About
Maritza is a force and fear free, LIMA-based (Least Intrusive Minimally Aversive) dog trainer and canine behavior consultant.
Maritza grew up in the Bay Area, California, and from a young age, like many trainers, taught her childhood dogs tricks and basic foundation skills.
After being inspired by her family dog Lyanna the Australian Shepherd (who experienced lots of reactivity and fear/anxiety related behaviors,) Maritza started her training journey as a group class trainer, but later decided to move towards private coaching where she could devote her time to each dog’s special needs and unique traits. After volunteering at her local animal shelter as well, she realized the importance of building foundations and a safe environment for dogs who have behavioral issues, and how every dog deserves to live a happy, stress free life. She then pursued her CPDT-KA (Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge Assessed) certification through CCPDT, as well as her Fear Free Certification. She also just achieved her Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) certification through the International Association of Animal Consultants, (IAABC) a prestigious organization dedicated to helping dogs with behavioral concerns.
Maritza’s main goal is to help pet parents understand how a dog’s brain works, how they learn, and how they perceive their environment. To her, there is nothing more special than the world through a dog’s eyes, and her passion for dog training is always kind, force free, and ethical, as it is scientifically proven to be the most effective method.
FAQs
How does this all work?
Well, I will reach out to you within 24-48 hours after you contact me. When I email you, I’ll ask you some questions about your dog, main goals, when issues started, etc. We will then set up a phone consultation which is around 30 minutes long. After we discuss things you can book a session with me.
The main thing to understand about hiring a dog trainer is that when you do so, you’re hiring someone to give you the tools, techniques, and tricks to combat behavioral issues or establish a solid foundation for your dog. Despite the name “dog trainer” I am mainly training the humans, as I want you to learn how to set your dog up for success and how to handle situations even when I am not present.
When can we start to see results from the training?
While this is a common question and I can understand that people want to see changes right away, we have to remember that when we are working with dogs who are emotional living beings, change doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, energy, patience, and consistency to allow the dog to adapt to new structures, ways of learning, as well as regulate their stress levels and environment. I never promise results by the end of a certain time/date because every dog (like people) are individuals and. there are a lot of factors at play when it comes to a positive prognosis.
Do you do board and training?
I have done board and trains in the past, and they’re very popular for obvious reasons.
People want quick results with minimal effort
People are frustrated from their dogs and want a break
People are stressed and don’t know how to train/don’t want to train
In my experience, board and trains do nothing but teach the dog to listen to the specific handler. You’ll find for example, that whoever does the most training with the dog in their household, will get the most responses out of the dog. That is because the dog has a longer reinforcement history with that specific person. So when you are sending your dog away to a board and train, they’re not learning anything but to listen to that specific handler, and you as the owner aren’t learning how to interact with your own dog.
And most of the time, these board and trains don’t always treat dogs ethically (using harsh tools such as electronic collars, prong collars, choke chains, kenneling for long hours) and are mainly correction/punishment based which is scientifically proven to create increased FAS (fear, anxiety, or stress) in dogs and can actually increase aggressive behaviors. I’ve also worked with clients in the past who took their dog to a board and train, spending thousands, only to take their dog to me instead because the board and training didn’t work, or unfortunately, make their dog worse/more aggressive. I am not a fan of board and trains, and ultimately, YOU need the tools, tips, and training techniques to train your own dog, since you will be living with them. Board and trains are looking for a buck, and most of them will happily take your money for minimal results.
