Pet Behavior Tips

Melissa Graham, CFTBS

Melissa is the Feline Welfare Specialist and supervises our Behavior team. She is a Certified Feline Trainer and Behavior Specialist through the Animal Behavior Institute and has trained our teams the art of low-stress handling for cats. She consults with owners who are experiencing behavior problems with their feline besties, including litter box problems, destruction, using you as a human scratching post, or cat-to-cat arguments.

Kayla Anderson, CCBS, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, CTDI

 Kayla is a Certified Canine Behavior Specialist and comes to us from the Peninsula Humane Society in San Francisco, where she worked in the behavior department for two years. She received her degree in Psychology and Sociology, focusing on the animal-human bond, and attended the Trish King Canine Behavior Academy.

Kayla enjoys working with bully breed dogs and educating the public on seeing dogs as individuals. Kayla is pet parent to a Staffordshire/Bulldog mix named Hippo, who volunteers as a therapy dog and makes mom proud on the agility course.

Michael Brand, CPDT-KA

Michael has been a lover of dogs since he was four years old. His first dog was one tough cookie who provided him his first lessons in understanding the complex needs of dogs, from the reactive and un-socialized to the easy-going and gregarious.

As his interests and involvement with dogs grew, he studied for and obtained his CPDT-KA. Continuing to work closely with clients he learned their needs and then prescribed appropriate training classes. He worked with dogs on everything from basic obedience to reactivity and aggression. These experiences greatly increased his practical knowledge of canine behavior and his ability to “speak dog.”

Michael enjoys working with and educating owners, helping them to understand their canine friends. He is actively involved in developing workshops on subjects important to pet owners. Currently he works with his young Norwegian Elkhound, Bleau, and helps his two daughters understand speaking dog.

Jason Lee Davis, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA

Jason is a Certified Canine Behavior Consultant & Trainer who specializes in rescue dogs who are attempting to cope with their new lives. Recovery from abuse, shelter life, or other past traumatic events can be much harder for some dogs than others. Jason assists pet parents with a training and enrichment plan that is easy for any busy family to follow.

Mik Moeller, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA

Mik is a professional certified dog trainer. He worked at the San Francisco SPCA as the canine behavior specialist for 18 years. He has his CPDT-KA and his CBCC –KA certifications. He is a recognized expert in shy/fearful dogs, reactive dogs meaning those dogs who bark and lunge on leash and canine enrichment. 

Mik graduated from the renowned San Francisco SPCA Dog Training Academy in 1999 and awarded special certification for dog-dog aggression in 2002 by Jean Donaldson. Mik frequently writes articles and lectures both nationally and internationally on leash reactivity, canine body language, dog play, canine enrichment and scent games, dog park etiquette and how to work with shy/fearful dogs. He also developed and taught the Reactive Rover dog training classes.

His teaching motto is you can teach an old dog new tricks and he brings a sense of humor to his classes to help the two legged students learn to understand their dogs behavior and provide tools to help them get the behavior they want in a positive, force-free, fun environment.

Tabitha Crane, ABCDT, CPDT-KA

Tabitha has been learning about the art of dog training since 2014 when she was preparing to adopt her first rescue dog. Never one to be satiated, she joined the Association of Professional Dog Trainers in 2015 to take courses and learn from the experiences of dog trainers around the world. Tabitha graduated from Animal Behavior College in 2020 and has experience teaching dog training classes. She continues to grow her knowledge by attending seminars taught by the leading behavior professionals in the field. She trains with an emphasis on the emotional and physical well-being of dogs and humans.

Tabitha is a mom to four dogs, two American Staffordshire mixes, one Pomeranian, and one Chihuahua/Dachshund mix.

Jenny Dagnino, CCTBS, CPDT-KA, CTC

Jenny manages Behavior and Training programs and is a graduate of the Academy for Dog Trainers. She loves educating shelter teams, and helping shelter dogs thrive through training and helping pets stay in their homes has been her passion for the last 9 years. Jenny loves to work with behavior problems like fear, aggression, reactivity and dogs who just have a lot of “exuberance” and are in need of learning skills.

Cathy Gushulak

Cathy is a Certified Training Partner with the Karen Pryor Academy focused on Clicker Training, a member of the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, and a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers.

Cathy shares her home with her Bernese Mountain Dogs, an Australian Shepherd, and a cat. She has fun training and competing with her dogs in Obedience, Rally, Agility, Conformation, Nose Work, Drafting, Herding, AKC Canine Good Citizen and AKC Trick Dog. She is also a Certified Animal Massage Therapist and Groomer. She jokes that her “life has gone to the dogs.”

Cathy loves to teach humans about how their dog thinks and learns, and how to create clear communication which helps to build a great human/canine relationship.

Rubina Shahbazian, B.S.

Rubina is a professional dog trainer and passionate animal lover with over 15 years of experience. She attended the Michael Ellis School for Dog Trainers in California as well as Highland Canine School for Dog Trainers in North Carolina. Rubina graduated cum laude as a Master Dog Trainer and summa cum laude specifically in obedience and behavior modification.  Her specialty areas include aggression and reactivity. She employs a science based, positive approach to her training methods. By motivating dogs through accessing rewards, she helps her clients obtain long term, effective results and fulfilling relationships with their canine counterparts. Rubina offers private lessons, group classes, AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluations and seminars in canine body language and canine/feline CPR & first aid.

Samantha Thompson, ABCDT

Samantha has been working with all breeds of dogs for her entire life but specifically focusing on obedience in the last 10 years. She is a certified ABC Dog Obedience trainer. Her focus is on making sure that owners have the necessary tools to train their dogs by providing hands-on training techniques. She believes in patience, positive reinforcement and making sure that each dog is treated as an individual. Her goal is to make sure that each owner has the tools and support to train their pup to be obedient, happy and thriving. She specializes in loose-leash walking, not jumping up, and knowing all obedient commands, such as sit, stay, leave-it, lay down, wait and more. Her goal is to make sure you have a well-behaved pup at home and in public. She makes sure that her clients can always reach out to her with questions, updates and concerns. She wants her clients to know that no matter what they are going through there are tips, tricks and training to make sure your pup is thriving in their training journey.