About Me
My name is Nickala Squire. I've worked with dogs professionally in different fields for much of my life so I have a wide range of experience with multiple breeds, behaviors, backgrounds and sizes. I am an honors graduate of world renowned Jean Donaldson's Academy for Dog Trainers, Fear Free Certified and have completed Michael Shikashio's Aggression in Dogs Master Course.
I firmly believe in evidence based, ethical treatment of our pets in all professional fields including grooming, veterinary care, daycare and training. This means motivating pets with things they want such as food and play, improving their emotional states or using rewards contingent on desirable behavior. I do not use aversive collars such as choke chains, slip leads, prong collars, shock collars, citronella spray or any other tool or training method designed to cause fear, strangulation, discomfort or pain. Unfortunately, dog training is not a regulated profession. Anyone can do anything to your dog and they are not legally obligated to disclose what they're doing let alone the potential life changing ramifications of the methods or tools they choose. If I can't help you, I'm happy to help point you to someone who can and will do so using humane methods.
My Team
At the top of this page is my first dog and my inspiration to become a dog trainer, Balfour, a Great Pyrenees. He led me on a journey to find out why dogs behave the way they do and how to effectively modify their behavior.
Currently I have a former Texas street mutt Kovu, Sango whom you can read about here and Yosei the adventurous forever-a-kitten cat. You can see them with some frequency on my social media.
Kovu
Owner (of all the things)
Yosei
Mischief Manager
Sango
Sweet & Sensitive