About Melanie
R. E. A. L. K9 Training adheres to science and positive reinforcement based methods, fostering a lasting bond between owners, handlers and their dogs. Melanie proudly belongs to the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, an organization dedicated to establishing high scientific ethical standards in the unregulated dog training industry. Melanie is committed to incorporating these methods into every dog family's home and supporting the organization of Professional Dog Trainers.
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Melanie regularly serves the Western Slope of Colorado, including Ridgway, Telluride, Montrose, and will travel for service dog training. She can't wait to help you and your dog unleash your potential!
Melanie's Mission
Melanie founded her company driven by a deep passion for dogs and a commitment to fostering harmonious relationships within families. With a profound belief that a happy home involves a strong bond between family members and their pets, her mission is two-fold: assisting pet owners with their dogs and aiding those in need of a service dog.
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As a dedicated professional service dog trainer, Melanie is on a mission to enhance the lives of others by promoting better physical and mental well-being through the companionship of a well-trained service dog. Her goal is to uncover the potential within each dog and empower them to provide valuable support to their owners.
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If you seeking to strengthen the bond with your canine companion in need of a service dog for improved health and independence, R.E.A.L. K9 Training is here to guide you on this transformative journey. Let our expertise and passion for dogs and owner help create a healthier and happier life with your four-legged friend.
Get To Know Me Further
My love for animals began as early as I can remember - It all started when I was a child and watched my father train our family doodle to pick me up from school every day. While dogs had always been a part of my life, as a person with medical issues, I never realized how much I could benefit from having my own service dog until I got Rex.
When Rex, my (now mostly retired) service dog, joined my family, I planned on training him to do some dog sport, but I was introduced to service dog training and learned about how he could improve my life. I decided to make him a service dog. While training and working with Rex, I realized I had a passion for service training as well. During my service dog training program with him, the lead trainer recognized my skills and potential and signed me on as a trainer and coach.
Since taking on a training role, I have undergone extensive education in learning theory, dog behavior and body language. I am proud to hold certifications as a Fear Free Certified Professional and a CPDT-KA certified trainer. Additionally, I have earned certificates from Cooperative Paws: Alert & Response Task Training, Retrieval, and Public Access. In addition, I have my Canine Body Language Certificate of Completion from PetPartners, I am a Certified Puppy Start Right Instructor from Karen Pryor Academy, DWYD certified Instructor, AKC Trick Dog, S. T. A. R. Puppy and CGC Evaluator.
For the last decade, I have been working as a service dog trainer, mostly for a non-profit service dog organization that focuses on veterans, but also offers assistance for anyone who is in need of a medical alert/response dog for disabilities, such as diabetes, seizure disorders, POTS, mobility, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and self-harm. I have also been running my own training business. My work has ranged from basic and advanced obedience training, public access training and testing, and task training. While I have a wide skill set, my focus has been on service dog training and assisting with disabilities.
I believe my own disabilities have helped me with my clients because I understand them and fully understand their needs. My own service dogs have given me a lot of independence and I want to be able to train dogs to help others achieve that same success. I love to celebrate the small and big victories during their service dog or pet dog journey and enjoy being their support system.
When not training dogs, dogs are still a huge part of my life! I live in Ridgway with my husband, who is a part of the Ouray Mountain Rescue, as well as my Newfypoo service dog, Kona, my semi-retired german shepherd service dog, Rex, my husband’s german shepherd, Angel, and our son’s cat. All my dogs are titled in CGC, UCGC and ACGC and Kona also has a trick dog title. Our children are grown; Our daughter is studying nursing in college and our son is in the Air Force and is stationed in Japan. You can find me e-biking on the mountain, traveling, scuba diving, skiing and backcountry skiing with our pack. I also enjoy learning more about dog training in my spare time!
Melanie's Continuing Education Certificates
Below you will find our current Continuing Education Units (CEUs) certificates for the year. This underscores our commitment to staying informed and continually updating our education for the benefit of our clients.
The Retrieve: The Essential Service Dog Task
It’s not just the retrieve itself that is important for service work but its components: take, carry, hold, and give, are foundation skills for many critical service dog tasks. This course added on to Melanie's knowledge about how to train a dog to retrieve items of various shapes, sizes and materials. Additionally, how to train advanced behaviors including retrieving items on counters, retrieving bottles without knocking them over and even transferring items from one person to another.
Getting Started in Public Access Training
Training a service dog to work in public access is the most challenging aspect of service dog work. This class explored ways to introduce service dogs in training to public access work systematically and set them up for success. Melanie added to her knowledge about behavioral characteristics service dogs need, foundational training, how to assess and respond to stress, confidence building strategies and much more.
Alert and Response Task Training
This class delved into alert and response task training. Melanie examined the process for training hearing alerts, scent alerts, getting help from a caregiver, retrieving medication and more. The tasks explored in this course are commonly needed for service dogs helping people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people with diabetes, and people with epilepsy. This detailed course includes training recipes, troubleshooting strategies and a discussion of the research on scent alert training.
Puppy Start Right Certification Training
This all-encompassing course rejuvenated our understanding of puppy socialization, growth, and development. It covered topics such as positive reinforcement-based training, advanced tips for clicker training, effective problem-solving, and prevention strategies. We recognize the increasing challenges faced by puppies lacking proper socialization, leading to difficulties for both dogs and owners. Socialization is nuanced, extending beyond merely exposing your puppy to everything. Join us to learn the right ways to socialize your puppy from the beginning and identify crucial signs to observe.