Judy Borsheim, MS, VSPDT is the owner and lead behavior specialist at Star Dog and has been helping people and their dogs live happier lives together since 2012. Her goal in working with people and dogs is to go beyond teaching basic obedience and give people “Aha!” moments that unveil a dog’s perspective and how to channel it to calm a dog down, motivate it to listen, discourage problem behaviors, and encourage preferred behaviors. This approach allows Judy’s clients to attain a deep, long-lasting understanding of what is necessary to help their dogs fit better within the bounds of their world. At the same time, Judy listens to her client’s unique needs and tailors solutions to fit into their specific lives, no matter the circumstance.

In attaining her master’s degree in Canine Life Sciences at Bergin University, Judy studied under various well-known, influential people in animal behavior, psychology, ethics, genetics, and evolution – all with a focus on dogs. This is the only masters program of its kind in the United States, if not the world. She was also fortunate enough to work closely with Kari Bastyr, the owner of Wag & Train, for many years to gain knowledge and experience to help aggressive, anxious dogs. Her education doesn’t stop there – she stays on top of new research findings in animal behavior and psychology so that she can pass on helpful information to her clients.

Judy does a lot of the classes, including puppy classes, Good Dog Grade School, and Good Dog Graduate School. She also provides in-home private training and behavior consultations for people whose schedules don’t allow for class attendance, and for those with difficult dogs who do not excel in a group setting.

In her free time, Judy is working on getting Colorado to adopt her dog safety program into its elementary school education curriculum so that all children learn early-on how best to interact with any dog. Judy shares her home with Bucky the Kromfohrlander. Her favorite things to do include hiking with Bucky and enjoying Colorado life with her dogs, friends and family.

Sara Ritter, CCPDT-KA is a Colorado native that lived in Michigan for a few years with her Golden Retriever, Tanner. Sara’s passion for dogs began with days spent with Tanner at the dog beach. Tanner has since passed away and Sara now has a cat, Luna. She hopes to be able to own another dog, or two, in the near future but until then, she gets her dog fix through training and managing a doggy daycare/boarding facility.

She spent two years teaching group classes and certifying dogs through the American Kennel Club for their Canine Good Citizen titles. She is a member of Ian Dunbar’s Dog Behavior and Training Academy and enjoys studying behavioral sciences.

Sara feels that not only can training be fun, but that it is also very rewarding and fulfilling. She hopes to be able to save and improve dogs’ lives by teaching people how to positively and effectively communicate with them. Her dream is to be able to work with shelters to help make dogs more adoptable, find good homes, and allow more dogs and people to experience the joy and love she experienced with Tanner.