At Your Service Dog Training

At Your Service

(413) 336-0598
sharon@atyourservicedogtraining.com

About

We use effective, positive methods to train service animals, emotional support animals, and therapy dogs

Sharon Wachsler CPDT-KA KPA-CTP

Sharon Wachsler, CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP is the owner and head trainer of At Your Service Dog Training, LLC.

Sharon is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) and a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP). She graduated with distinction from Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior and is a professional member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT). She was the founder of the Assistance Dog Blog Carnival and a content editor for IAADP’s Partner’s Forum, the newsletter of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) in which her service dog training articles received special recognition.

At Your Service Dog Training, LLC, offers service dog training to people in Western Mass., and around the country. We offer online training to people anywhere in the country. Private in-home and on-site owner lessons and day school are available for those in Pioneer Valley towns within 30 minutes of Hadley or Northampton,  including Amherst, Deerfield, Easthampton, Florence, Granby, Hadley, Holyoke, Leeds, Leverett, Northampton, South Hadley, Shutesbury, South Deerfield, Sunderland, Williamsburg, etc.

For those training a service dog outside that area, we offer private service dog training and consulting online or at our office in Hadley.

We also offer offer specialty service dog and therapy dog group classes in Whately.

We are also proud to provide service dog consulting to pet dog trainers, and area organizations and businesses. For those who would like to learn how to become a dog trainer, we have an internship program that encompasses both theory and practice.

Wondering if At Your Service travels to your town or if we offer services for your particular training needs? See our FAQ for answers to frequently asked questions.

"We take a positive approach to dogs and people!"

Sharon’s Background

Dog Training

Sharon trained her first assistance dog in 1998, a Bouvier des Flandres named Jersey who went on to win a Delta Society “Service Dog Without Limits” award. Between 2000 and 2013, Sharon trained two more mobility service dogs and wrote award-winning articles on positive reinforcement training and service dog training for publications such as IAADP’s Partner’s Forum and for her popular service dog blog, After Gadget.

After recovering her health in 2013, Sharon went on to work with some of the regions best trainers, assisting with group classes and apprenticing in private training and behavior consulting. In 2014, she graduated from Karen Pryor Academy’s “Dog Trainer Professional Course” with an average test score (knowledge, teaching, and training) of 99 percent, then passed the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers’s exam to become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA).

Dark-haired woman in red skirt feeds treat to black standard poodle while Bouvier lies on her other side
We’re excited about our new consulting room in Hadley!

Human Communication & Instruction

Before becoming a dog trainer, Sharon was an information and referral specialist for people with disabilities (specializing in housing, education, employment, and personal care), and a writer and editor of a journal of disability literature and culture. She has deep ties and love for the disability community.

Because “dog training” is mostly about teaching people how to train their animal companions, Sharon is dedicated to an honest, respectful, supportive relationship with clients. As a long-time student of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and a more recent student of TAGteach, Sharon is able to bring a positive, clear, “clickerly” approach to how she works with owners, as well as dogs.

Sharon continues to advance her education and expertise in working with people and animals by learning from experts in the field at workshops, conferences, and by collaborating with other pet dog trainers, service dog trainers, and animal behavior consultants. Sharon lives with her Bouvier des Flandres, Barnum (career-changed from service dog to demo dog) and her Standard Poodle, Kismet.

Learn more about Sharon’s education, media appearances, speaking engagements, and more below.

From left to right, Kismet (Standard Poodle), Barnum (Bouvier des Flandres), Maizie (German Shepherd doing board-and-train for service dog training )

Training Staff

Alex Wise, CPDT-KA, Trainer

Alex sitting in a chair petting white pit bull lying on the floor

Alex is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer who has been doing private training and group classes for At Your Service since January 2019. They have also been a staff trainer at Animal Alliances since 2015 — teaching classes in everything from basic and intermediate manners, outdoor etiquette, tricks, nosework, and puppy kindergarten. Alex’s special training interests include building strong foundational obedience skills for service dogs in training and working with deaf dogs. Alex lives in Northampton, with their deaf American Pit Bull Terrier mix, Hitch, who has been extensively trained in a variety of fancy skills but sees himself primarily as a professional lap dog and nap-taker. Learn more about Alex’s training experience and passions.

