Linnea's love and enthusiasm for dogs began at a young age with family pets. By high school age, she knew she wanted to train dogs professionally and purchased her first German Shepherd for that purpose. Her introduction to profesional dog training began as a veterinary assistant where she sucessfully handled "impossible" dogs rescued from abusive situations. She noticed that her compassion and gentleness had a calming effect on even the worst aggressive cases. This experience led her to the National K-9 School for Dog Trainers in Columbus, Ohio, where she earned her Master Training Certification. Since then, she has trained literally hundreds of dogs in basic and advanced obedience training, as well as support dogs for the hering impaired, personal protection and security canine, and narcotics detection canine. However, she loves the challenge of and specializes in behavioral modification training for problem dogs. She and her personal pets enjoy pet therapy sessions with children and the elderly during off-hours.
Linnea continues her professional training by attending various seminars across the nation and working on the completion of other certifications through nationally recognized agencies. She is an integral part of the founding and organization of the K-9 Strike Team: a Virginia Task Force. Linnea is also a SAR TECH for the Virginia Beach Rescue Squad's Search and Rescue Team.
| Certifications | ||
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| Certified Master Trainer | National K-9 Training Center | |
| Certified Pet Care Technician | American Boarding Kennel Association | |
| Certified Search & Rescue Field Team Member | Commonwealth of Virginia-DEM | |
| Certified AKC Evaluator & Instructor | CGC(Canine Good Citizen) | |
| Pet Therapy Certified Canine & Handler | Therapy Dog International (TDI) | |
| Certified Canine Massage Therapist | Integral Touch Therapy Inc. For Animals (Course I & II) |
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| Seminars/Courses | ||
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| Course on "Aggression in Dogs" & | Assoc. of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) | |
| "The Art of Teaching People" | ||
| "Competition Obedience Seminar" | Jerry Bradshaw | |
| Master Trainers Course (almost complete) | Tarheel Canine Academy | |
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| Memberships | ||
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| Cavalier Working Dogs | Co-Founder/ Secretary | |
| Virginia Task Force K-9 Therapy Strike Team | ||
| Protection Sports Association | ||
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| Extra Experiences | ||
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| 7 years of Pet Therapy | Norfolk Senior Center & DePaul Hospital | |
| 2 years of Veterinary Assistant, Receptionist | Centerville Animal Hospital | |
| & Kennel Personnel Experience | VCA Animal Care Center | |
| Search and Rescue : Ground Pounders and Dog Teams | ||
| Trainer for a Day | Sea World: Orlando FLA | |
| K9 Professional Sports | Obedience, Tracking, and Protection Compititions | |
| United Schutzhund Clubs of America | Obedience, Tracking, and Protection Compititions | |
| Greater Atlantic Rescue Dogs | A Tidewater based Search and Rescue Dog Team | |
| Association of Pet Dog Trainers | Previous Member |