Biography

Hi, my name is Nycole Garza. I got my first taste of dog training when my husband, Todd and I, adopted a 65 lb. boxer mix from the animal shelter in 1996. We renamed him, Sparty. He was a handsome dog. At the shelter they told us that he was a digger, a chewer, and a fence jumper. At the time he was also barking a lot. We asked if he was going to bark like this when we got him home. They said that they didn't know. We said, "we'll take him". Sparty never once chewed anything that wasn't his. He didn't bark unless he had a good reason. He didn't dig holes or jump our fence. Why the sudden change you might wonder? I would learn the answer to that question over many years. Years of working with my own dogs, becoming a certified dog trainer at Animal Behavior College in 2011 and years of working with clients as a professional dog trainer. It comes down to meeting our dog's needs and providing them with some basic training. When Sparty had adequate exercise, proper chew toys, one-on-one time, and some basic training he was a better behaved dog.

Sparty's story is one that is told all too often in shelters. People get puppies, thinking that, "this is going to be great". They end up with big dogs that are lacking in manners and self control. Dogs don't come automatically knowing how we want them to behave. We have to teach them. It is my privilege to help people and families overcome challenges like digging, chewing, mouthing, jumping, and barking. I can help you teach your dog things like come, sit, down, and stay. I can help with things like walking nicely on leash, crate training and calm behavior.

Picture of Sparty and Baxter