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 |
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. |
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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.
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.
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![]() Dana with Howard & Benny |
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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.
In November 2003 Cathy became the first instructor in eastern Washington to pass the 4-hour exam to become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. |
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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 & Anna |
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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. |
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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! |
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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
Meet
our Assistants:
Every class has an instructor and an assistant to help make
your experience positive and successful.
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. |
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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. |
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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.
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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.. |
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
