About Me

Denise McCurdy - Trainer/Owner

Hi! I'm Denise! During my nearly 25 year career in the military (Army then Air Force) I kept saying that I'm going to have to figure out what I want to do when I grow up (meaning, when I left the military). Seven years after retiring from the military, a couple of jobs, and many college classes later, I finally found my passion--dog training!

As of September 2023, I have 2 years, 5 months of experience, during which I have trained nearly 300 dogs: big, small, and in-between. The majority of this training was under the wing of Tom Moore (Training Tails Owner/Trainer), a knowledgeable, skilled, and respected dog trainer in Smryna, DE. In addition to his insightful and valuable instruction and guidance, I have, and continue to, put in the work required to increase my knowledge and to further develop my techniques and skillset. I do this because I love training dogs, but primarily because I want to offer YOU and YOUR dog my very best as your trainer.

I can't wait to get to know you and your dog!

My pups: Lucille and Blue.

Formal training I have completed includes:

7-Day Shadow Program with The Good Dog Training and Rehabilitation, New Orleans, LA
Full Service Trainer Course at Custom Canine Unlimited, Gainesville, GA
3-Day Sean O'Shea Seminar (The Good Dog Training and Rehabilitation),

Below you will find more information about them and what I learned.

In November 2022, I spent 7 days at The Good Dog Training and Rehabilitation in New Orleans shadowing Sean O'Shea and his team. Sean is an internationally-recognized dog behavior expert who specializes in dog aggression and is an author who had studied with and was hired by Cesar Millan (The "Dog Whisperer") to assist with teaching and training students.

During my training experience with Sean, my understanding of effective and balanced training methods, approaches, techniques, & philosophies was deepened. Additionally, I learned many safety measures and best practices.

In February and March 2023, I successfully completed the Full Service Trainer Course with Custom Canine Unlimited in Gainesville, GA. The course was 8 weeks (320 hours) of mentally challenging and physically demanding training where I learned how to train police and military working K9s. Yes, I even got to wear the bite suit and get bit! I loved almost every minute of it. ;)

Although training working dogs is vastly different than training your pet dog, the knowledge I gained broadened my skillset and has developed me as a trainer. During the course I learned to train K9s for detection, tracking, & patrol/aggression. I also gained in-depth understanding about:

K9 traits, behavior patterns, & drives
Principles, techniques, and categories of K9 training
Kennel maintenance

All of which are directly applicable to any K9.

In September 2024, I attended a 3 day Sean O'Shea seminar in North Carolina to further enhance my knowledge and skill set. At the seminar I was not only fortunate enough to learn from Sean and his wife, Marta, but to network and learn from other professional dog trainers in attendance. The seminar focused on: setting the tone & creating appropriate/healthy social dynamics, nuances in the utilization of a variety of tools, nuisance behaviors (barking, whining, jumping, counter surfing etc.), resource guarding, pulling on leash, reactivity, fear issues, anxiety issues, human aggression, dog aggression, and I feel like so much more... ;)

PHONE: 302-222-3374

EMAIL: training@k9compass.de

CAMPUS ADDRESS:

5312 Hay Point Landing Road, SMYRNA, DE 19977