My name is Patricia Calderone, KPA CTP, CPDT-KA, CTDI, FDM

 and growing up, I was always around animals ...and I love them!! From cats, dogs, guinea pigs, fish, etc., it has always been a passion of mine to work with animals. 

 

Throughout the years, I have absorbed as much information as I could get a hold of about all animals, but within the last 10 years, I have strived to learn the most about dogs and dog behavior thanks to my first official dog, a big lovable Doberman named Riggz. I fell in love with the breed from the stories I heard from my grandmother on how my great-grandfather had a big red male Doberman. I trained Riggz through AKC competition obedience and he earned his CD (AKC Companion Dog) title, CGC (Canine Good Citizen) and TDI (Therapy Dog) title. Riggz's pedigree came out of Tops Kennels a DuPage County K-9 training unit.

 

One day Riggz didn't want to come to me, when called.
I remember being very upset and worried that I had ruined my relationship with my dog, and I knew something had to change. You can imagine how happy I was when a friend at one of my training sessions handed me a clicker and showed me a different way to train. From that day forward I knew this was how I wanted to communicate with my dog. Since learning the clicker method, I never looked back. Teeya (my second Doberman) was my first purely trained clicker dog; she taught me so much more about training! I trained Teeya through obedience, agility and tracking and she earned her CGC, TDI, and NJC (Nadac Agility) titles.

 

Teeya loved to train and do tricks, but sadly in 2006 she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism which has slowed her down; and she sadly passed away in May 2009. Nevertheless, she has been instrumental in my learning how to train and working with dogs.

 

I continued to hone my training skills when in 2006, I began working at Petco in Wheaton, IL, where I taught puppy and beginner classes. In 2009, I began volunteered at PAWS Animal Shelter, Tinley Park, IL. At the shelter, I helped with training and temperament testing dogs for adoption.

In September 2011, I became a Certified Professional Dog Trainer from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.  I had to pass a 4 hour exam on learning theory, ethology, animal husbandry, instruction skills, equipment business practices and ethics.  In order to take the exam

you had to have 300 hours in dog training within the last

five (5) years and references from a client, colleague, and

a veterinarian.

 

I am a big-time advocate and devoted trainer for humane, science-based dog training.  I have trained numerous dogs
of all ages, sizes, and breeds with many different training needs.     

Over the years, I have attended seminars, workshops and telecourses on training and behavior with leading professionals like Suzanne Clothier, Ian Dunbar, Gail Fisher, Karen Pryor, Patricia McConnell, Ken Rameriz, Kathy Sado, Trish King and more. I am a graduate from Raising Canine's Professional Dog Training Course.  It is the most respected remote science-based training education service in the 
dog training industry, which is founded by Susan Smith,

CPDT-KA, CDBC.