Hi, I'm Julia! Here is a bit about me My History: I've had dogs my whole life, and I got into pet care through Rover when I lived in LA in college studying cognitive science. I missed having dogs in my life and figured it was a good way to fill that paw shaped hole! This was in 2018, and it quickly changed my life's path. I reached the end of undergrad in 2020 and realized I couldn't stay away from working with dogs, but I also loved social psychology, behavior and cognition. With dog training I could combine my two passions. I moved to San Diego and went on to work with service dogs for a year and a half, gaining outdoor kennel and high level training experience. While I loved that training, I wanted to learn more about all kinds of dog training. Qualified by my 400+ hours experience training, I went on to sit for an exam by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, earned my CPDT-KA and went into pet dog training. I now have been in pet training since November 2021, doing mostly obedience and early development socialization (mostly dogs under 2). I also compete and train in dogs sports with my two. My border collie and I compete in frisbee dog, barn hunt, agility and do lots of trick training. My small dog knows so many tricks, and she likes barn hunt and nose work. My real passion is having fun with dogs- getting them to open up and play, trust, feel confident and accomplished, and dog sports are an AMAZING way to get to do this. Now that I know SO much more about dogs, have met so many breeds, and trained so many individuals and their humans, I am in a place where I would like to get back on Rover and work with more dogs in my free time! Me as a Pet Sitter: Each dog is so unique and I genuinely love all the characters I get to meet, and I treat them with the utmost respect and love, as I treat my own dogs. I am known to have a very calming presence and demeanor, so even anxious dogs warm up to me pretty quickly. Keeping your dog as comfortable and happy as possible is my goal. I have taken coursework in canine body language and stress signals, as well as canine emotion and cognition so I am very good at reading dogs and determining the course of action best for the dog in front of me. I also am familiar with the quirks specific to some of the bigger personalities/higher energy level dogs (herding breeds, bulldogs, retrievers, pointers, boxers, pits) which helps me be proactive in preventing any further stress for your dog while they are away from you. I have a lot of experience with herding breeds and I love that working dog joie-de-vivre! I also know how to work with strong personalities, like assertive dogs and rule benders. From my experience, I have learned how to love them and have fun with them while keeping everything under control (and positive!).