Professional Experience & Credentials
My experience and credentials as a professional service dog trainer reflect a lifelong commitment to animal training, service dog education, and helping owner handler teams build reliable working partnerships. My background in animal training, combined with specialized experience in gluten detection, allergen detection, and service dog training, provides the foundation for the personalized training approach I use today.
I completed a 300-hour internship with Willow Service Dogs under Dawn Scheu, focusing on gluten detection service dog training, and allergen detection service dog training. During this internship, I studied scent theory, canine behavior, odor detection and discrimination, public access training, training methodology, owner handler coaching, and service dog development.
Training Achievements with Anira
Anira has earned three American Kennel Club (AKC) Trick Dog titles: Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced. Progressing through these three levels demonstrates her ability to learn increasingly advanced behaviors and reflects the consistency, clear communication, positive reinforcement, and teamwork that are central to my training approach.
Professional Grooming & Animal Handling Experience
I completed professional grooming education through the Paragon School of Pet Grooming and went on to work professionally as a groomer for more than 12 years. During that time, I worked at a large kennel where I regularly groomed and handled both dogs and cats with a wide range of breeds, sizes, temperaments, and individual needs.
More than 12 years of professional grooming and animal handling gave me thousands of hours of hands- n experience working closely with dogs and strengthened my ability to recognize subtle changes in canine behavior, body language, stress, and comfort. Grooming also requires patience, safe handling, adaptability, and the ability to build trust with each individual dog skills that continue to influence the way I approach service dog training and scent detection training today.
Healthcare Education
I graduated from Carnegie Institute after completing the Electroneurodiagnostic Technologist program. This education provided me with a strong foundation in medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, and neurological diagnostic testing. My healthcare education has also contributed to my understanding of the medical needs of the clients I work with today.
Continuing Education
Learning never stops. I regularly complete additional courses and workshops in canine behavior, scent detection training, canine nutrition, and service dog training methodology to stay current with modern, science based training techniques. My continuing education also includes TCVM Food Therapy coursework, which has expanded my knowledge of canine nutrition and the role diet can play in a dog’s overall health and well being.
Professional Memberships & Ongoing Development
I maintain professional memberships and pursue continuing education opportunities to remain connected with other trainers and continue expanding my knowledge of service dog training, canine behavior, scent detection training, and evidence based training practices. My education includes additional coursework in canine behavior as well as ongoing study in areas that support my work with gluten detection, allergen detection, and owner handler service dog teams.
Featured in Icelandic Horse Quarterly
II was honored to have my family and our horses featured in Icelandic Horse Quarterly in the article, “The Best Kind of Stubborn.” My background in animal training began long before I specialized in service dogs. I began working with horses at a young age and spent decades training and showing, learning firsthand the importance of patience, consistency, observation, and clear communication.
Working with horses taught me to recognize subtle changes in behavior, adjust training to the individual animal, and build skills through trust rather than force. Those lessons continue to influence the way I approach gluten detection, allergen detection, and medical scent detection service dog training today.
Working with horses taught me to recognize subtle changes in behavior, adapt training to the individual animal, and build reliable skills through trust rather than force. Those lessons continue to shape my positive reinforcement training approach and the way I work with owner handler teams in gluten detection service dog training, allergen detection service dog training, and today.
