Laurie Williams BA, CPDT, CPT - Owner and Director of Behavior Counseling & Training
 Pup 'N Iron is the realization of a life long dream come true for us. Having lived in this community for 20 years I am happy and proud to provide a safe place where people can connect with their wonderful canine companions. I have devoted my life to the love of dogs and am very fortunate to have enjoyed a long professional career in dog training, behavior modification and general pet care spanning over 25 years. In addition to training and behavior counseling, I have served as a professional pet groomer, veterinary technician, and have been training pet dogs, as well as breeding and showing dogs in obedience, rally and conformation. I have bred and owned/co-owned a variety of dogs and have handled, trained, pointed, and/or finished obedience titles and championships on breeds including Irish Terriers, German Shorthaired Pointers, Irish Setters, Miniature Pinschers and Dalmatians. But most importantly, I am honored to have helped hundreds of people bond with and develop loving, mutually respectful and healthy relationships with their dogs for a quarter of a century. In 1987 we began our first family dog classes here in Stafford, right in our backyard, and have never looked back! We quickly follwed by offering basic manners classes for MWR MCB Quantico and the community education department at Northern Virginia Community College. Just prior to opening Pup 'N Iron I served as the Area Trainer for PETsMART's VA/MD district. In this capacity I oversaw the training and accreditation of all PETsMART pet training instructors in the northern Virginia stores. I piloted the training program in the Stafford, Virginia store, leading that store to the highest training sales in the history of the PETsMART company. I have been a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers since 2002. I hold a B.A. from Norwich University in Montpelier, VT and was a member of the adjunct faculty of the Natural Sciences Department of Northern Virginia Community College for 7 years. I am a nationally published writer with works appearing in Dog & Handler, 911, Essence, Fitness, and Good Housekeeping magazines. I am a regular contributor to "The Chronicle of the Dog," the trade publication for the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and write the Rally Obedience column. I am the founder of the Stafford Dog Club and was one of the first certified dog trainers recognized by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers in Virginia. In addition to my extensive background in dog training and behavior modification, in order to stay abreast of the newest training and behavior modification techniques, I attend regular continuing education seminars with the leading dog behavior specialists in the field such as Karen Pryor, Ian Dunbar, Patricia McConnell, Ray Coppinger and Sue Sternberg. Most recently I attended the 5 day APDT national conference in Kansas City, MO in September 2006. I have spent the greater part of my adult life pouring my heart and soul and expending my blood, sweat and tears into learning as much as possible about one glorious, phenomonal animal - the dog. And I wouldn't trade it for the world. I am proud to call myself a professional dog trainer! We currently share our lives and home with our Dalmatian "Tucker," three beautiful Maltese boys, "Leopold," "Andrew," and "Geoffrey," a cream Standard Poodle named Moet (our dizzy blond), and our stunning Pharoah Hound "Ramesses". |
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