Our Team Philosophy
At Canine Sports, we believe in a humane training approach that strengthens the relationship between human and dog. We work on developing the tools that build a solid relationship based on trust and understanding. This is done by establishing a necessary and direct line of communication. Our holistic approach leads to a happy, balanced, and well behaved companion. We work with you and your dog to understand and channel your dog's natural drives which turn will help shape a delightful, reliable and biddable dog. Using games and play we have put the fun back into training the dogs and the humans! We value deep and long lasting relationships with both the dogs and their people. This is a team effort - and a dog's success is dependent on its human's success. Whether you are interested in competition level performance or just a great family pet, we cover it all!
Our dog Trainers
Emily Stoddard
Emily has been around dogs her whole life and started her formal training career when she met Sandy, a Yellow Labrador Retriever. Sandy was aggressive towards other dogs and after trying a number of punitive techniques thought there was a better way. Emily started as an apprentice at The Anti-Cruelty Society's School of Dog Training, where she then became a Senior Instructor. She was hired on to work in the Animal Behavior Department assessing temperaments and rehabilitating dogs as they got ready for adoption. From here she left to open her own training company and Canine Sports Dog Training was born. Emily’s thirst for knowledge continued, even after creating Canine Sports. She continued to seek out the world’s best trainers, mentors, and coaches. Through her pursuit of continued education she became adept at a variety of training and coaching skills and methodologies. Eventually Emily combined her wealth of knowledge, natural skill, and now years of experience to create a powerful and exhaustive training curriculum.
Now Emily is a sought after industry expert. She is frequently the first choice of aspiring trainers seeking out a mentor. Due to her detail oriented personality, and remarkable ability to teach others Emily has been asked to present seminars on a variety of topics worldwide. She looks forward to continuing to share her experience with all who wish to learn.
Emily is also an active competitor in the world of dog sports. She competes in Agility, Obedience, French Ring, Mondioring, American Schutzhund, Protection Sports Association, AVD, Nosework, Dock Dogs, and Rally-O - holding titles in all of the above, championship titles in several, and national rankings in some. What started as a weekend hobby, has turned into a full blown love and competitive outlet.
Natalie Ridge
Natalie has been around dogs her entire life, while her family always had a pet dog, Natalie got her first dog, a Bernese Mountain Dog, around the age of 12. She took part in training classes as a junior handler, and her love of training was born. After pursuing a degree in music education Natalie got her first dog as an adult, Athena, an American Pit Bull Terrier; after taking a puppy class at the Anti Cruelty Society, she began her formal career as a trainer through the Society's apprenticeship program. It was Here that she first met Emily. During her apprenticeship Natalie was led to rescue her second dog, Guinness, a highly aggressive ex dog fighting American Staffordshire Terrier. Along with her apprenticeship, and volunteering Natalie switched her day job from phlebotomist to veterinary assistant to continue pursuing her newfound passion for dogs.
In her time at the veterinary clinic Natalie witnessed how common behavior problems had profound effects on dogs' health, as well as their owners’ happiness. This realization inspired her to help dog owners better understand their dog from a physiological, biological, genetic, and behavioral standpoint.As a former education major, Natalie is a huge learning theory nerd, which influences her teaching style both with dogs and their humans. She firmly believes that dog and owner teams need to develop a common language and system of communication to bridge the gap between species. Natalie’s outside the box viewpoint has led her to continue to be innovative with methods and techniques to make sure each dog can achieve its best.Natalie is now beginning to work towards training for a variety of competitive dog sports. She continues to seek out knowledge in her never ending quest to learn all things training related. She is currently educating herself and her dogs in competition obedience, french ring, mondioring, and frisbee.
Emily Nabielec
Emily began her apprenticeship at the Anti Cruelty Society after taking some group classes there with her dog, Roscoe. When Emily and her husband decided to grow their family, she knew Roscoe’s fear of children would need to be addressed. After putting in some hard work Roscoe is now a happy big brother, rising to the task magnificently.
Emily continued to learn as much as she could about dog training, and became a stellar group class instructor. Her combination of training knowledge and experience, as well as her excellent organizational skills made her the perfect choice for Office Manager
Her love for animals, managerial skills, and drive to help a small business succeed has been helpful beyond words.
Emily goes above and beyond in the name of customer service, her communication skills are second to none. She has been indispensable in organizing, scheduling, managing resources, and innovating new projects. Emily makes sure that every experience with Canine Sports goes above and beyond the average dog training experience! She really helps us to be, and to bring out the best in our clients!
