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LOVE
is what brought us together

​I began studying dog behavior in 2006 as the last option to save my dog's life. The late Bongo Valentine was an overly confident, super brilliant dog with high-risk aggression toward other dogs. It took about a year of constant research, lifestyle changes, and the implementation of training techniques to earn each other's trust and respect. It was worth the effort because he blossomed into the most obedient dog I've met to this day. My love of Bongo is at the heart of my goal to slow shelter surrenders by providing rehabilitation through training.  

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My professional destiny found me in 2013 when a friend of mine asked me to watch her dog Ollie, she suggested I offer this service to other people and I eagerly took her advice. While boarding dogs I quickly realized the skills obtained working with Bongo and my natural ability to decipher canine body language made me a knowledgable and capable sitter. I would invariably teach guest dogs hospitable behaviors and soon owners were asking for advice and insisting on hiring me to train their dogs. After seeing clients almost in tears with appreciation from witnessing their dog's potential revealed, I decided to continue my education and start training professionally. 

 

My personal destiny was sealed when I married my soul mate and fellow dog lover, Garrett. As our reputation for quality has grown, Garrett has also been able to devote his talents to Alpha Love full time. Over the years, we've had hundreds of different dogs visit our home and Garrett's love for dogs has grown into a passion for training and behavior studies as well. 

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Our zoo at home includes two Great Pyrenees litter mates, Moto and Fila, a standard Poodle named Emma, a barn cat named Dixie, two iguanas named Rango and Salsa and a Ball Python named Rafiki.

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Boarding multiple dogs is the best hands-on experience a trainer can obtain. We get so much enjoyment and education watching the dogs socialize and seeing how they communicate with each other. But that's not enough, we crave learning about animal psychology and strive to stay up to date on the latest ethical and research-based methods. Together Garrett and I make a great team! We are both very patient, reliable, and dedicated to our clients, students, and guest dogs.

We are currently teaching new trainers to add to our growing team!

Fila, Moto & Emma

Fila

Moto

Dixie

Dixie

Garrett Durvin

MR. G

Caricature of us drawn by our awesome clients Adam & Frances
Bongo

Bongo

Amanda Durvin

TreatLady

Salsa & Rango

Rango

Salsa

Emma

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