Integrated Approach to Canine Behavioral Wellness
Helping dogs and humans live their best lives together is about more than just training. To achieve canine behavioral wellness, we must first recognize and address ALL of our dogs’ needs.
Offering one-on-one internet-based coaching
Suzanne Dubnicka, PhD, CPDT-KA, UW-AAB, CPCFT, CTDI, CCFC
Integrated Approach to Canine Behavioral Wellness: Mind, Body, and Soul
Helping dogs and humans live their best lives together is about more than just training. To achieve canine behavioral wellness, we must first recognize and address ALL of our dogs’ needs.
Offering one-on-one internet-based coaching
Suzanne Dubnicka, PhD, CPDT-KA, UW-AAB, CPCFT, CTDI, CCFC
Integrated Approach to Canine Behavioral Wellness
Often what we label as “behavior problems” in dogs is the result of a gap, and sometimes clash, between what a dog needs for behavioral wellness and what the human world provides. One of the most powerful tools to bridging that gap is communication. That’s my job. While I am certainly a dog trainer, behavior consultant, and fitness trainer, I like to think of myself as a translator and mediator. I interpret your dog’s behavior and help formulate a plan so that you and your dog can live happily together.
Mind
Do you live in town or on a farm? Does your dog accompany you to coffee shops or to the wilderness?
- Train your dog the behaviors that are important for your lives.
- Learn to communicate clearly with your dog.
- Use your dog’s brain.
Body
Does your dog compete for titles and ribbons or the best spot on the sofa? Do you hike in the mountains or around the block?
- Lack of physical fitness can lead to both training and behavioral issues.
- Improve your dog’s strength, endurance, balance, and body awareness.
Soul
Will your dog follow its nose to the next county? Maybe your dog would prefer to gather its toys together. Different breeds have different needs and innate behaviors.
- Many behavior problems stem from dogs not having appropriate outlets for breed-specific behaviors and activities.
- Help your dog live its best life.
Learn with Suzanne
What do you want to accomplish with your dog? That’s why you’re here, right? You have goals, and you need help to meet them. Here are the ways that I can help you and your dog reach your goals and live your best lives together!
Canine Behavioral Wellness
Private coaching for canine wellness will help you teach your dog skills for your lifestyle as well as help you solve frustrating problems. We can focus on basic manners for home and public or tackle issues such as resource-guarding or dog reactivity on leash.
Canine Conditioning
Private coaching for canine conditioning will help you get your dog physically fit and teach him to access that fitness for optimal performance. Whether you have a sport dog, a working dog, a beloved companion, a puppy, an adult, or a senior dog, we can design a custom fitness and conditioning plan to meet your goals.

All The Dogs: The Human
Suzanne Dubnicka
Suzanne is a self-proclaimed dog nerd. While she may have starter her journey with dogs later in life than many trainers, she has immersed herself in the world of dog training, dog sports, behavior consulting, and canine conditioning. She lives by the philosophy:
Learn More and Do Better
She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed and a Certified Professional Canine Fitness Trainer, and she has earned a certificate in Applied Animal Behavior from the University of Washington. Suzanne has also earned a doctoral degree in statistics from The Pennsylvania State University.
Less formally, Suzanne spends much of her time reading books about dogs and dog behavior, attending seminars and conferences, watching dogs, and discussing dogs with other dog people. Suzanne strives to keep up with the current research on dog training and behavior and to always be open to new ways to address the behavioral needs of dogs.
Testimonials
We had the pleasure of working with Suzanne as our trainer for our dog Posey. She was very knowledgeable about canine behavior and provided positive training methods to help us work with our new puppy. Through the use of these strategies, and Suzanne’s support, Posey is a becoming a well-behaved and socialized dog. We are very appreciative of the confidence that Suzanne instilled in us that is aiding in our continual training of Posey.
Suzanne was one of the trainers in the class we started when Cinder was 10 weeks old. She was very patient with Cinder and us. Over several months we worked through lots of challenges and ended up with a wonderful lab that is frequently complimented on her behavior. We miss her and River since they moved.
