KATE SENISI is a pet activist and trainer who uses reward based, force-free methods to help owners solve problems and communicate effectively with their pets. With a holistic approach and an emphasis on creative thinking, Kate helps develop realistic and effective solutions that actually enhance the owner-pet bond, ultimately cutting down the number of pets who are surrendered to shelters.
Her special areas of interest include working with reactive, aggressive or anxious dogs and with bully breeds. She has apprenticed with two CPDT-KA certified dog trainers in Brooklyn and has attended numerous training seminars over the past few years.
In addition to private sessions and teaching classes and low-cost seminars with School For The Dogs, she also runs positive dog training classes at two Manhattan Petco locations. She is a contributor to The Dogs blog and hosts a monthly Meetup group with her training partner Annie for NYC Professional Trainers to collaborate and share ideas.
In addition to the shelter dogs that come through her apartment as fosters, she lives with two full-time residents: Sir Charles the tuxedo cat and Disco, a rescue pit-mix with an underbite and dance moves like Travolta.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Dog Trainer
Unleashed by Petco (Columbus Ave., New York, NY)
Petco (Union Square, New York, NY)
Basic Adult Manners, Puppy Classes & Private Sessions
August-Current
Dog Training Assistant
Doggie Academy – Sarah Westcott, CPDT-KA (New York, NY)
Training Assistant for Puppy, Basic Obedience, Leash Reactivity and Agility Classes/Seminars
February-August 2010
Dog Walker/Daycare Handler
Wiggly Pups (New York, NY)
Ciao Bow Wow (New York, NY)
2010/2011
Shelter Volunteer/Dog Foster Parent
Animal Haven (New York, NY)
Yellow Dog Walker (Difficult dogs)
2010-Current
Dog & Cat Socialization Volunteer
ASPCA (New York, NY)
(Extras: Attended Dog Clicker Training Class, Cat Clicker Training Class
and Shelter Dog Training Classes, all led by ASPCA Behavior Specialists.)
2008-2010
BEHAVIOR/TRAINING SEMINARS
ITC: Teaching and Training Course
Rondout Valley Animals for Adoption, Accord, NY
November 9-13, 2011
Pitbull Awareness Seminar and Workshop, Drayton Michaels, CTC
Urban Dawgs, Red Bank, NJ
August 21, 2011
IAABC Conference
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Warwick, RI
April 1-2, 2011
April 20-21, 2012
Control Unleashed, Leslie McDevitt, MLA, CDBC, CPDT
Doggie U K9 Academy, Bay Shore, NY
November 20, 2010
Get SMART about Training, Kathy Sdao, CAAB
Clicking with Canines, Binghampton, NY
September 19, 2010
EDUCATION
B.A. New Media (Minor: Visual Arts) GPA 3.6
State University of New York at Purchase College (2004)