Meet Diane

Hi, I'm Diane.

I'm a dog trainer who's endlessly curious about why dogs do what they do. I help families understand what their dogs are communicating, build useful skills, and make everyday life together easier.

My curiosity about how animals experience the world drew me to dog training. Learning canine body language helped me notice how much dogs are telling us all the time. I wanted to understand their choices and what makes each individual dog light up.

Today, I'm a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), VSA Certified Dog Trainer (VSA-CDT), and Fear Free Certified. This work really has my heart. I want to help dogs feel safe, confident, and fulfilled.

I live in Silver Spring with Bananas, my Akita/German Shepherd mix, and Kiwi, my Norwegian Forest Cat. Some of our best moments happen wandering through the woods together, with Kiwi joining when she chooses. I love watching them explore at their own pace and seeing how differently three species experience the same patch of woods.

When I'm not training, I love making art and spending an unreasonable amount of time rescuing local trees from invasive vines. There's usually some combination of fur, paint, and dirt involved, which is pretty much how I like it.