About

Hey! 

I'm Justine.

Mum of two teen humans and two dogs:  ZIGGY (my one-eyed, 12lb feisty little love-bug) and JUICE (an adolescent Working Cocker, whose name says it ALL!)

My story in a nutshell 

I was the kid who begged for a dog as soon as I could talk, but only got one at the grand old age of 29! I immediately fell in love, with him, and training.

His arrival led me to ditch my pretty cool career as a TV Producer for Nickelodeon, VH1, and MTV - and trade it in for old jeans and treat-filled pockets.

Four years and two dogs later, my kids came along, and my world was rocked again!  It took all of a millisecond to figure out that... training dogs WITH KIDS in tow was SO different to doing it kid-free!

It was clear that parents desperately needed a different kind of help that wasn't being offered ANYWHERE… so I started the Family Dog. And for the past 20 years I've been a family dog specialist.

The company has grown from offering local in-home training to worldwide online programs, teaching not only the public - but also, training dog professionals to coach families in their own communities.

Philosophy

I created The Dial Method to highlight the HUMAN’s role in the family dog relationship - the dog training system with ZERO dog training inside. Parents needed something kind, ethical, and simple to follow.

It wasn’t long before it became clear that this system shouldn’t be restricted to families with young kids.  ALL dog lovers need The Dial Method because it gives pet parents a clear plan (and direction) to navigate life with their dog.

By using the wisdom of parenting children, we can radically improve the way we live with and raise our dogs.  Their chance of success in family life relies on so much more than just training.  Firstly, we need to really SEE our dogs, understand who they are, and then ensure that we give them clarity, patience, protection, and guidance on how the world works, and how to get the best out of it…. exactly what children need, too.

Knowledge

I'm a member of the APDT, CPDT–KA certified, and now an LFDM (Licensed Family Dog Mediator).

But I'm NEVER satisfied and ALWAYS striving to be better.  Connected with the biggest players in the industry, I'm constantly educating myself to make my techniques better and both my family clients' and Pros' lives easier.

Experience

I've been training dogs for over 20 years now.

Since 2009 it's been "families only", laser–focusing on developing the most effective, efficient, and truly family-friendly training techniques.

In recent years, I've spoken at conferences in the US and UK, run workshops and webinars, coaching dog pros worldwide on how to work specifically with families. 

Guest Speaker at:

•  Kim Brophey's L.E.G.S. in Motion Conference (2022)
•  Victoria Stilwell's Dog Behavior Conference (2022)
•  HeartDog International Wellbeing Summit (2022)
•  Pet Professional Guild (2020)
•  Pet Professional Guild (2016)
•  APDT (2016)
•  Victoria Stilwell's UK Dog Bite Prevention Conference (2015)
•  Jean Donaldson's Academy:  2-day workshop (2015).
•  APDT (2014)

In 2015, The Family Dog also launched Stop The 77, an online dog safety campaign for families. Our mission is to educate parents and their kids everywhere on how to live safely and happily with the dogs they know and love AND lower the number of dog bites to children.