Guest Instructor for ITC: Teaching and Training
Denise Mazzola is the owner of Denise Mazzola’s Everything Dog. She has been working with people and training dogs for over 25 years. For ten years she was the Head Trainer and Director of Business Operations at the Monadnock Humane Society. She designed and developed an intensive six-day course called the Canine Behavior & Training Academy. Each student was assigned a shelter dog for the class. Through lecture, discussion and lots of hands on work the students learned dog body language, learning theory, motivation, teaching and modeling positive reinforcement, how to introduce dogs, developing small appropriate play groups, lure reward training and shaping. Everything they learned during the lecture was put to use during hands on training sessions with their shelter dogs.
Denise trained and mentored dog trainers on a regular basis, trained and evaluated shelter dogs, conducted private behavioral consultations as well as taught numerous group classes in everything from Puppy Kindergarten to Feisty Fido.
Since 2010, she has been teaching dog*tec’s professional Dog Walking Academy in New York City and in Boston, Mass. The Dog Walking Academy is designed for people who are already walking dogs as well as for career changers. It’s a comprehensive course where students are taught dog body language, learning theory, aggression, basic training, marketing as well as a complete business section. The class ends with each student learning how to safely walk and handle a group of four to seven dogs.
Denise started Everything Dog in 2010 and provides services to clients throughout the Monadnock Region of NH by offering private lessons, group classes, board and train, as well as day training services. Denise specializes in working with families dealing with aggressive dogs.
Denise has been published in the trade journal, Chronicle of the Dog, and writes a monthly column for the Monadnock Ledger Transcript. She also hosts a monthly “Ask the Trainer” radio show on WKBK. She writes a monthly column in Everything Dog’s monthly newsletter and she produced and hosted Doggie Dilemma’s a cable access Television show for four years.
Denise lives in Keene with her life and business partner, Amy Willey CPDT-KA, and they share their home with three dogs and three grown daughters.