Christina Grubofski, Intern

Christina moved to the United States from Germany 6 years ago and started her career in the animal industry shortly after. She is a graduate of the Animal Behavior College, a professional member of the APDT as well as an instructor and evaluator for the American Kennel Club. She is currently located in Hinesville, GA, where she operates her own private dog training business. She works mainly on pet dog training but has found her passion for Psychiatric Service Dog Training, mainly due to her husband’s active duty status with the United States Army which has her living in military towns with a high number of active duty and veteran soldiers suffering from PTSD and TBI. She is a proud mother of 2 young children as well as 2 dogs, Roxy and Hunter who she loves dearly.

Justine Vieu, Intern

Justine has worked in the healthcare field since 2008. Over the last few years, she began pursuing her passion of working with dogs and graduated from Animal Behavior College as a certified dog trainer. Currently, she continues working full-time in the healthcare field and works with a handful of dogs on weeknights and weekends. Dogs have been Justine’s passion for as long as she can remember. She was surprised and overjoyed when she came home to her first puppy on her 5th birthday. Since, she has raised another puppy and adopted two other dogs in need of a loving home. At the present time, she has Copper and Gracelyn in her life (in the photo). She finds the connection and bond created between dogs and their humans simply amazing. Helping humans and their dogs develop a relationship, connect and communicate on new levels, live happy and fulfilling lives together is the best satisfaction she can imagine. She is endlessly looking to expand her education and increase her knowledge base on all things canine related.

Rebecca Scott, Intern

Becka holding her two dogs and laughing

Rebecca has always had a love for animals, especially dogs. She grew up on a farm and spent her free time teaching her family dogs how to do fun tricks. She has experience as an obedience trainer and has trained her own multipurpose service dog, Choppers a cattle dog mix, and is currently training her prospect, Cypher a smooth collie. While she loves service dog training, she will always have a soft spot for trick training, since it is how her and her first service dog, Choppers, bonded. 

Tam Porter, Intern

Tam Porter is an animal lover from Chicago with a particularly soft spot for dogs. They have such a deep appreciation for a dog’s soul and how they can enrich our souls and rejuvenate our spirits in return. They started working with dogs professionally in the summer of 2018; walking, sitting and some training. They became more curious about training and realized after a long road of dipping their toes into different career pools that training service dogs could be the perfect mix of helping people and being part of the reason someone’s life is just a little less stressful and spending their days with the creatures they adore the most.  

Tracy Pinto, Intern

Young woman with red shoulder-length hair smiling

Tracy Pinto is a CATCH Canine Trainers Academy graduate, American Kennel Club instructor and evaluator, Association of Professional Dog Trainers member, and is currently attending Animal Behavior Institute, due to graduate in December 2020. She has a particular interest in training service dogs for people with mild brain injury or post-concussion syndrome. Tracy lives in York, Pennsylvania with Charlie, her Australian Labradoodle. Tracy’s hobbies include decorative painting, knitting, crochet, sewing, and designing custom patterns.

Sharon Wachsler’s CV

Speaker

Media Appearances

Professional Certifications

Professional Memberships

Professional Affiliations

Professional Experience

  • Assistant Trainer, Pet Behavior Consulting, Shutesbury, MA, December 2014 – December 2015
  • Assistant Trainer, Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society classes, Hadley and Leverett, MA, February 2014 – June 2015
  • Intern, Pet Behavior Consulting, Shutesbury, MA, May 2014 – September 2015
  • Information Specialist, New England INDEX (Information on Disabilities Exchange), Shriver Center, Waltham, MA, 1994 – 1995
  • Information Specialist, Information Center for Individuals with Disabilities, Boston, MA, 1992 – 1995

Education

  • Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Professional, studying under Emma Parsons, January – July 2015
  • BA in Sociology and Women’s studies, cum laude, 1992, Tufts University, Medford, MA

Dog Training Seminars, Workshops, Conferences


About the Pictures on Our Website

  • Photos of Sharon and Barnum by Sarah Bossert.
  • Photos of future Leader Dogs for the Blind (Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers) provided by Patti Brehler.
  • Thanks to friends and clients who provided pictures of their pups: Jen (Lucy the Basset Hound), Nicole (Pete the Rat Terrier), Karyn (Thane the Border Collie and Chimette the Border Collie/Doberman mix), and Sam (TJ the terrier mix).

What Our Clients Are Saying…

TJ Legg
Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner
"It’s just brought so much pure joy! My dog and I like each other a lot more now." -- Sam Legg with TJ
APDT Professional Member
"She has worked miracles with my dog!" -- Gail Mason with Dazzle

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Certified Professional Dog Trainer