Sarah Shelanski
Sarah Shelanski is currently completing her certification through CATCH Canine Trainers Academy and is an approved Evaluator for the American Kennel Club. With five years of professional experience in dog training, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her practice. Sarah’s education included a two-month intensive internship through a force-free, fear-free facility, followed by a three-week long mentorship guided by a certified professional dog trainer. She also attends a multitude of dog training and canine behavior seminars, workshops, and classes annually to continually improve her training knowledge and techniques. Sarah’s training methodology is based on utilizing positive reinforcement and motivational methods of dog training to prioritize clear communication through the leash.
Beyond her personal endeavors, Sarah is deeply committed to volunteer work and service in her community. In the past, she has:
- Volunteered as a counselor for the Penn Vet Working Dog Center’s Canine Handler Academy during the summer months. Her focus was primarily on the handling and training of working dogs, as well as educating campers on the selection, training, and care of working dogs.
- Volunteered with two local service dog organizations, aiding individuals with disabilities in training their own service dogs and assisting in raising future service dogs.
Sarah currently volunteers as a K9 search and rescue handler with PaWSAR (Pennsylvania Wilderness Search and Rescue) with her K9 partner, Lux. In her downtime, she also trains with Lux for competitive canine sports where they’ve earned many trophies and titles together!