Jamie has been training dogs professionally for more than 10 years. She has taught a variety of classes for pet owners with an emphasis on focus, life skills, and tricks. Jamie taught classes for the public at Clear Path for Veterans for several years and she was one of the first trainers involved in their Dogs to Vets Program. She has also taught classes with CNY Pet Training & Behavior and frequently volunteers to teach classes at the Syracuse Obedience Training Club where she instructs students on a variety of dog sport skills.
She got involved with canine freestyle more than 17 years ago when her first dog, Risa, told her it was the sport she most wanted to do. Risa just lit up with joy learning new tricks and letting loose to music. Initially hesitant, Jamie eventually recognized that the creativity of the sport tapped into her artistic side and she never looked back. Jamie and Risa went on to earn several high level titles in a variety of sports but their Veteran Grand Championship title in RFE musical freestyle was their crowning glory.
Not content to just enjoy freestyle with Risa alone, Jamie has worked hard to grow the sport and introduce new teams to this creative endeavor. Several of her students have gone on to earn titles in RFE freestyle. Jamie is also a Rally-FrEe judge and enjoys encouraging new and seasoned competitors to continue in the sport.
Risa has since passed on but her legacy remains. Jamie has competed in freestyle with both of her current dogs: Kyu and Kyber. She continues to share the knowledge gained from training her own dogs and the skills learned from instructing her students in this challenging sport.
In addition to trialing in freestyle, Jamie also competes in several other sports with her dogs including conformation, rally, Rally-FrEe, agility, disc, and racing.
Outside of dog sports, Jamie enjoys hiking with her dogs. She is also a talented artist, enjoys dabbling in photography, likes to read, play video games, and tend to her garden.
