Capricorn Dog Training and Behavior

In January of 2026, Jennifer relocated to the Ann Arbor area from Chicago. Since the mid-1990s, she has fostered and worked with dogs from a number of Chicago rescues and shelters, including Chicago Animal Care  & Control, Chicagoland Shepherd Rescue, Simply Shepherds Rescue, Chicago Canine Rescue, One Tail at a Time, Illinois Doberman Rescue, and the Anti-Cruelty Society.   Jennifer taught as a senior instructor for the Anti-Cruelty Society's school of dog training for ten years. She received approval from the Illinois Department of Agriculture as a Humane Investigator in 2016,  2017, and 2024. In 2020, Jennifer graduated from the Explosive Detection Canine Handler School at JBSA Lackland and worked as an EDC handler for the Chicago Police Department/TSA from 2020-2026.

Jennifer regularly attends workshops and seminars from experts in the field of dog training and behavior to stay current on the most humane and effective strategies. Appreciating the  art, science, and magic that come together for  good animal training is  a lifetime practice. Her animal  family currently  consists of a German Shepherd Dog, a Belgian Malinois, a Siberian Husky, a German Shorthair pointer, two Quarter horses, and an off-the-track Thoroughbred.

Jennifer and I started Capricorn Dog training  in 2012 which was my twelfth year in the dog industry. I was fortunate enough to get involved in the dog training world when punishment based training was crossing over into positive reinforcement. This means that not only was I exposed to harsh training methods first hand but I also got to see the radical difference that thoughtful kind training makes in terms of results AND not stressing out dogs. I became a behavior nut and worked my way through 2 apprenticeships with Chicago dog training schools, a decade assessing and training dogs at the anti cruelty society, 10 more years working with other Chicago rescue groups and 20 years of working with families and their dogs.

My practical and straight forward training plans take into account the needs of the dog and the human. We are all unique. We learn best when our needs are supported

My specialties are socially sensitive dogs, reactivity and aggression and separation distress.

I currently teach puppy and basic classes and offer 1:1 sessions in person in St Louis. I offer 1:1 virtual sessions everywhere.