Our instructors come from varying interests and backgrounds
and bring a broad base of knowledge to our teaching force.



A DITR instructor is one for whom learning about dogs and sharing that knowledge
with students is more than just a hobby, it's a sincere aspiration to help make
the student/dog relationship a successful and fun journey.

Meet the owners:


Carol, Stanley & Higgins
  

 

Carol Byrnes, CPDT - Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed / APDT Professional member / NADOI endorsed instructor / Associate Member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants / Member of the Association of Animal Behavior Professionals / Charter member of the Association of Force-Free Pet Professionals Guild / Owner of Diamonds in the Ruff


 Carol & Dana opened Diamonds in the Ruff in 1996 with the goal of providing positive, dog and people friendly training for Spokane's pet owners. Their goal is to teach not just the mechanics of training, but provide instruction that helps their students develop an understanding of how dogs learn and view the world.

Behavior is the number one killer of pet dogs. More dogs are euthanized for bad behavior every day than are euthanized for overpopulation. According to the Humane Society of the United States, only 35% of all family dogs live out their natural lives with their original owners.

It is estimated that over 65% of the dogs surrendered to shelters across the country have a behavior problem that could have been prevented with early training, or could have been solved had the owners known some basics about dog training and behavior.

Dogs owned by humans who understand canine behavior and a few simple key components of learning theory will raise dogs who are cherished members of the family. These dogs are more likely to remain in their homes permanently. We also understand that most pet owners do not want to be training "experts." They have busy lives and other priorities.


We teach our students how to train their dogs a few minutes at a time while they are living normal lives. We and our staff of great trainers will strive to give you the tools you need to teach your dog to be the best friend he can be. Carol has developed a curriculum designed to best meet the needs of families and their canine friends.


 Dana Byrnes, CPDT-KA
Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed /
APDT professional member, owners of Diamonds in the Ruff.


Carol and Dana teach the Puppy Preschool, Puppy Kindergarten, Headstart, Prep and Finishing School classes.

Carol teaches "What is My Dog Saying?" a canine body language class, and Dana teaches the "Positive Solutions for Problem Behavior" lecture. Instructor Cathy Fox teaches the third in the series, "Surviving Adolescence & Implementing Leadership." The Behavior 101 lectures are held once per month and are part of the "Complete Understanding & Training Your Dog" package.

Carol also assists Kim Imel in guiding the Pawsitive Dog Prison Training Program at Airway Heights Correctional Center.

 

 

  
Dana with Howard & Benny


Meet the Ruffians!
The following talented instructors also teach classes at our facility:

Diane Baker
APDT member / NADOI endorsed instructor / Certified Delta Pet Partner


Diane is owned by a, a Border collie mix named Roxy and a Dachshund named Oliver. Her interests are competing in Canine Freestyle (dancing with your dog) and Agility. Diane loves tricks, games and relay races and brings them to all of her classes, especially Summer Games and Holiday Manners. Diane coordinates all performances of the Ruff Revue dance troupe. She and her dogs are certified for Pet Therapy as Delta Pet Partners.

  


Diane, Oliver & Roxy


Cathy & Lucas

 

Cathy Fox, CPDT-KA - Paw & Order Behavior Services
APDT member / Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed / IAABC member / AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator


Cathy is a talented photographer who has provided many of the wonderful photos on our website. She loves those fluffy curly-tailed northern types - Siberian Huskies and Samoyeds. but she also has a soft spot for black dogs who have a hard time getting adopted at shelters. Her primary focus is the family pet owner and first-time dog owner. An avid clicker trainer, she and Ed, her Siberian, have enjoyed volunteering at local schools and libraries providing presentations on pet care and responsibility. Cathy offers fun classes called Paw & Order, Take It On The Road, and Dastardly Distractions.

Cathy is available for in-home New Puppy and Behavior Consults through her business "Paw & Order Canine Behavior Services" - you can contact her at 993-3622 or email her at cathy@diamondsintheruff.com.

Cathy attended the week long "Advanced Instructor Training Course" in Long Beach, California with Pia Silvani and Donna Duford in January of 2003, and continues attending educational seminars regularily.

In November 2003 Cathy became the first instructor in eastern Washington to pass the 4-hour exam to become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer.

