The best dog trainers are like the best doctors, they are constantly continuing their education. Laura Bourhenne earned her degree in Exotic Animal Training from Moorpark College majoring in Operant & Classical Conditioning, animal husbandry, handling and management. She is a Professional Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, an Associate Member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the CCPDT, and she continues her education by reading the newest literature and attending numerous seminars and conferences each year.
Laura's first job immediately following graduation at Moopark, was training a potbellied pig for a family in Santa Monica. This was when she began to understand the importance of being able to work well with people as well as animals. Concurrently, she also worked at the Universal Studios Animal Show where she was able to deepen her knowledge and experience of how animals learn. But in1990 Laura chose to narrow her primary focus to dogs and dog behavior after realizing how gratifying she found it to help people with their pets.
In the more than 20 years since beginning her business, Laura has helped thousands of dogs and their families learn to live in harmony. It is her greatest pleasure to know that she has contributed to keeping once “problem” dogs out of shelters and rescues and in loving homes. In addition to working with people and their pets, Laura also donates her time to various rescue organizations, including the Bill Foundation, Golden Retriever Club of Greater Los Angeles, and Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue, and is a Certified Training Partner for Best Friends Los Angeles.
Because Laura has trained many different species of animals including primates, birds of prey, ponies, rats, miniature potbelly pigs and many others, (ever hear of a kinkajou?) she has learned to train without the necessity of physical contact. Some of the species she has worked with can be dangerous and it was necessary for her to train them from outside the cage. She accomplished this with the use of a conditioned reinforcer, known as a clicker. Clicker training is a technique she now also uses with some of the dogs she trains. If you're interested in learning more about clicker training, check out the links in the Resources section.
For integrity sake, Laura has chosen to maintain a one-person training operation. This ensures an ongoing personal relationship of individualized attention to all of her two and four legged clients.
