Kelley Summerfield, CGC
We Are The Canine Campus
The Canine Campus was founded by Katie Costello. Katie is unique in that — in addition to an amazing career as a Associate Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Human Animal Bond practitioner and Fear Free Professional, Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, AKC Puppy Star Instructor, and AKC Farm Dog Judge- who works mostly with behavior issues — she also has over 15 years of experience as a Registered Veterinary Technician. She's worked on behavior issues with several different species and is an accredited, published, and sought-after member of the dog behavior world. In short, Katie understands dogs deeply and in a multitude of ways.
The Canine Campus is a place that all dogs are welcome. We strongly believe that reactive, fearful, aggressive and mainstream dogs can all exist in the same space with the right education. Many people with reactive and aggressive dogs are made to feel that they are horrible owners by society, and they are driven into an isolated life that keeps their dog stuck in an unhappy place. Many people believe that they somehow did something to contribute to their dogs behavior, and this is a common myth that we will debunk. There are truly special needs dogs that deserve as much love and understanding as any mainstream dog. We pride ourselves in being the best in the area to help people with extreme behavior issues. Understanding of behaviors can help in solving the issues that people have.
If your dog is reactive towards other dogs, people, or both, WE CAN HELP. If your dog has BIT someone, WE CAN HELP. If you are experiencing legal issues due to your dog's behavior, WE CAN HELP. Even if your dog is attacking YOU, WE CAN HELP. We will NOT turn you away due to a behavior problem, no matter what breed your dog is. We love dogs of ALL breeds. Purebreds, mixed breeds, "mutts". Whether your dog rescued you, you purchased your dog, or took a puppy from a friend, we will treat you & your dog the same as everyone else.
We are devoted to helping dogs live their best life possible. Our goal is to enhance the human-animal bond through training and holistic wellness.
Meet Our Trainers and Staff!
What do all these letters mean!? And why should you care?
It’s not JUST about the credentials, but the credentials MATTER.
You want an organization whose curriculum is designed & overseen by a:
CPDT-KA=Certified Personal Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed
This means your trainer has put in no less than 300 hours of training & has had their training knowledge and capabilities tested & proven.
We currently have FOUR CPDT-KA trainers and the rest of our trainers are working towards their certification.
You want a facility that will recognize a potential medical issue that you may have mistaken for behavioral problems which is why it’s great to have on staff a:
RVT=REGISTERED VETERINARY TECHNICIAN
We currently have TWO RVTs on staff!
When seeking help from a trainer, you want someone who will understand not just how to teach your dog to obey commands but will truly understand dog behavior & body language. So you want a facility that has behavior consultants:
ACDBC=Associate Certified Dog Behavior Consultant
Certified through IAABC=International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants
(considered the GOLD STANDARD in behavior consultants)
Or a facility affiliated with:
SVBT=Society for Veterinary Behavior Technicians
Quality Dog Trainers go through an internship program with a CPDT-KA, many of them will start out their training process by going to a school for dog training such as:
ABC=Animal Behavior College
CATCH=Canine Trainers Academy
Victoria Stillwell Academy
Only the best trainers are asked to be Mentors for these training schools. The Canine Campus owner Katie Costello is a mentor for ALL THREE!
It is important to use FEAR FREE positive reinforcement methods. You want a trainer who is certified Fear Free! = why add explanation here
Learning shouldn’t hurt! Just to further prove our commitment to keeping dogs happy and learning in a force free way, we certify our trainers in additional affiliations such as:
PPG=Pet Professional Guild
As a Vet Tech, Katie was able to get the higher level of certification:
Fear Free Certified Professional
Other awesome credentials some of our trainers have to offer…
Approved by the AKC = American Kennel Club
WE HAVE SEVEN ON STAFF!
approved by the APDT=Association of Professional Dog Trainers
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CCPN=Certified Clinical Pet Nutritionist
The Canine Campus Owner Katie Costello is a:
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Fear-free Certified Professional
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Licensed Veterinary Technician
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ACDBC through IAABC
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ABC, Catch, & Victoria Stillwell Authorized Mentor Trainer
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PPG Member for Force-free Training
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Licensed Be A Tree Presenter and Dog Bite Safety Educator
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AKC Approved CGC Evaluator
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AKC Star Puppy Evaluator & Farm Dog Judge
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Featured Mentor Trainer for Catch Canine Academy
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Canine Compassion Therapy Dog Evaluator
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Secretary of SVBT
Furthermore...
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All of our trainers either have their CPDT-KA or are working towards it
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All have extensive animal experience, many have taken Catch Trainers Academy college or trained by Katie Costello herself.
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Many have rescue experience and foster experiences with difficult dogs
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All trainers are dedicated to the betterment of all dogs and have a sincere love of dogs as their driving factor