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Meet Sammye Dog's Team

A Reward-Based, Positive Training Philosophy

Sammye's Dogs' training employs humane, effective training founded on the latest scientific evidence. Our protocols are designs by Certified Professional Dog Trainers to set you and your dog up for success from the start.

We use reward-based methods and commonly utilize reinforcers such as treats and toys to teach concepts in game-style ways. We mark desirable behaviors using a "clicker" (sound maker) or our voice with a verbal marker word such as "YES!" 

In our training, we work together one-on-one tackling training goals through achievable increments. During our sessions, we explain, demonstrate, and coach you through training your dog. Even with Pro Day Training and Board & Train, YOU are included in training and are THE most important key to lifelong success with your dog. We create a training plan, and assign manageable homework in between sessions. We are there for you every step of the way!

 

How do we do it?

1) Teaching and reinforcing desirable behaviors so they will be more likely to occur in the future.

 

2) Preventing and interrupting undesirable behaviors WITHOUT the intentional use of physical or psychological intimidation.

 

3) Taking the dog's physical and emotional wellbeing into account.

 

4) Continuing to educate ourselves as Professional Trainers with the goal of employing humane, effective training based on the latest scientific evidence.

The way we train furthers progress through a more compassionate relationship between humans and animals and is void of fear, force, or intimidation. 

 

Progessive Reinforcement Trainer
Lazy Brown Dog

About The Owner
Sammye Darling, BS Hons., CPDT-KSA

Education

Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

Bachelors of Science in Psychology, Minor in Neuroscience, 2015

Distinction: Honors

GPA: 3.76

Major/Minor GPA: 4.00

Clear Creek High School, League City, Texas,  2011

Distinction: Honors
GPA: 3.98 

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Credentials

National Society of Collegiate Scholars
Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology
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Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge and Skills Assessed (CPDT-KSA) 

AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator

AKC Trick Dog Evaluator

AKC Golden Retriever Breeder Bred with HEART

Pet First Aid Certified

Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge and Skills Assessed Logo

Honors

Dean’s Honor List

National Society of Collegiate Scholars

President’s Scholar

Psi Chi- The International Honor Society in Psychology

Undergraduate Research Scholar

Completion of Graduate Courses at TAMU

Golden Retriever Club Of America Logo
AKC Evaluator Logos for Canine Good Citizen and Trick Dog Titles

Professional Memberships

The Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT)

The Association of Professional Dog Trainers (ADPT)

International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC)

American Psychological Association (APA)

Golden Retriever Club of America (GRCA)
Greater Houston Golden Retriever Club (GHGRC)

Continuing Education

Association of Professional Dog Trainers Logo APDT
IAABC International Association of Animal Behavior Consulatants Logo

Teaching Experience

Recertified with the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers

 

Playgroup Workshop - (23894)

Correcting K9 Misbehavior & Aggression Part 3 with Pat Miller - (24219)

Correcting K9 Misbehavior & Aggression Part 4 with Pat Miller - (24220)

Ian Dunbar: Barking Up The Wrong Tree - (15108)

Taking Your Training Online - (17642)

Impulse Control Part 1 - (18198)

Impulse Control Part 2 - (18310)

The Overly Aroused Dog - (18959)

Resource Guarding: Part 3-Management - (18952)

Resource Guarding: Part 2 - (18951)

Resource Guarding: Part 1. - (18950)

Excitability - (19544)

SEPARATION ANXIETY (Mission Impossible) - (19545)

Reactivity - (19546)

PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION for Canine Non-Aggression Problems - (19547)

RECALLS: Why Dog Aren’t Coming When Called and What We Can Do About It. - (19548)

The Power of Choice And How It Can Decrease Stress in Dogs With Irith Bloom and Kristina Spaulding - (19658)

Your PORTL to Shaping - (21401)

Knock-Knock: From Chaos to Calm - (20907)

Interactive Intro to the Tellington TTouch® for Dogs - (20467)

Your Virtual "Learn How to Train Dogs to Detect Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Nightmares" - Workin - (20496)

Girl Scouts Project Supervisor, Silver Award, 2023

Wag! Dog Walking App Walker and Training Developer, December 2017 - October 2018 

Academic Tutor, TAMU Psychology & Research Department, August 2012- May 2015

Girl Scouts Animal Helper Badge Seminar, May 2015

Clinical Experience

Veterinary Assistant, Bee Creek Veterinary Hospital in College Station, Texas, May 2013- August 2014, 15 hours/week

