Meet Anne

Anne Larrabee CPDT-KA has been training dogs for 11 years in Tacoma, WA. She has three dogs, two of whom are rescue dogs. Anne is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, a member of the Association for Professional Dog Trainers, and an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator. Her mission in life is to help you love your life with your dog.

Anne has taught puppies, adults, shy dogs, reactive dogs, deaf dogs, and blind dogs. Over the course of her career, Anne has been called in to help with issues ranging from simple to complex —  Everything from housebreaking and leash pulling to aggression between household dogs. Anne has worked with all types of breeds and knows that while each breed has its own personality, they can all be taught!

Anne received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Economics from the University of Puget Sound. Her liberal arts education taught her how to think critically and has been instrumental in helping her clients and their dogs.

Meet Stephanie

Stephanie began her training journey in 2010 in her last year of college at Pacific Lutheran University. Her degree in Psychology inspired her to seek out opportunities to apply her learning in the world of dogs. She became an intern at the Prison Pet Partnership, learning how to assess dogs and train them to become service dogs in a rigorous training setting. At the same time, she began apprenticing under Anne and a few other trainers.
Stephanie’s main passion in dog training is with teaching the humans. She loves helping people to understand how best to communicate with their dogs and understand what their dogs are trying to tell them.

Communication is key in any relationship and she strives to help you achieve that with your dog in the most positive and mutually enjoyable way possible.

Stephanie is an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator and her CPDT-KA certification will be renewed again in 2021. She has also volunteered with the Tacoma Humane Society to help assess and rehabilitate dogs before helping place them in their forever homes.

Meet Sugako

Sugako (sue-GUH-ko) is originally from Japan. Sugako has become interested in animal behavior and its therapeutic effects on children after witnessing the strong bond between her daughter and her 2 dogs. After working as a graphic designer, Sugako decided to go back to school to complete AS degree of Canine Behavior Analysis and Counseling and BS degree of Animal Assisted Therapy. She has worked with certified dog trainers, including CPDT-KA and KPA certified dog trainers, and other animal professionals. Sugako became an intern at Pasado’s Safe Haven and local dog rescues in Seattle. She has volunteered as a dog caregiver at Best Friend Animal Society.

“Properly used positive reinforcement is extremely powerful (BF Skinner).”
Her dog training is a science-based positive reinforcement training by using the principal of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

Sugako is also a Registered Behavior Technician for the children with autism spectrum disorder as working along with BCBA (board certified behavior analyst).  She is currently working to pass the CPDT-KA exam.