Teri Beeman
AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator


Teri and her Entlebuchers (no, I'm not making this up) have a lot of fun competing in agility, Canine Freestyle and Rally-O. Teri has been owned over the years by breeds from Maltese to Dobermans but her Entles are her passion and she is a member of the National Breed club. They are a unique breed! She also has a sweet rescue Rat Terrier named Lexie. Teri is also quite a horsewoman and brings her positive based training philosophy to her relationship with her horses as well. Teri's class offerings include Performing Arts and Canine Good Citizen as well as Headstart.

Teri and her daughter are star performers in the Ruff Revue dance troupe and she and Anna were members of Intermountain Search Dogs doing search and rescue!

Teri offers CGC testing and a class to help trainers prepare themselves and their dogs for the test. Contact Teri for more info.

 

Teri & Anna



Kim & MacKenzie

 

Kim Imel, LVT, CPDT-KA - Shaping Better Behavior
Licensed Veterinary Technician / Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed / SVBT Professional Member / APDT professional member #81535 / Member of the Association of Force-Free Pet Professionals Guild, AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator


 Kim's total focus is helping owners understand their dogs in order to have a close relationship with their pets and help them in their journey of Shaping Better Behavior.

Kim works part time at Prairie Dog Pet Mercantile and is the director of the Pawsitive Dog Prison Training Program at the Airway Heights Corrections Center. She also provides one-on-one lessons and in-home puppy consults through her business "Shaping Better Behavior" and is one of our Jumpstart Puppy Day Camp coaches. You can contact Kim for behavior consults by calling 263-4902 or emailing her at shapingbetterbehavior@gmail.com.

Kim's family includes 2 cats, Dawson and Ella, and a precocious little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Mackenzie. Her newest addition is a graduate of the prison training program, an incorrigible little French Bulldog/Beagle cross named Wrigley. Wrigley is the official spokesdog for the prison program.

Kim completed the requirements and passed her certification exam to become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer in 2012.

Amy Barker, CPDT-KA
Certfied Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed

Amy's introduction to Diamonds in the Ruff was attending a Headstart class with an adorable 5 month old Husky/Malamute cross she had just adopted from an animal shelter. In the process, she "got hooked" on dog training and behavior, but never dreamed that this particular dog would be one of her most challenging teachers in the endeavor.

Loki helped Amy to become an exceptional trainer and handler. Obviously there wasn't enough shedding fur in her house - in 2006 she added Piper, a lovely purebred Samoyed to her family. Amy is a talented artist and loves to work in her garden.

Amy assisted Carol, Dana and Cathy Fox for several years and in 2010 moved into the role of full charge instructor. She is an avid clicker trainer and teaches Headstart, Prep, Finishing School and Social Puppy Sessions. Amy studied hard and passed her exam to become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer in 2012.

Amy loves her day job at Prairie Dog Pet Mercantile on Regal/Palouse Highway. Stop in and say hi!

  


Amy & Piper

Vicki Barker & Sally

 

Vicki Barker



After 35 years of customer service, Vicki recently retired. Now she can concentrate on more fun stuff--like dog training and dog sports. She has her husband Bill, daughters Amy and Emily, 4 grand-kitties, Piper her grand-puppy, and 3 rescue cats to add to her fun. She adopted "Silly Sally" from Othello Rescue in 2010. "She has been the dog challenge of my life. I believe dogs teach us as much as we teach them. She loves going to dog classes. Sally loves freestyle, agility and is the avid swimmer at the lake. People ask me why I love Border Collies so much. They make me smile and I love to make them smile too!! "

Vicki created and co-instructs a fun class called "Me & My Dog" with Amy Barker.



Charlie Bales
Assistance Dog Support & Training


Charlie joins us as a resource for those needing more information on what it takes to train an assistance/service dog to aid a disabled handler. If you have questions regarding public access issues and training of service dogs or would like help selecting and training your own service dog, contact Charlie at 443-4351 or email her for more information.

 


Charlie & Max


Stacy & Luca

  

Stacy Hebert

Stacy joined DITR as an assistant in 2012. Since childhood, Stacy has been dedicated and excited about everything dog. She and her Belgian Sheepdog Luca are in the foundation stages of agility training. She is an avid clicker trainer, totally excited that she has attended Clicker Expo's and can't wait to go again next year. She also loves her day job at Prairie Dog Pet Mercantile and she also volunteers her time at the Airway Heights Corrections Center assisting the Pawsitive Dog Prison Training Program.

