About Dae Grodin
Dae is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) through the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers, the only internationally independent certifying body in the industry, as well as a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA CTP), another internationally recognized dog training program. She is also a FitPAWS Master Trainer (FP-MT)
She is the owner and trainer of Dog-Abilities, a professional dog training and walking business, servicing the Northern KY and Cincinnati areas. Dog-Abilities offers private training, behavioral consults, group classes, board and trains, and dog walking services. We work with dogs of all ages, sizes, and breeds, as well as a variety of behavioral problems. These include but are not limited to general house manners/basic obedience, fear and phobia issues, anxiety, and aggression. We strive to guide and educate owners to gain confidence in helping their dogs through the use of reward based training, scientific principles of canine learning theory, and relationship building skills.
Dae’s dog training career began 16 years ago when she decided to train her first puppy, a Boxer. Together, they learned the power of clicker training and eventually earned a CGC and therapy dog title. Since that time, Dae became increasingly interested in animal behavior, taking college classes, reading various books and articles on the subject. After graduating from the University of Kentucky with a major in psychology, she decided to pursue both her passions for psychology and animal training. This led her to working in boarding, training, and daycare facilities, where she gained knowledge under other positive, skilled, reward based trainers, as well as honing observational skills and hands-on experience with many different dogs. During this time, she also assisted with many group training classes and board and trains for basic obedience and service dog work.
Dae lives with 3 dogs— a German Shepherd Dog mix, a Parson Russell Terrier, a Border Terrier, and a house bunny, all of whom are clicker trained. Currently, Dae does therapy dog work, Search and Rescue work, and competition obedience with her German Shepherd Dog mix. She is planning on Search and Rescue and Agility with her Parson Russell Terrier, and Nose Work, Barn Hunt, and possibly agility with her Border Terrier.
Dae believes in continued education and attends conferences such as the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, ClickerExpo, and other seminars from internationally recognized speakers in the field of dog training and behavior. She has also helped organize the annual APDT Conference for the past nine years as a Staff and Task Force Member. In 2015, she received the Ian Dunbar Member of the year award for her contributions to APDT. She is a Premium Professional Member of APDT, a Charter member of the Professional Pet Guild, and a supporting member of IAABC.
Dae works with the Boone County Animal Shelter, helping to train the volunteers in dog training, as well as offering behavioral evaluations to shelter dogs. When she is not working with dogs, she enjoys running, photography, hiking, and other outdoor activities.