I am a Wildlife Biologist, and just graduated from the University of California, Irvine with my Ph.D. studying bird diversity. I am an animal-lover, and my favorite animals of all are dogs. I am new to Rover, but I am the go-to dog sitter among my friends and colleagues, and look forward to getting to know the Rover community! I have experience in fearful and fear-aggressive dogs. I am the proud fur-mama of a gorgeous rescue malti-poo named Apple, who came to me a fear-aggressive dog with a lot of behavioral challenges. We enrolled in training classes 7 years ago and have since learned a lot together as we built a strong relationship built on mutual trust and positive reinforcement. You should see her now- ask me about her tricks! We have recently added a new dog to our family: Devin, a fearful/gentle Chinese-crested-mix whose confidence is growing daily. I have a fenced yard, and am home full time! I am happy to practice/reinforce any tricks or commands you are working on with your dog, or introduce new skills into their repertoire. I can work on your dog's loose-leash walking skills. I believe in positive reinforcement coupled with firm verbal corrections when appropriate.