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Our mission is to find balance between you and your dog so that every member of your family can live happily. Having a well-mannered, confident dog that is a positive addition to your life starts with you. Many inappropriate dog behaviors occur because of an imbalance in the relationship between a dog and its human. We offer a holistic approach to training both you and your dog so that we can build harmony and address behavior concerns from the inside out. By looking at each dog and each relationship individually, as well as delving into the root causes of your dog's behavior, we will teach you how to understand who your dog is, why he does what he does, and how you can work with that in a way that will create positive results for both of you that will have long-lasting results! We won't just put a temporary fix on the problem. Through understanding and effective communication, you will gain the skills to create a happy life with the four-legged members of your family!
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Our Philosophy
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Working with dogs, and understanding their behavior and how to train them, is not black and white - there are many shades of gray. What works for one team or in one circumstance may not work for the next. Behavior problems are most often due to an imbalance in the relationship, and the situation may not be what you think. By helping you understand more about how dogs learn and why they act the way they do (and more specifically, your dog), Maria will help you build a stronger, happier relationship with your dog. You will learn more about dog signals and communication, human-canine interaction techniques, and how to "build him up instead of break him down," thereby allowing you to provide better, clearer and more respectable communication to your dog - resulting in a more well-mannered and responsive partner!
For more information about what Maria does and how she can help you, listen to her in this radio podcast from "The Alternative Healthcare Network" - on the day they've gone to the dogs! - speaking about how to have a healthy relationship with the dogs in our lives. (11:30 minutes in) Maria has also been featured on Rockland World Radio's broadcast of "Connections with Deborah Turner", a show focused on living positively and harmoniously - which is just what Maria teaches her clients to do with their dogs! (after 1:30 minute intro) |
Why Hire a Behavior Consultant? |
Much like we may all know the basics of car care - keep gas in the tank, get an oil change every 5,000 miles, and if the steering wheel starts shaking it's a sign that the alignment needs to be checked - we are not all experts at working with cars. So if you need to tell the difference between a piston and a carburetor, or your "maintenance required" light goes on, you go see the mechanic. You don't try working on the car yourself or leave it to chance, or that screeching or knocking you're hearing may result in a broken belt or a blow-out off the side of the road. No, you call up the person who knows what they're doing and take your car into the auto shop. Why would you do any differently with a relationship with your dog, especially when there's an expert out there to help you?
Just as in car ownership, however, preventative care is best. Once the knocking occurs or the car won't start, that's a bad sign - something has already been going wrong for quite a while. So when cultivating a relationship with your dog, preventative measures are key to creating harmony, making sure all flows smoothly, and keeping behavior concerns at bay. Since each dog is different and various behavior modification/training methods may apply, it's best to seek out a professional. |
Our History
Maria Huntoon, CBCC-KA, CPCN
Certified Canine Behavior Consultant and Certified Canine Nutritionist
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Maria Huntoon, CBCC-KA, has over 20+ years of experience in the canine industry. From the time she was a child, Maria knew her calling was to work with animals and she began pursuing that journey at the age of 14, working in veterinary hospitals and volunteering with rescues. After graduating college in 2004, Maria served as both a Special Programs Trainer and Regional Manager of the Puppy Program at Guiding Eyes for the Blind, where she played a part in helping hundreds of dogs become successful guide dogs.
Throughout her years of hands-on experience, seminars and workshops, Maria has learned to read many kinds of canine behavior and human personalities, and has employed methods that focus on helping the individual dog and human succeed as a team. She understands that every relationship is different, and her biggest passion is helping people understand how to make the relationship with their dog a successful one! After many years of working in the veterinary and service dog fields, she decided that given her unique knowledge of canine behavior, training and how that is impacted by the human-canine relationship, she wanted to support people with their pet dogs, especially rescue dogs that may come with some "emotional baggage", in creating best friends and harmony that can last a lifetime. Maria started her own canine behavior consulting business in 2014. In 2024, after 7 years of learning about nutrition and the affect nutrition can have not only on physical health but on behavior as well, Maria added nutritional consulting as a service. Maria is a certified canine behavior consultant (CBCC-KA) by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, a prestigious council created by animal behavior professionals with high standards for expertise and professionalism. As of 2016, there are less than 200 CBCC-KA's worldwide. Maria is also a certified professional canine nutritionist (CPCN) by the Feed Real Institute. |
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Check out Maria on Animal Planet's "Dogs 101: Puppies 101" talking about a pup's first four weeks when Animal Planet came to visit Guiding Eyes! |
