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 Rocco Autero of Hartsdale, New York. At the time of this posting, Rocco is studying Phase 6 of the Master Class, and he has attended two different 1-Week Dog Trainer Workshops at St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in NJ.

A Word from Rocco

Rocco working with Quiz at St Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center during a Body Language, Behavior and Problem Solving Skills Workshop in April.

My Favorite Recent Study Topics:

My favorite topic so far has been Phase 2, Understanding Behavior, Body Language, and Vocalizations. I recently attended the CATCH Body Language, Behavior and Problem Solving Skills Workshop, so this was an excellent opportunity to reinforce what I had learned during Phase 2 and to put these concepts into practice when working a number of different dogs at St. Hubert’s. I also really enjoyed Phase 3: How Dogs Think and Learn, which helped me to better understand about classical and operant conditioning.

My Favorite Recent Hands-On Activity:

My favorite hands-on activity so far has definitely been working with my CATCH mentor. This has been an invaluable learning experience, from working with a variety of dogs as well as seeing different problems in real world scenarios and the different strategies and tools to use in order to solve these problems.

Getting in some training time with Mickey, a friend’s dog.

How My Studies Have Changed the Way I See Dogs:

My learning experiences have really helped me to understand dog – human and dog – dog interactions better. Now when seeing somebody walking their dog on my block or two dogs greeting each other on the street, I can get a sense of the dogs body language and what they may be trying to communicate, which I would not have recognized in the past. In addition, prior to studying the material and attending the Body Language, Behavior and Problem Solving Skills workshop, I had a difficult time judging if dogs were just playing with one another or something more serious was happening and would at times step in to stop an interaction that was really just playful. Now I feel like I really have a good understand of what’s taking place.

What I’m Most Excited About:

My learning experience so far has been great! When I started out, I didn’t know a lot about dog behavior or dog training methods. By studying the Master Class, working directly with my CATCH mentor, as well as attending both hands-on CATCH workshops (Professional Dog Training Skills and Body Language Behavior and Problem Solving Skills), this has given me the confidence that I will be a successful dog trainer.

Way to go, Rocco, we’re so proud of you!



Read Our Dog Trainer Success Stories


CATCH Canine Trainers Academy Office Headquarters
24 Newark Pompton Turnpike Suite 206, Little Falls, NJ.
Phone: 877-752-2824