal Health Technician (veterinary nurse). She became a professional dog trainer in 1990. She worked and taught at Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in the behavior clinic, helping pet owners understand and implement complex behavior change protocols. She was Behavior Program Manager at Willamette Humane Society. In that role, Catherine designed learning for staff, volunteers and the public for dog and cat training. She also trained and managed an elite group of dog trainers who handled and rehabbed the shelter’s most difficult transfer dogs. Catherine has trained thousands of dogs and their families through many of the same issues you are facing.
Catherine has successfully competed with 5 dogs in dog agility (USDAA) and obedience trials. She has trained service dogs for people with disabilities, including mobility assistance, sound alert and PTSD recovery. She has handled multiple dogs for therapy work in convalescent and rehabilitation hospitals. Catherine has coached dozens of volunteers and their dogs to successfully work as therapy dog teams. Catherine assisted her mom, Rita Comden, who was a regional trainer for a large volunteer search and rescue organization, to coach SAR teams from puppy through passing their working tests. Catherine helped train search and rescue dogs to find people in the wilderness, disaster, snow and water. She has dabbled in scent work (truffles!), rally obedience and missing pet recovery training.
Certified
Catherine Comden is certified by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and regularly instructs other dog trainers in humane dog training and coaching pet owners. Catherine is committed to continuing education and invests countless hours annually in attending conferences, performing literature review, reading published canine science articles and writing for a dog training instruction academy to stay current in the modern science and art of dog training.