Jeff is certified by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, a member of The Association for Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) and The Pet Professional Guild (PPG). He is the lead behavioral therapy trainer and program manager for the not-for-profit shelter program at A Sound Beginning Program. He helps thousands of dogs and cats every year in shelters across the country. He provides community support with virtual, phone or in-home behavioral consultations in order to help pet parents keep their animals instead of surrendering them to a shelter and he serves as a mentor for new and existing dog trainers in the Florida area.

Jeff believes that teaching and training are both a science and an art. Understanding the science behind training is important but the timing and application of it is crucial to the overall process. Everything starts with forming a relationship, then blossoms into understanding and learning for both humans and canines. He follows simple guiding principles and a teaching philosophy based on four pillars of relationship bonding: Mutual Motivation, Mutual Communication, Mutual Trust and Mutual Respect. The experience between the human and canine working and learning together will create, strengthen, and maintain a bond for a lifetime.

As a life-long learner, he enjoys reading books on training/canine language/animal behavior/ psychology, plus watching DVDs, taking online classes, and attending seminars on the same subject matter. Real world learning is based on numerous years of volunteering for various shelters, rescues, humane societies, and animal control. Mentoring and collaborating with colleagues is an invaluable resource to his canine training education. Joining the A Sound Beginning Program team reinforces Jeff’s desire to continue learning, sharing, and growing as well as becoming a more significant partner in the complete training process for both ends of the leash!

Jeff lives in Florida (last six years) and is married to his soulmate for 40+ years. He is a proud grandpa too. He also shares his life with his canine companions and dog mentors, Missy and Lilly. They continue to teach Jeff the value of the Human-Canine bond.