Emily Stoddard

Emily has been around dogs her whole life and started her formal training career when she met Sandy, a Yellow Labrador Retriever. Sandy was aggressive towards other dogs and after trying a number of punitive techniques thought there was a better way. Emily started as an apprentice at The Anti-Cruelty Society's School of Dog Training, where she then became a Senior Instructor. She was hired on to work in the Animal Behavior Department assessing temperaments and rehabilitating dogs as they got ready for adoption. From here she left to open her own training company and Canine Sports Dog Training was born. Emily’s thirst for knowledge continued, even after creating Canine Sports. She continued to seek out the world’s best trainers, mentors, and coaches. Through her pursuit of continued education she became adept at a variety of training and coaching skills and methodologies. Eventually Emily combined her wealth of knowledge, natural skill, and now years of experience to create a powerful and exhaustive training curriculum.

 Now Emily is a sought after industry expert. She is frequently the first choice of aspiring trainers seeking out a mentor. Due to her detail oriented personality, and remarkable ability to teach others Emily has been asked to present seminars on a variety of topics worldwide. She looks forward to continuing to share her experience with all who wish to learn.

    Emily is also an active competitor in the world of dog sports. She competes in Agility, Obedience, French Ring, Mondioring, American Schutzhund, Protection Sports Association, AVD, Nosework, Dock Dogs, and Rally-O - holding titles in all of the above, championship titles in several, and national rankings in some. What started as a weekend hobby, has turned into a full blown love and competitive outlet.

Natalie Ridge

Natalie has been around dogs her entire life, while her family always had a pet dog, Natalie got her first dog, a Bernese Mountain Dog, around the age of 12. She took part in training classes as a junior handler, and her love of training was born. After pursuing a degree in music education Natalie got her first dog as an adult, Athena, an American Pit Bull Terrier; after taking a puppy class at the Anti Cruelty Society, she began her formal career as a trainer through the Society's apprenticeship program. It was Here  that she first met Emily. During her apprenticeship  Natalie  was led to rescue her second dog, Guinness, a highly aggressive ex dog fighting American Staffordshire Terrier. Along with her apprenticeship, and volunteering Natalie switched her day job from phlebotomist to veterinary assistant to continue pursuing her newfound passion for dogs.

In her time at the veterinary clinic Natalie witnessed how common behavior problems had profound effects on dogs' health, as well as their owners’ happiness. This realization inspired her to help dog owners better understand their dog from a physiological, biological, genetic, and behavioral standpoint.As a former education major, Natalie is a huge learning theory nerd, which influences her teaching style both with dogs and their humans. She firmly believes that dog and owner teams need to develop a common language and system of communication to bridge the gap between species. Natalie’s outside the box viewpoint has led her to continue to be innovative with methods and techniques to make sure each dog can achieve its best.Natalie is now beginning to work towards training for a variety of competitive dog sports. She continues to seek out knowledge in her never ending quest to learn all things training related. She is currently educating herself and her dogs in competition obedience, french ring, mondioring, and frisbee.

Aurelio RodrIguEz

  Aurelio came to us from a daycare where he learned his awesome playgroup skills, but he always knew his passion was training. He started as an apprentice and showed a natural gift for connecting with dogs that we just couldn’t let go. He’s the behind the scenes guy that works with the dogs in for school during the day, spoiling each and every one of them. Even from behind the scenes his hard work creates profound changes in the lives of both dogs and their humans. He takes the lead in play group and makes sure that each dog is always having a blast.

Aurelio’s confident demeanor makes his training sessions with dogs remarkable to watch. He is the epitome of cooperative handling, as well as learning through play. The quality of care he provides for each of his charges is second to none. Aurelio takes deep pride in his work, and loves to give people a dog they can enjoy! Leia, his Belgian Malinois, is his right hand gal and you’ll always see the two of them working during Polishing class providing distraction for the dogs there for class. Leia has a gift for puppy raising, controlling the rowdy members of play group, and bring shy dogs out of their shell. Leia has two Pit brothers - Dino and Zeus - who are professional couch potatoes! Aurelio also partners with countless rescues, and always has a foster dog, or three, whom he works with to prepare them for the best life after their adoption.

Joe Saltarelli

  Joe has been an avid dog and animal enthusiast since a young age. He has been working with dogs for years at different kennels and rescues. Joe has also been a manager and trainer at a daycare facility where he oversaw the handling and safety of all the dogs.

Having worked closely with some well respected trainers, Joe looks to continue his passion for training and caring for dogs. Joe’s natural ability to relate to people, and to simplify complex ideas enable students of all skill levels to learn and grow under his tutelage. He believes that clear communication and compassion are necessary to have the best relationship with your dog. He continuously strives to teach people to better speak, and understand the language of dogs. Joe takes great satisfaction in providing top notch, effective, and attainable training solutions for every client!

Emily Nabielec

Emily began her apprenticeship at the Anti Cruelty Society after taking some group classes there with her dog, Roscoe. When Emily and her husband decided to grow their family, she knew Roscoe’s fear of children would need to be addressed. After putting in some hard work Roscoe is now a happy big brother, rising to the task magnificently. 

Emily continued to learn as much as she could about dog training, and became a stellar group class instructor.  Her combination of training knowledge and experience, as well as her excellent organizational skills made her the perfect choice for Office Manager

Her love for animals, managerial skills, and drive to help a small business succeed has been helpful beyond words.

Emily goes above and beyond in the name of customer service, her communication skills are second to none. She has been indispensable in organizing, scheduling, managing resources, and innovating new projects. Emily makes sure that every experience with Canine Sports goes above and beyond the average dog training experience! She really helps us to be, and to bring out the best in our clients!

Stephanie Hatfield