A word from Stephanie:

'Training your dog is not an option, it's a responsibility.' Training will strengthen the relationship between you and your dog and more importantly, can save his life. One of the most common problems I run into as a professional trainer is helping the client understand their relationship with their dog. This is because most people confuse love with respect. Yes, your dog may love you alot, but that does not mean he respects you. If you can get your dog to respect you, he will love you 100 times more. A good leader is respected AND loved. Respect is never earned by being unfair or brutal... it is also never earned by catering to bad behavior or feeling badly about enforcing the rules. Being a good leader is about being fair and consistant while setting a good example. If you understand this, your beloved companion will be faithful and loyal till the end.

Thank you,

Stephanie O'Brien

bio

Stephanie O’Brien

Trainer/ Protection Dog Division

K-9 Behavior Services- Lead Trainer

K-9 Assistance Services, Inc. Nonprofit 501(c)(3)- Training Director

North American Ring Association- High Level Competitor- Member In Good Standing

Los Angeles Ring Club- Training Director

Southern California Malinois Ringsport Club- Training Director- 2008 - 2009

Handler, Owner & Trainer of:

Fat Louie Des Barriques FR III, HOT

2007 NARA National Domestic Champions FR III

2007 NARA National Vice Champions FRIII

2006 NARA National Vice Champions FRII

Cyn Cite des Barriques FRI, HOT

Custer Des Contes D’Hoffman FRI, CSAU, HOT       

                                           

Stephanie has been involved in training dogs since 1997, when she aquired her Doberman Pinscher, Cody, and handled him successfully in local AKC conformation and obedience competitions. It was evident early on that she had a gift for working with animals. Through the years, Stephanie has traveled extensively across the United States and has also traveled to Europe numerous times to continue her education in working with canines.  She has personally worked with and apprenticed under many of the best trainers in the world and has knowledge, experience and ability beyond her years.

Stephanie has handled many different breeds of dogs with temperments ranging from extremely shy to extremely aggressive and everything inbetween. She has also worked with quite a few rescue groups and shelters across the country, giving her the experience neccessary to work with common behavioral issues associated with shelter or rescue dogs. Stephanie strongly believes that each dog needs to be respected as an individual. No two dogs are exactly the same, and they shouldn’t be trained exactly the same way.

Stephanie also co-founded one of the most successful Belgian Malinois breeding programs in the US to date and she now has her own breeding program, Chenil du Loucyn Malinois, and has extensive experience in breeding, raising, training and testing dogs for law enforcement, competition, S&R, personal protection and service work. She plans to continue her education in working with these dogs.

Currently, Stephanie actively trains and competes on a national level in Ringsport with several of her Belgian Malinois. This dog sport is one of the most demanding programs a dog can compete in today, combining extreme agility, obedience and protection work.  Both dog and handler are pushed to the extreme.

                                                                                                                                                      

Stephanie has earned top honors with her dog Fat Louie who has become nothing short of a celebrity in the working dog world. They are an internationally recognized team.  In addition to having traveled internationally and participating in numerous demonstrations as well as some filmwork, Stephanie and Fat Louie were the 2007 NATIONAL Domestic Champions for level III (highest level) in Ringsport. This is the highest honor in the sport and reserved for only one dog/handler team in the U.S. each year! They also took home the 2007 Vice Grand Champion cup and Fat Louie was awarded a plaque for being the highest scoring American trained dog in 2007. Stephanie has had Fat Louie since he was only 6 weeks old. She now has several more promising young competition dogs, all of which she has raised and trained herself.

Stephanie also has many years of experience working as a ‘training decoy’ in the bitesuit. She excels at teaching young puppies and dogs the mechanics of protection work for competition, police and personal protection work. This is not a skill that can be taught overnight but rather an art that takes countless years to perfect.

                                                                                                                                                 

Stephanie brings an incredible level of talent, experience and expertise to the table while still remaining open-minded, down to earth and professional in her training. Truly a rarity (and a welcome one at that!) in today’s world of ‘cookie-cutter’ , wannabe dog trainers. Stephanie has come all the way from NY to work exclusively with K9 Behavior Services!

                                                                                                                     

Stephanie and Fat Louie have done many non-profit training demonstrations/workshops including:

Orange County Animal Control - Bite Prevention training for Officers

Orange County Animal Care Services - OC Pet Fair 2008/2009

Orange County Animal Care Services - Explorer Program

Huntington Beach, CA- Grace Lutheran Elementry School - Training Demo

Locust Valley, NY - Pet Fair/Adoption training demo

Nokado School of Ju Jitsu LI, NY - Protection Demo

Southampton Animal Shelter LI, NY - Training/Aggression workshop

Northeastern Doberman Rescue Group

                                                                                                                         

Some Canine Seminars & Workshops Attended and/or Assisted with:

*Schutzhund Seminar w Andreas Mueller - Ronkonkoma, NY  05/01

*Ringsport Seminar w Dirk Nauwelaarts(Belg), Waleed Maalouf, Mike Ellis, Francis Metcalf - Ronkonkoma, NY  04/02

*Ringsport Workshop w Michel Valladon(FR) - Wells, Maine  06/02

*NARA Decoy Camp/Workshop w Dany Maison (FR) (the ONLY female participant) - Stormville, NY 07/02

*No Limitations Retrieve/ Obedience Seminar - Tom’s River, NJ  10/02

*NVBK Training Workshop - Belgium  11/02

*Workingdog/Mondioring Seminar w Mike Ellis - Ronkonkoma, NY  12/02

*Seminar with Bart Bellon (Belgium) - Ronkonkoma, NY 08/03

*No Limitations Schutzhund & Working Dog Seminar - Pomfret, MD 09/03

*No Limitations Police Only Seminar -  Medford, NJ  11/03

*Ringsport/Protection Sport Workshop w Waleed Maalouf - Pheonix, AZ  12/03

*Shelter Dog Workshop with Brian Kilcommons (Invite only) - New Paltz, NY

*No Limitations Police/Working Dog Seminar - Medford, NJ  05/04

*NVBK Workshop w Dirk Nauwelaarts(Belgium) - Ronkonkoma, NY  06/04

*Police K-9/Working Dog Grip Development Workshop - Tinton Falls, NJ  11/04

*No Limitations Pet/Working Dog Seminar - Gwynedd, PA  08/05

*NVBK Training Workshop - Belgium  02/05

*PSA Training Seminar - LI, NY 08/05

*No Limitations Police Only Seminar - Tinton Falls, NJ  12/05

*Seminar/Workshop w Dany Maison & Fernando Dosta - Peronne, France  09/06

*Seminar with Bart Bellon - CT 05/07

*Seminar with Ivan Balabanov - NY 06/07

*Workshop with Fernando Dosta - NY 08/07

*Workshop with Hector Dulac(Mex) & Manuel Montero(Mex) 07/08 Riverside, CA

*Mondioring Workshop with Joaquim Dovat(Swiss) 10/08 Oxnard, CA

*French Ringsport Workshop with Philippe Touy (France) 02/09 Riverside, CA

*Mondioring Workshop with Tim Bartlett (US Dept. of Defense/USMRA) 03/09 Tempe AZ