Externship

Criminal Intelligence Analyst, City of College Station Police Department, September 2014- December 2014, 15 hours/week

Research

Honors Thesis Independent Researcher, September 2014 – May 2015

Dr. Darrell Worthy, Motivation and Cognition Interface Lab

Psychology Department, TAMU

Topic: Reward-Based Decision-Making

 

Student Researcher, June 2014 - August 2014

Dr. Joseph Ferrari, Community Psychology Lab

Psychology Department, DePaul University

Topic: Procrastination and Recollection of Positive Memories

 

Student Researcher, January 2014 – January 2015

Dr. John Edens, Clinical Psychology Department, TAMU

Topic: Antisocial Personality Disorder and Texas Death Penalty Cases (1976-2014)

 

Research Assistant, January 2014 - June 2014, 9 hours/week

Dr. Darrell Worthy, Motivation and Cognition Interface Lab

Psychology Department, TAMU

Psychology Research Position, May 2013- September 2013

Dr. Michael Chaddock, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences One Health Initiative at TAMU and The American Humane Association

Topic: Patterns of Household Pets

Academic Presentations

Darling, S.N., Tibbett, T. P., & Ferrari J.R. (May 2015). Procrastination and Zen: Recalling life's 33 happy moments by indecisive. Poster to be presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.

 

Darling, S.N., Byrne, K.A., & Worthy, D.A. (March 2015). Striatal Dopamine Moderates Effects of Psychopathy on Decision-Making Task Performance. Paper presentation for the annual Texas A&M University Student Research Week, College Station, TX.

 

Tibbett, T. P., Darling, S.N., & Ferrari J.R. (February 2015). Zen and the indecisive: Role of affect in the recall of happy moments by decisional procrastinators. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Long Beach, CA.

 

Kelley, S.E., Anderson, H., Glass, C., Darling, S.N., Walker, A., Cudmore, C., & Edens, J.F. (November 2014). The role of antisocial personality disorder in Texas death penalty cases (1976-2014). Poster presentation at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, California.

 

Brown, D., Agudelo, S., Darling, S.N., Janning, K., Pluhar, L., Romeo, A., Shaffel, S., 

Chaddock, M., Holub, M. K. (March 2013). Texas A&M University and One Health Alliance Program in Conjunction with the American Humane Association: Addressing the Cat Issue. Poster presentation at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, Washington, D. C. 

Publications

Darling, S.N., Byrne, K.A., Worthy, D.A. Effect of successful psychopathy on reward-based decision-making. Texas A&M University.

 

Employment Background

Business Owner, Sammye’s Dogs LLC, December 2021 - Current

“Company’s Top Ten” Lead Dog Trainer, Karma Dog Training, October 2020 - Current

 

Executive Director, National Assistance Dogs (NADI), Non-Profit Corporation, October 2018 - October 2020

Director of Operations, National Assistance Dogs (NADI), Non-Profit Corporation, December 2017 - October 2018 

Founder and Executive Director, Texas Service Dogs (merged with NADI), Non-Profit Corporation, May 2015- December 2017 

Texas Regional Hiring Manager and Instructor, Wag! Dog Walking App, June 2016 – April 2017

Professional Service Dog Trainer, Making Assistance Dogs Easy (MADE) in Texas Assistance Dogs (merged with Scout's Legacy), Non-Profit Corporation, March 2014- October 2014 

Psychology Expert, American Humane Association "One Health" & TAMU College of Veterinary Medicine, Paid Researcher, 2013

Puppy Raiser, Power Paws Assistance Dogs Puppy Raiser (PPAD), Non-Profit Corporation, 

 

Director of Publicity, Aggie Guide Dogs and Service Dogs (AGS), TAMU Organization, 2012

Vice President, Psi Chi Honor Society, TAMU Organization

We value transparency - No gimmicks 

In the often challenging search for the right dog trainer, we are proud to be transparent about our philosophy, training methods, process, pricing, and our expertise and background. Much like other service-based professions, not all dog trainers are equal. Dog training is an unregulated field, meaning anybody could call themselves a "dog trainer." "behaviorist," or "behavioral trainer." However, we hold ourselves to the highest degree of ethics and commitment to voluntary certification and adherence to kind and science-based practices. Dog trainers can differ significantly in terms of their methods, philosophies, experience, and overall approach to training, so we understand you must be careful with who you select. We appreciate your seeking of professional help, research and trust in us. 

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