Meet Your Trainer Verena
Verena Sutherland (she/her)
Inspired by the animals she lives with and cares for, Verena’s mission in life is to help struggling dogs and their guardians live a happy, fulfilling and healthy life together through effective communication, meeting everyone’s needs and finding joy in their connection.
Verena began her training journey with horses, her formerly feral Mustang Guinevere, in 2018, and in her effort to find the most ethical training methods that would most support their relationship fell in love with rewards-based training. She still works with horses but found that she most enjoys working with dogs and their guardians on having more harmonious lives together in their homes.
After years of learning, training, and teaching, she now is a multi-certified trainer with a very nerdy interest in dog behavior and behavioral issues and still finds that there is truly more to learn every day!
Verena grew up in the northwest of Germany near the Dutch boarder until she moved to Portland, OR in 2009. She lives in NE Portland with her two beautiful dogs, Husky/ACD mix Ozymandias “Ozy” and German Shepherd Yggdrasil “Yggie” and the most darling cat Parcival “Parci”. Her horse Queen Guinevere “Guin” is still with her and lives at a beautiful farm in the country.
Most of her time not spent working, Verena is somewhere outdoors, hiking in Oregon’s and Washington’s wildernesses with her pups, preparing her young dog Yggie for sports competitions, or working to build new fun skills with her horse Guin.
Verena also fronts a new wave punk band, loves all things fantasy, and enjoys watching competitive knife making and baking shows.
And off duty?
Verena’s Credentials - and What They Mean
Dog training is an unregulated industry, which means that anyone can call themselves a dog trainer. Reward Your Dog Training believes in continuing education and training to best serve you and your dog. Verena’s full “alphabet soup” is
= Verena Sutherland, M.Ed., CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, CTRI, FDM
Phew, that’s a mouthful. What does all of this mean? Let’s demystify these letters!
Masters in Education (M. Ed.)
Though not directly linked to dog training, Verena still draws on her years of experience as a teacher as well as her Masters program for creating training plans, coaching clients, and communicating effectively.
Certified Behavior Consultant Canine - Knowledge Assessed (CBCC-KA)
This certification by the Council of Certified Pet Dog Trainers (CCPDT) requires 300+ hours of hands on experience working with fear, aggression, and reactivity in dogs as well as a written exam showing that Verena’s theoretical knowledge of the science behind reactivity is in depth and up to date.
Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA)
This certification, also by the CCPDT, has the prerequisite of 200+ hours of hands on experience and demonstrates that Verena’s knowledge of skills-focused dog training is current and thorough.
Karen Pryor Academy - Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP)
This rigorous certification program demonstrates mastery of the principles of positive reinforcement based training. Unlike the other certifications, it requires an in person component.
Certified Treat & Retreat Instructor (CTRI)
This certification focuses on a unique way to help socially shy and awkward dogs overcome their big feelings around humans.
Family Dog Mediator (FDM)
This certification shows that Verena has studied beyond the basics of dog training and can help families understand the dog in front of them based on genetics, personality, age and history, promoting a deeper knowledge of and empathy for the amazing being your dog is.
While certifications alone do not make a good trainer, they are at least an indicator of professional curiosity and a desire to use the best information possible - for science-backed, ethical, and effective training.
Certifications come with fun badges! Here’s my collection.
