Crystal Dunn grew up surrounded by dogs, cats, flying squirrels, hamsters, birds, and even a pet Prairie Dog named Princess. Her curiosity and love of animals comes naturally and is easily observed when watching her work with her students. Her style is gentle and patient, combining the language of posture and subtle signals to create true understanding between her and her canine students.
Her work as a professional trainer started in 2004 when she volunteered her time at a local shelter. Her interest in training animals, something that she viewed as a hobby for so many years, quickly took precedence over her business career. In 2006, she began her full time quest to train, educate, and rescue companion animals. Crystal mentored under a variety of respected trainers and has taught obedience classes ranging from puppy basics to advanced obedience. She has also worked with her clients extensively offering behavioral counseling, and has prepared many dogs for therapy work and other public roles. Crystal is also an avid reader and attends workshops and seminars regularly to keep up with the latest techniques and discoveries in pet training.
No two people, or dogs, are the same. As a private trainer Crystal enjoys the ability to offer each of her clients training that fits their specific needs. Her style is positive and honest, requiring commitment from her human students as well as canine. Results are often visible during the first session and last a lifetime. Crystal is a natural with animals. Her students have described the changes they see in their dogs as “amazing” and “the best investment I could have made for the life of my pets.”
Approach
Treats? Praise? Clickers? Whistles? Chokers? Collars that shock and spray? Oh my!
In a world full of so many different approaches to dog training and thousands of tools, it's no wonder that there's a good amount of confusion on where the boundary lies between discipline and cruelty, praise and bribery, communication and intimidation.
At Leaps n' Hounds we believe in guiding our dogs to good behavior through clear communication, consistency, and positive reinforcement. We do not believe in using force, intimidation, or fear to "train" dogs. Although some tools can be useful in certain instances, we are big fans of simplicity and have found that most training can be done with a simple leash, collar, observation, and good timing.
Of course, anyone who has ever lost twelve pairs of shoes or an entire couch to a puppy will tell you that discipline and consequences are part of raising a well behaved dog, just as they are part of raising children. But how does one "discipline" an animal who doesn't speak the same language?
Inhumane training approaches that often result in pain to the animal may seem to work for some dogs, but these approaches focus little on communication, damaging the friendship and trust we work so hard to build. Corporal punishment can cause problems that often worsen over time such as: irrational fears, timidness, defensiveness, anti-social behavior, aggressive behavior, destructive behavior, anxiety, and regression in potty training.
Leaps n'Hounds will help you decide what training techniques are right for you and your dog. We'll teach you how to set clear boundaries, lead by example, and address unwanted behaviors humanely and effectively at the root of the problem.
The training that you and your dog receive will create true communication, deepen your relationship with your dog, and remain useful for the duration of your lives together. We strive to build strong relationships based on true understanding. That is our promise.
Crystal Dunn
Trainer & Owner
Leaps n' Hounds Pet Training, LLC
Member APDT