Stacy assists Headstart and Prep with Kim Imel on Wednesdays and instructs the "Keep Calm & Carry On" class. She also provides day training and in-home puppy consults and Jumpstart Puppy Day Camp. You can contact Stacy for puppy help at stacy@diamondsintheruff.com.

Special offerings

Dr. Sonni Gilbert, DVM

 

Sonni Gilbert, DVM
Animal Pain Management


Sonni Gilbert, DVM is a Washington State College of Veterinary Medicine graduate with a special interest in complementary veterinary medicine. She is a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist and provides rehabilitation care for pets through her business, The Animal Pain Management Center in North Spokane. Dr. Gilbert enjoys providing people and pets with treatment options and answering the question: "What else can be done?"

Sonni joined us in Spring of 2009 with a new offering at Diamonds in the Ruff - the "Core Exercise" class which is offered in the spring and fall.


 

Sandy Philbin, MA, HLC1, CPT
Wellness Strategist and Coach - Designer Fitness LLC


Sandy brings a fun Pilates class for people that involves your dog, too! "Pilates Plus 4 Pooch and U" Energize, Restore, and Relax with your Best Friend...Your Dog!

Sandra established Designer Fitness™ LLC in 1988 as a leader in introducing Personalized Fitness Programs to Spokane, WA and has over 30 years of experience as a Fitness Professional. She utilizes her vast knowledge in Health and Fitness to develop and implement innovative fitness programs to promote active and healthy lifestyles. “I have united my passion for fitness and dogs with a combination of movements, stretches and basic Mat Pilates exercises that participants can do to “Energize, Relax and Restore with their best friend….their dogs” says Philbin.

 

  


Sandy Philbin & Shayla-Belle

Meet our Assistants:
Every class has an instructor and an assistant to help make your experience positive and successful.

Nancy Zietlow

Nancy is always fun and positive and sets our students at ease. Her assistant duties include Saturday morning Paw & Order, Pup Culture and Headstart with Cathy Fox, and filling in wherever needed. Nancy and her Aussies Dewey and Schuyler enjoy dancing with the Ruff Revue and also enjoy their activities with Intermountain Search Dogs. Nancy is also a member of HEART - Humane Evacuation Animal Rescue Team. 		 


Nancy, Dewey & Schuyler


Judy & Chloe

 

  

Judy Campbell

Judy is possibly the most positive human being you will ever meet. She has a passion and love for all dogs, but especially black dogs! Judy is committed to rescuing homeless dogs and finding them forever homes. She regularly volunteers at all three local shelters where she does behavioral assessments and foster care. Judy is a retired teacher - she's as great with humans as she is dogs.

Judy is an active member of the Ruff Revue, where she and "Chloe" have a great time entertaining for audiences of all ages. Judy joins us as an intern assistant in the fall of 2008.

Travis Byrnes

Travis assisted classes at DITR with his parents, Carol & Dana, way back in 1996-97 when Diamonds in the Ruff first opened. After a break to start a family, he is back assisting again as of 2011. Travis shares his home with three kids, an Italian Greyhound named Dorian Grey and three cats.


 

  


Travis & Zen


Laura & Lily

  

Laura Felgenhauer - Pet Trek

Laura has always had a passion and love for every kind of animal. Her dream was, and still is, to work as a dolphin trainer. This led her to pursue a career in the zoological field. She was most recently a keeper and trainer in Tacoma at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, working with a large variety of animals from aardvarks to owls to porcupines. She had the opportunity to work with marine mammals in 2003 and learned from some of the top trainers in the field at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Now a recent resident of Spokane, Laura is focusing on pet dog training as an alternative to her previous work. She has also started Pet Trek, her own dog walking business in the area and is excited to share her knowledge of training with new clients and DITR students.

Laura conducted SAFER assessments on the dogs coming into the shelter at SpokAnimal for 4 years. She hopes this work helped facilitate lasting relationships between adoptable dogs and potential adopters. She also helps with the selection process for the Prison Dogs

Laura is currently the owner of one dog and a few less-furry friends, a Ball Python, two Leopard Geckoes, and a box turtle. She and her husband adopted Lily from SpokAnimal in October 2007..

 

Our instructors are accompanied by their own dogs who serve as good examples for the other students in class. Owner/instructor Dana is pictured at right with "Eddie" - who is also featured on our logo.

 

 

click here to find out more about the owners of Diamonds in the Ruff
Dana & Eddie
The best little dog ever.
1992 - 2003

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS



"We are building a community of “like minded souls” who believe
in scientific force-free dog training and pet care philosophies and methodologies."

