Ansley Perez
Ansley has been a professional dog trainer for over seven years and has worked with a wide variety of dogs. Working as a balanced trainer, she molds her program to fit the dog in front of her rather than using a “one size fits all” approach. Her late Siberian Husky, Zuko, struggled heavily with reactivity following a dog attack when he was 6 months old and a brain tumor that was found later on. After countless training hours teaching and perfecting commands, Zuko knew over 60 verbal commands, became a therapy dog, earned his CGC certificate, and was used as her main demo dog, helping with most clients. This ignited a passion in Ansley for misunderstood dogs and dogs that struggle with reactivity, anxieties, and fears. She has helped many animal shelters and rescues working with reactive and aggressive dogs, for many of whom she was their last chance.
Now, she helps dog owners learn how to communicate with their pets in an effective way to get the behaviors they’re looking for. When learning how to train your dog, the first step is always finding out what they are trying to communicate to you and understanding body language. Four years ago, she started apprenticing under a groomer and earned her Fear-Free Groomer certification. She realized that many salons lacked the facilities or time to handle seniors or behavioral problems. She decided to create a grooming experience that worked toward resolving the issues to make grooming enjoyable. Utilizing her training background, Ansley offers one-on-one appointments in a calm setting to help fix issues and move at a pace that is comfortable for the dog.
The Demo Dogs
Shadow is our 6-year-old female Lurcher (Greyhound and Labrador cross). At about 7 weeks old, she was abandoned at a pet store in Texas. After checking for a microchip, that she didn’t have, Ansley brought her home that night. Shadow was a nervous wreck that lacked confidence and had a fear of men during her early years. She has since blossomed into a confident and well-rounded dog that assists with puppy classes, demonstrations and acts as a neutral-friendly dog for behavior modification clients. If you decide to take a group class you will see Shadow very regularly!
Hachi is our 5-year-old male Siberian Husky and is Zuko’s half-brother. Hachi’s original family was used to lower drive Siberians and did not have the time for his excessive energy and drive. As a result, he didn’t get the socialization and work that he needed. He came to us in February of 2022 and has made leaps and bounds in his training and desensitization. He now respects boundaries and looks to his handler for direction. While he’s not done with training yet, he has been incredibly helpful as a distraction to proof client dog skills while in a sit stay and to demonstrate the learning processes for clients whose dogs are still coming out of their shell or aren’t motivated yet.