About Our Behavior & Training Programs:

At the ARLGP, we know that healthy pets in our community are happy pets in our community. Like humans, animal health encompasses both physical and mental wellness. Through our training and behavior department, we offer a variety of programs, guidance, and support to community members (both two and four-legged). We recognize the growing need in our community and are doing our part in helping make behavior and training services accessible to all.

BEFORE YOU SIGN UP

Be sure to visit our Before You Sign Up page to learn everything you need to know to participate in our Behavior & Training classes! If you have questions about what type of program is best for your pet, please email us at training@arlgp.org.

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PUPPY GROUP CLASSES (2-9 MONTHS)

Bringing home a puppy can be an exciting but exhausting adventure. Let us help you by establishing the basics with your puppy, working on fundamental behaviors and commands, and building a life-long bond!

Click here to view our current puppy group classes.

ADULT GROUP & DROP IN CLASSES (9 MONTHS AND UP)

Old dogs can always learn new tricks! Whether you’re working on the basics of leash walking, mastering recall or challenging your pup with a host of new tricks, we have classes for all abilities and behavioral needs.

Click here to view our current adult group classes.

ONE-ON-ONE TRAINING

Our one-on-one training program is designed to help families with behavior concerns. We offer onsite sessions, zoom, or in your home if you live within 40 minutes of the ARLGP.

Fee structure:

• Initial 60-minute onsite lesson: $95 for non-alumni, $76 for alumni
• Follow-up 60-minute onsite lesson: $95 for non-alumni, $76 for alumni
• Follow-up 30-minute onsite lesson: $50 for non-alumni, $40 for alumni
• Initial 60-minute in-home lesson: $120 for non-alumni, $96 for alumni
• Follow-up 60-minute in-home lesson: $120 for non-alumni, $96 for alumni
• Follow-up 30-minute in-home lesson: $60 for non-alumni, $48 for alumni

To schedule: Please complete our Behavior Hotline form to begin the process. Some cases may require an Urgent Care Behavior Consultation prior to one-on-one training.

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BEHAVIOR HELPLINE FORM

Do you have a specific concern you would like advice and support on? Please complete our Behavior Helpline Form and a member of our team will set-up a 30-minute phone consultation with you within 24-48 hours.

Our Behavior Helpline is currently offered free of charge. We encourage helpline users to make a donation at the conclusion of their phone consultation to help support our training services.

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Meet Our Trainers

Amber Zawrotny (CPDT-KA & CGC Evaluator), Behavior & Training Manager

Amber has a decade of animal welfare experience ranging from bottle-feeding kittens to behavior modification across species as small as rats and as large as horses, and decided to specialize in educating pet owners on how to form the best possible relationship with their animal family.

Amber has been at ARLGP since January 2023, and animal welfare since 2013. Prior to her time here she contributed to animal shelters in New Hampshire, Washington State, and Connecticut. Her experience across the country has given her ample perspective on the human-animal bond and specifically in shelter dogs’ needs.

Amber also handles the majority of our cat behavior inquiries, and is actively working on becoming a certified cat behavior consultant.

 

 

Kim Tran (CPDT-KA)

Kim attended college in Western Mass and graduated in 2010 with a BA in Business Administration, but then soon realized her calling was instead working with dogs.

After entering the canine world in 2012 and later bringing home her first dog, she realized how much fun it was to take training classes with her dog, Moose Pug, teaching him basic obedience, tricks, as well as passing his CGC test. Kim became interested in dog training both as a career, and to better understand dog behavior and how it could help her in her day-to-day job. Kim started her dog training journey in Boston where she was able to become a training assistant, and then to eventually became a professional dog trainer.

For a brief time before the pandemic, Kim and Moose became a certified therapy dog team until his passing, an achievement she looks back on fondly.  Often reflecting on her time training Moose, she enjoys helping people understand how to better communicate with their dogs, helping to form bonds and lasting relationships, and most importantly showing them how to have fun!!

 

Faith Paglierani (BS Animal Behavior)

Faith is a native Mainer who got her bachelor’s degree in animal behavior from UNE in 2017. She then spent a few years working on a farm animal sanctuary in New Jersey that introduced her to the world of non-profit work. After moving back to her home state, because let’s face it, New Jersey has nothing on the natural beauty of Maine, she joined the canine staff here at the ARLGP in the fall of 2020.

There are many aspects of animal care that occur at a shelter and she was already fascinated by animal behavior, so moving towards the behavior team was always a goal. She has transitioned to the team in December of 2023 and is excited to start interacting with the community and learning how she can better assist people in building and maintaining strong bonds with their animals. Faith specializes in enrichment and meeting underlying needs of our canine companions, in order for training to be effective.

Faith is currently working on her CPDT-KA and shares her home with her beloved Pyrenees Shepherd mix, Winston, and her cat, Simon. She often takes shelter dogs on field trips with her crew and can be found adventuring in the woods!