I'm Debbie Cilento, owner and trainer at Playtime Paws and host of Your New Puppy's Podcast

I first fell in love with dogs at my grandparents farm.  I don't remember exactly when but I'm sure it was before I could even walk.  It's only fitting I am now living in the same place that the love affair started and have dedicated my life to dog's and their owners.  

My journey with dogs hasn't always been a smooth one.  I've had to call in help myself when I was having trouble with my own dogs.  After speaking with a number of trainers and getting advice like "she's a dog, just make her do it" and "put a muzzle on her and she will eventually stop" AND "you will have to give her up" (WHAT!?) I came away with an uneasy feeling.  These trainers just assumed they understood my situation and gave me their cookie cutter advise.

Luckily, as a pet sitter, I was already a student of dog behavior and I KNEW there had to be a BETTER WAY!  

Purely by fate I came into contact with an amazing trainer who actually listened to what I had to say and helped me with solutions that fit into my life and resources.  By the way, after A LOT of work my dog's behavior and our bond is better than I could ever imagine. 

I started to think "What if I didn't know better?" "What if I took these other trainer's advice as the best out there?" "How many dog owners have been in my situation?"  SO, remember that amazing trainer I mentioned, yeah, I called him and trained with him to bring dog owners a better way!

Dogs don’t come pre-programmed to live in our world.  Yet these amazing creatures will happily adapt but we have to show them the way. If we meet them half way and learn about their language, how they see the world, and why they behave the way they do it will help us relate and train them in a positive, almost intuitive, way.  More importantly, it will lead us toward a strong, fun, peaceful and fulfilling relationship for all the years to come.

Each dog is as different as each person.  How you live with your dog and what your want from your relationship is different for every person and family.  Using behavior, obedience, and good habits I work with you to build the life that you imagined with your dog.