Claire is a part-time trainer with Instinct Portland, providing coaching in person and virtually, as well as home school training. She coaches clients in self-training their own service dogs, getting puppies off to a good start in their new homes, easing the trials of puppy adolescence, and helping adult dogs acquire everyday manners and life skills. She enjoys teaching people and dogs how to live and work together in harmony, placing an emphasis on finding accessible and practical ways to improve communication, understanding and relationship.
Her time as a volunteer guide dog puppy raiser led to a career training guide dogs with Guide Dogs for the Blind for over 10 years and then with Occupaws. Prior to Instinct, Claire transitioned to working with pet dogs and owner trained service dogs through City Dog Country Dog.
She holds a BS in Psychology from Oregon State and lives in Portland with her husband, two sons, dog (Rosie), cat (Nelly) and two guinea pigs (Peanut and Button). She spends her free time carpooling to soccer games and folding laundry – great times to listen to dog training podcasts! For fun she has started taking nosework classes with Rosie.