About

Dawn has been training dogs professionally for 30 years. She graduated the Moorpark College Exotic Animal Training and Management program in 1991.
Since then, she has taught wildlife education programs, training a variety of animals like wolves, coyote, parrots, raccoons, tigers, baboons, and more.
She started dog training in 1991 with a company in CA that allowed her to not only train dogs and their humans, but hire and train other trainers. She was in charge of the trainers on the East Coast for all Petco stores until 2001 when she was given the opportunity to train a group of rescue dogs to perform in a family show. Dawn rescued a crew of 10 dogs and went on to perform for 12 years at a family theater in TN. During that time she was had the opportunity to perform for Animal Planet's Pet Star for 2 seasons, appear on David Letterman, be featured on Dogs 101, as well as multiple news outlets. She opened a small boarding kennel at her home and worked with her dogs in commercials and movies.
In 2013 Dawn moved to Hawaii and started to build her training business on the Big Island. Her focus became behavior modification and she studied to become Hawaii's first Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the International Association of Behavior Consultants. She was also one of the first Certified Fear Free Professionals.

Humane, positive, effective methods are what Dawn focuses on. Continuing education is extremely important, as the field of behavior and training has changed tremendously for the benefit of dogs and the humans that work with them.
Dawn is a professional member of the International Association of Behavior Consultants, The Pet Professional Guild, Association of Professional Dog Trainers, and Doggone Safe.

Service Dog Training

Aloha Dog Academy has 2 trainers that specialize in service dog training. Below are our most frequently asked questions. If you have read these and are interested in signing up for our program, please use the contact page to connect with us.

What is the difference between a service dog and emotional support dog?
A service dog is trained specific tasks to help you with your needs. They are granted public access through the American Disabilities Act. An emotional support dog is not trained for any specific task and is only granted access for housing.

Can I have a service dog?
A service dog is like medical equipment. If you and your doctor have discussed and decided that a service dog would be a benefit to you, then you have come to the right place. We will require a letter from your doctor that verifies you would benefit from a service dog, and what tasks would be needed.

Can the dog I have now be made a service dog?
Not every dog has the temperment and personality to be a service dog. They cannot be reactive, anxious, or fearful in public. A service dog needs to be able to handle a variety of situations and environments. We can do an evaluation to better determine if your dog would be considered a good candidate.

How long does it take to train my dog to be a service dog?
This will depend on the level of training your dog already has or if we are starting from puppyhood. In general you are looking at 6 months to a year to have a dog solidly trained for public access and task training. We will never use shock or corrective collars to make your dog to anything faster. Our process is about relationship, connection, and a dog that loves their work.

What is the cost?
This will depend on the level of training your dog already has and how much time we need to work with your dog to accomplish a well trained service dog.
You can expect a starting range of $1,500.