Jen Gettle
Owner and Training Director
My passion as a professional dog trainer and instructor of dog owners is to help new puppy and dog owners get off to an excellent start. Whether you are a brand new dog owner or simply have not had a puppy or new dog in quite some time, I have the skills to get you on the right track quickly. I am also accomplished at assisting owners who are struggling with behavioral issues with their dogs make a fresh start and get back to enjoying life together rather than feeling trapped and frustrated all the time. I am skilled at adapting a program to each individual dog and owner and have a number of different tools and strategies in my repertoire. I want you to start seeing results right away. The saddest reality of our life with dogs is that they are not with us long enough. I believe in making progress in a timely fashion to maximize the time you have to build an excellent life with your dog
I am a balanced obedience trainer who has been training dogs as a full time professional for over a decade, first as a staff trainer at a successful local training establishment and independently under FSCA, LLC since 2020.
My dog training education and experience was accomplished under the supervision of master trainers while handling hundreds of dogs. I have provided training and instruction in group classes, private lessons, and board and train programs.
I am a trained educator, having started my career as a high school teacher. This training informs how I present information and allows me to customize my instruction to meet my students (human and canine) where they are in their training journey.
I serve as an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator.
Besides titling my own dogs in multiple venues (see below), I have assisted students in meeting their goals to earn Obedience and Rally titles, Canine Good Citizen titles, and therapy dog certifications.
While I have been training full time for over a decade, I have been gathering experience in the pet care industry for almost twenty years. These additional roles have contributed to my approach to dog training and understanding the needs of dog owners:
Working as a staff trainer at a major breed rescue
Being a hobby breeder of Labrador retrievers
Serving as a veterinary assistant at a local animal hospital
Apprenticing with a highly skilled groomer
Operating a small business as a dog walker/pet sitter
Volunteering at a busy municipal shelter volunteer
My Dogs and Our Accomplishments
If we work together, you will almost certainly meet my dogs. My dogs regularly serve as both demonstration and distraction dogs, helping to support the real world training I prioritize. They are my pride and joy, an absolute gift to live, work, and play with!
My Labrador retrievers are well rounded, accomplished dogs who have earned titles and certificates in AKC Obedience, AKC Rally Obedience, AKC hunt tests, Labrador Retriever Club field work, and the AKC Canine Good Citizen program. In Obedience, in particular, we have earned advanced titles, invitations to national AKC events, and national ranking in the breed. Two of my dogs have worked as therapy dogs doing nursing home visits, working with children at public libraries, and visiting college students at study breaks. I also raised a puppy for The Guide Dog Foundation who went on to work as a service dog in their Vet Dogs program with a disabled Vietnam veteran.
While I realize that not everyone is interested in pursuing these things with their dogs, as a trainer, I consider it essential to prove that my dogs are capable of working to a standard under the evaluation of objective judges. They must do this work on minimal equipment (a leash and flat buckle collar or slip collar) and without treats. When selecting a trainer for your own dog, you should consider the standard to which the trainer’s own dogs can work. If you aren’t impressed by your trainer’s dog(s), it is unlikely that you will be impressed by what they have to offer for your dog.
