I have been rescuing animals since I was a child. Any animal that was in my path that needed help, I rescued. I always found that I had a special connection with animals, especially horses and dogs. I am a strong advocate for the animals. I have volunteered my services to quite a few rescues over the years. I encourage people to adopt from shelters as astronomical amounts of animals are euthanized each year. Most people are reluctant to adopt from shelters, but it has been my experience that all dogs regardless of where they came from need training.
As a kid, i learned the concepts of basic obedience dog training. When I was in my 20's, I had worked with two professional certified dog trainers and acquired knowledge of different types of obedience training including Schutzhund Dog Training. I have been training dogs for over 25 years throughout New Jersey, NYC, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Eastern PA.
I have acquired knowledge from doing constant research on animal behavior and the pack mentality from various books, documentaries, and people I consider innovators of the animal industry such as Shaun Ellis - Wolf Researcher known for living among wolves as well as Cesar Millan. I have studied in great detail the Wild Dogs of Africa. I keep abreast on all new studies of animal behavior, genetics, and science. I research all types of animal behavior as sometimes I need to apply out of the box tactics to rehabilitate a dog as not everything is textbook. I have also studied and learned techniques used by Buck Brannaman - Horse Whisperer and Dave Salmoni - Animal / Lion Trainer.
The Monty Story
After rescuing my German Shepherd from dog fighting in 1997, I realized that no amount of Obedience Training could help him overcome his behavioral issues.
This is where Behavior Training all began for me.....
Back in the late 1990's, there weren't rescues as there are today - only a few had existed. I had received a call about a German Shepherd that was brought into the shelter and was used in the Blood Sport of dog fighting, I immediately adopted him. His condition was beyond awful both mentally and physically.
Let's just focus on the mental aspect of his condition. Monty had no idea how to be a dog. He didn't smell anything, he freaked out on all appliances, he hid and cowered under the bed. When he saw a moving car, he would buck like a bronco and scream, and of course he was dog aggressive - now there's a surprise.... He was afraid of just about everything. I had worked with him with a few trainers. One trainer insisted that I leave him with him for 3 weeks and at the end of the program he shrugged his shoulders and said to me
"I'm sorry but I don't know what to tell you"
After all this, Monty was the best trained and obedient dog you ever met but mentally nothing had changed. No amount of Obedience Training was going to help this poor dog. It was the early stages of the World Wide Web, cable channels were not producing dog training shows at that time like they are today, and I had worked with the best trainers in the area. My Vet prescribed Clomicalm, but it really didn't help. He ate my shoes, chewed the furniture, urinated and defecated on the floor out of fear, and even ate my mattress. What to do?
At this point, I started to study wolf packs and animal behavior. It took me around three years of doing research and educating myself, but Monty finally became a happy, healthy, and confident dog. He had a wonderful life. He actually made friends, and his best friend was a Black Lab name Sam. He traveled to the beach, mountains, and went on camping trips. His Grandpapa took him on long walks, went swimming with him in the pool, and would take him to the local Burger Hut and Monty would get his bacon double cheeseburger no bun which was his favorite treat of all time - of course you can't blame him. Monty was with me for 7 great years and then he had passed away from cancer.
If it wasn't for Monty, I would have never started down this path........
My Education
I graduated Cum Laude from Fairleigh Dickinson University and obtained my
Certification for Obedience Dog Trainer / Instructor from Penn Foster
Bridget Gallagher
Master Behavior Dog Trainer