Stacy Braslau-Schneck, CPDT-KA

Stacy pursued her lifelong interest in animal behavior through a Master’s degree at a research laboratory, Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Lab (KBMML, now called The Dolphin Institute) in Hawaii, studying dolphin cognition and intelligence. At the lab, she learned to train dolphins for research and exercise, using the same modern techniques that are now used with pet dogs. She designed and ran a research project (investigating how creative dolphins could be and how they coordinate their movements with each other). As a staff member at the lab, one of her duties was to teach dolphin training to new volunteers and students.

When she returned to her native California she began transferring her animal-training and student-teaching skills to teaching pet owners how to train their dogs. She helped to develop and teach the first clicker training classes at the San Francisco SPCA, before moving to San Jose.

She is a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), an organization that encourages the exchange of ideas and continuing education of pet dog trainers. In 2001, she was awarded Member of the Year, and in 2002 she earned a Level 1 Certification through the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers (CCPDT), the first national certification for dog trainers in history. Stacy has acheived Kay Lawrence’s Competency Assessment Program (CAP) test at the second level.

Stacy has worked closely with the Humane Society Silicon Valley, socializing dogs awaiting adoption, teaching other volunteer socializers, and fostering puppies and “issue-challenged” dogs. She has lived with Shelties and an “All-American” (mutt), as well as rats, hamsters, and numerous fish, and of course she worked with four great bottlenosed dolphins. She currently lives with Flipper, a Border Collie mix adopted from the Humane Society in September 1999 and her husband and toddler daughter.