Meet the Team
Why? Because people want to know who they're doing business with. It's a human thing.
We met each other because we love dogs. We stick with each other because we love dogs, teaching and people!
Gwen Podulka
Founder & CPDT-ka
Gwen is a certified professional dog trainer with over 20 years experience and proud owner of dogTRAINED.
Her journey began with the adoption of a deaf Dalmatian, which launched her into the world of agility and teaching at the Humane Society in Columbus, Ohio while managing bookstores across the Greater Lakes area.
Her love of the dogs and people took her cross country to train service dogs with Canine Companions for Independence for people with disabilities.
Gwen has continued her education through out the years finding a passion teaching classes, a love of DC’s incredi-bullies, and an ability to read and help people work with their reactive dogs through a multitude of issues using positive training methods. She is often at the studio teaching and learning with her deaf bearded collie Lemon and GSD Bug.
Recent continuing education includes: DC Clicker Expo, Trish McMillan and Michael Shikashio on aggression, Sue Sternberg's deep dive into canine body language, Lemonade Conference FDSA and IAABC deep dive into behavior, management, tricks, obedience and more. Malena DeMartini’s Separation Anxiety, Ken Ramirez’s Advanced Training , Grisha Stewart’s BAT protocols and more!
Jordana Todd
Founder & CPDT-ka
Jordana is a certified professional dog trainer. She has spent a decade developing her training and behavior knowledge working with both domestic and wild animals in rescues, shelters, and zoological institutions. After working and fostering with Humane Rescue Alliance and adopting an anxious spaniel in 2014, she took a particular interest in working on behavioral modification with dogs struggling with anxiety and reactivity. When not at the studio she loves teaching her spaniel Ham new tricks and working on their Nosework skills. Jordana also enjoys advancing her training and behavior knowledge through continued education. In 2019, she attended Clicker Expo and studied canine body language at a Sue Sternberg workshop. You can train with Jordana in-studio in a basic manners or Nosework class or privately in an in-home training appointment
Christie Catan
Lead Trainer
Christie's love of training dogs began four years ago when she brought home her fearful dog, Otis, who helped her discover the power of connection and positive reinforcement. She is incredibly passionate about helping people find ways to work with their dogs rather than against them and thinks that training should be fun for both the humans and the dogs. She has a soft spot for sensitive dogs and loves to help them build confidence. She has taken numerous training classes in the past year and is thrilled to be working with and learning from Gwen. She loves training so much that she started an online dog training community for dog parents called Tails of Connection on Instagram and is constantly learning and teaching her own two dogs. You can also see her at Otis_unleashed on Instagram and Facebook.
Liz Fisher
CPDT-ka and Lead Trainer
Liz has worked in animal care for seven years. She started exploring positive reinforcement training at the Smithsonian's National Zoo to improve the lives of birds. She brings her experience with social and intelligent animals to her work with dogs. As an apprentice with dogTRAINED she is improving her training skills and learning about dog behavior. She is excited to apply positive training to reduce dog's stress and empower dog parents in addition to general training, she is planning to focus on easing separation anxiety in dogs.
Angel Lawson
Lead Trainer
Meet Angel Lawson:
Angel entered the animal training arena whilst working abroad in England as a qualified zookeeper and presenter at London Zoo where she worked with a variety of species in live animal demonstrations including primates, birds and small mammals to name a few.
She is particularly passionate about the application of ethical behavior change science to improve the life of animals living under human care, by teaching animals to be active participants in their own daily training and veterinary care in a low stress and fear free manner.
Angel has attended conferences lead by Chirag Patel, Susan Friedman and Barbara Heidenreich; continuing to seek out learning opportunities and aspires to become an animal behaviorist herself. As a previous college lecturer in animal management, she brings her love of teaching animal caregivers to the field of dog training and is excited to help prospective clients of all ages develop a great relationship based on trust, with the animals in their lives.
She brings 13 years of animal experience with her to Dog Trained caring for a variety of domestic and exotic species has provided her with invaluable experiences that she will rely upon to develop her training programs. She is so happy to be joining the Dog Trained team as a trainer learning more and more about canine behavior and working towards her CCPDT and CBCC as well as working as an ultrasound technician at Friendship Hospital for Animals.
Now hiring!
Certified trainers and apprentices
Next Steps...
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