Meet Coral

My name is Coral, and I’ve been in Colorado for the last 9 years, and one thing I’ve learned from being in the centennial state is you can’t quite be a Coloradan without a dog. That’s how I found myself working in animal welfare.

 

I started my career at Petco in August of 2018, learning how to help pet parents and dogs learn the basics of positive reinforcement. I got myself a Border Collie named Reptar, and a Coonhound named Doug, and officially became a Coloradan myself, but Doug wasn’t an easy dog and many of his behaviors baffled me.

 

In January of 2020, I became a mentor for the entire Northern Colorado district, teaching people like me how to be trainers for Petco, but even as a mentor I still felt I had more to learn. I was in search of someone who could explain some of the behaviors me and my pet parents still didn’t understand and struggle with.

 

Eventually I found myself in a mentorship with Molly at Underdog, this time as the mentee. Molly has taught me so much more than just the “how to’s” of dog training, she’s helped me to understand the “whys” of dogs behavior. Understanding the function of behavior is the first step in modifying the behavior. Since starting my journey with Molly and spending time volunteering at the Weld County Humane Society I’ve realized the need for so much more than basic obedience dog training.  I feel families really need and want a community to help build confidence in themselves as pet parents, and in their dogs as companion animals.

 

That’s why since starting at Underdog in July of 2022 I’ve decided to dedicate my career as a dog trainer to helping people understand the functions of the unwanted behaviors, and creating lasting bonds that help build wanted behaviors in a judgment-free environment with a community of dog lovers all around Colorado.