The Pet Professional Guild, the only pet industry member association that not only advocates for force-free dog training and pet care professionals but also publicly states its “Guiding Principles” and holds strong to those principles to protect our integrity. "To be in anyway affiliated with the Pet Professional Guild all members must adhere to a strict code of conduct. Pet Guild members, affiliates & sponsors understand Force-Free to mean, no shock, no pain, no fear, no physical force, no physical molding, no compulsion based methods are employed to train or care for a pet."


Our instructors conform to the standards of
the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors.
Click here to find out more about NADOI
  
NADOI (pronounced "nay-doy") was founded in 1965 to elevate the standards of the dog instructing profession, to aid both dog and human in the solution of the many problems associated with dog ownership, and to endorse its members as having attained the skills and knowledge necessary to serve those ends.


In addition to serving as a means for endorsing qualified obedience instructors, NADOI's broader goal is the continued improvement of obedience training in general and obedience instructing in particular. We are both an endorsing body and an educational resource. NADOI members are committed to helping train others in becoming competent instructors, working toward improved methods of instruction, and to continuing their own education.

NADOI is strongly opposed to cruel or unnecessarily harsh training methods. NADOI is a strong supporter of the concept of early puppy training in order to take advantage of the dog's most formative periods of development. Our purpose is not to establish a single training method but to create a set of standards by which we, as instructors, can most effectively practice our profession.

As dog ownership becomes more and more controversial and communities begin to demand a higher level of owner responsibility, the need for qualified, accessible obedience instruction increases annually. A NADOI endorsement assures the dog owner of humane, competent, behaviorally sound instruction.

..

Diamonds in the Ruff is proud to be a member of
the Association of Pet Dog Trainers


The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) is a professional organization of individual trainers who are committed to becoming better trainers through education. The APDT offers individual pet dog trainers a respected and concerted voice in the dog world. We continue to promote professional trainers to the veterinary profession and to increase public awareness of dog friendly training techniques.

The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) is an international testing and certification program for professional pet dog trainers. The CCPDT's certification program is based on humane training practices and the latest scientific knowledge related to dog training. Competence and continued growth in training practices is promoted through the recertification of qualified professionals. Four of our instructors have taken and passed the 4-hour exam which tests Instruction Skills, Animal Husbandry, Learning Theory and knowledge of Equipment to become Certified Pet Dog Trainers.

The Mission Statement of the CCPDT:
The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers serves to establish and maintain a recognized level of competence in dog training by certifying professional trainers through criteria based on continuing education, experience, and standardized testing. Through this standardized certification process, the vocation of pet dog training will attain a recognized level of professional excellence worldwide.

The Guiding Principles of the CCPDT:

•To develop a recognized standard of proficiency and scientific exactitude in the profession of pet dog trainers through an independent, not for profit certification process of standardized testing.
•To maintain a certification test that is independent of commercial influence, statistically validated, and updated annually based on current science as drawn from recognized academic and professional experts.
•To recognize training experience as valid, functional criteria relevant to the certification process.
•To encourage growth in and currency of knowledge in the field and thus foster a link in the community of trainers and academics.
•To benefit animal and human welfare by promoting training strategies methods supported by current scientific research.
•To protect and promote the CPDT designation as the publicly recognized credential of trainers committed to experience, education and professional excellence.


International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, Inc.

The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, Inc. is a professional association for the field of animal behavior consulting. The association represents the professional interests of behavior consultants throughout the world. It is involved with the problems, needs and changing patterns of animal-owner relationships, and helps to ensure that the public's needs are met by trained practitioners. The association provides the tools and resources animal behavior professionals need to succeed. It works tirelessly to nourish the animal-human bond.

The association's members meet rigorous standards for education and training and are held to the highest ethical standards of the profession. Clinical members qualify as Certified Animal Behavior Consultants (CABC). They work with multiple species, including dogs, cats, horses, birds and other animals. Associate members are consultants in clinical practice, on the path to Clinical membership.

The IAABC facilitates research, theory development and education. It develops standards for education and training, professional ethics, and the clinical practice of animal behavior consulting. The IAABC publishes a scholarly Journal and develops brochures that inform the public about the field of animal behavior consulting.

The International Association of Dog Behavior Consultants (IADBC) is a division of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). Other divisions of the IAABC center on behavior consulting for cats, parrots, horses, therapy animals, and service animals.