Sarah Shelanski
For the past six years, I have been gaining experience in order to reach my goal of becoming a professional dog trainer and behavior specialist with a focus on working dogs. My past has included working as a dog trainer at multiple facilities, completing well-known dog training courses, completing internships, attending workshops and seminars, volunteering as a K9 SAR handler, competing with my dog in multiple sports, as well as gaining specified handling skills and knowledge in the world of canine training and behavior.
Currently, I am a student at CATCH Canine Trainer Academy. I am continuing my studies of training techniques, methods, theories, behavior, and everything canine with seminars and hands-on learning!
With my current dogs, I have gotten involved in the world of working and sport dogs. With my youngest dog, Lux, we have started training for search and rescue- both live find and cadaver. We also compete in the sport of IPO-R A.K.A RH (RH stands for Rettungshunde, German for search and rescue dog) which is a two phase sport consisting of a search (nose-work) phase and an obedience & dexterity phase. She was recently cast in an upcoming 2023 film and we also dabble in IGP obedience, Dock Diving and FastCAT. My oldest dog Jasmine is a retired service dog trained for film work as well as Rally.
In the past, I have:
- Worked as a trainer specializing in board and trains for a local dog training company. I also held private lessons and assisted in other cases by providing lesson dogs.
- Worked as an in-house dog trainer, overnight handler and enrichment specialist at different canine facilities.
- Interned at a local R+ dog training facility for 2 months.
- Trained under a local balanced trainer for 3 weeks.
- Volunteered with local service dog programs.
- Completed reputable dog training courses from CATCH Canine Trainers Academy and Karen Pryor Academy.
- Attended dog-specific workshops, seminars, and conferences from topics such as search and rescue, canine sports, behavior modification, canine first aid/CPR, and canine stunt training.
I was also in charge of dog handling and leading demonstrations for the Canine Handler Academy of the Penn Vet Working Dog Center as a counselor– where I also learned a lot about working dogs in general, as well as the training process, handling, and care of said dogs.
-Associate Member of the International Association of Canine Professionals
-AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator
-Certified Trick Dog Evaluator and Canine Conditioning Fitness Coach through Do More With Your Dog!
-Member of Pennsylvania Wilderness Search and Rescue (PaWSAR)
-Volunteer K9 Search and Rescue handler
-Member of the RH K9 Rangers
-Member of United Schutzhund Club of America
-Member of the National Association of Search and Rescue
