"A house divided against itself cannot stand." - Abraham Lincoln

Hello, I'm Kerrie, Certified Trainer and founder of Unity Dog Training. Thank you for visiting.

I can relate to where you are now.  I know firsthand, how it feels to lose hope and want to give up on your dog. To have that one dog you brought into your life with the highest expectations and visions of your future together, only to have those dreams shattered by anxiety, fear, frustration and anger.  This is not what you pictured when you brought your new dog home. 

That one dog for me is my Neapolitan Mastiff, the dog that changed everything. Prior to getting into dog training, behavior was not new to me. I have a degree in Psychology and spent five years working on a locked inpatient psychiatric unit. From there I ran group homes for people with mental illness, who were living out in the community. After moving to Florida from Maryland, I ran two homes located in an institution for people with Developmental Disabilities and Mental Illness. While I was there, I spent a year taking my Miniature Dachshund there, to assist with Pet Therapy. 

I didn't realize it at the time, but that Dachshund had one of the best natural temperaments, one that would put dog trainers out of business.  My Dachshund died two weeks prior to my father passing away. I have always believed that in the toughest of times, there comes along that one person, situation, or animal that saves us. For me that was my Neo. I don't know how I would have gotten through that first year without him. 

However, things started to go bad very quickly. He was always pushy, from the very moment I brought him home and would chase after my two small girls, grabbing onto their clothes and knocking them over. The first week I had him, he bit me over a bone. He was only two months old! He also bit my Min Pin several times over bones. Walks were also not enjoyable. What started out as excitement, when another dog or person passed, evolved into scary barking and lunging on the leash. He was getting bigger and bigger and his behavior problems grew right along with him.  

I had done everything I could think of, taken him him out in public, done the socialization thing, hired a private trainer and took him to training at one of the big box stores, where I had to physically pull him off of another dog. But nothing was working! My friends were telling me to put him down. But I couldn't, because he was that one dog, that dog who was there for me in a way that no one was, that one dog who forced me to grow. I had to be there for him too. 

So I studied, read up on everything I could get my hands on involving dogs and dog training and drove hours weekly to shadow under out of town trainers for a year and a half.  I joined the International Association of Canine Professionals and regularly attend their annual conference.  In addition, I joined The National Association Of Dog Training Professionals and became a Professional Member. I gained some outstanding mentors and continue to attend educational workshops and expand my knowledge base.  I also worked with my Neo. I am proud to say that he is one of the best dogs that I have ever known. I am so thankful that I never gave up him or on us.

You don't have to give up either. I am here for you. By applying what I have learned about dogs and working with behavior and people with Mental Illness and Developmental Disabilities for over twenty years, I can help you achieve the lasting bond that you set out to have when you brought your dog into your home in the first place, a relationship of UNITY. 

I would love to work with you