Featured Student
Our students are the future of dog training and the heart of our school.
That’s why we regularly take a moment to recognize one of our top aspiring trainers here.
Our Featured Student this month is Jasmine Almonte of San Diego, California. At the time of this posting, Jasmine has just graduated the Master Class and earned her CCDT certification title!
A Word from Jasmine
Jasmine comes from a background of zoo keeping, training, and pet-sitting. Now, she works with her CATCH mentor at Britta’s Animal Training and Pet Services. Dante (depicted beside) definitely looks impressed, and so are we!
My Favorite Recent Study Topics:
My favorite topics of study at CATCH Canine Trainers Academy were: 1. Understanding Behavior, Body language and Vocalizations; 2. How Dogs Think and Learn; and 3. Your Core Foundations for Becoming a Dog Trainer.
My Favorite Recent Hands-On Activity:
Honestly, way in the beginning when we had to identify dog multiple dog breeds, ask owners what the breeds were, and see if we got the correct breed identification was so much fun and nerdy for me. I say that because when I was a wildlife care specialist at San Diego Zoo and studied animals, I was constantly annoying my boyfriend telling him what species of animal we were looking at in movies, the zoo, animal documentaries, and the like. I love identifying animals and I still enjoy doing it. I’m constantly testing myself.
How My Studies Have Changed the Way I See Dogs:
My learning experience at CATCH Canine Trainers Academy has completely changed the way I look at dogs. Behavior, natural history, and body language are HUGE fundamental tools in understanding dogs. I think it’s extremely important to understand dogs before training them, and I think CATCH covered those fundamentals perfectly. I see a dog now and can understand it’s mood, behavior, and predict what would happen next way more than I ever have before. I thank CATCH for that.
Jasmine working with her client-dog, Finn, on some cues. Great work!
What I’m Most Excited About:
I just want to say that it has been an absolute pleasure being a student for CATCH Canine Trainers Academy. The Student Support team, Program Director, David Muriello and staff were so pleasant in the entire learning experience. Being raised from the East Coast originally, I shared a common personality trait, which made learning from them feel like home. The staff were super helpful, answering all my questions, very nice and friendly. I felt, with other dog training companies I reached out to in the past, there was a disconnect; CATCH never made me feel that way. CATCH also matched me with a wonderful dog training mentor here in San Diego. We have so much in common and she wants to continue working with me after certification which has been a blessing. I have had only great things to say about the program. The content is thorough and fairly easy to understand, the reading material is expansive and up-to-date with the positive reinforcement training methods of today. I feel like I am getting the best education with CATCH Canine Trainers Academy, and I’m looking forward to its many benefits.
A Word from Jasmine’s Mentor:
Jasmine has been extremely professional throughout the mentorship. I have thoroughly enjoyed mentoring her, so much so that I have asked her to join my team upon graduation. She has impressed me in many ways.
Way to go, Jasmine, we’re so proud of you!
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