TAYLOR LIMA CPDT-KA

Taylor has been involved with animals in some capacity since she was 7 years old and joined the Merry Moo-ers 4-H club at Collins Creamery in Enfield, CT. Taylor was involved in helping raise and show dairy cattle in 4-H for 7 years. At 14, Taylor became highly involved in riding horses, competing in local showjumping events through college. Taylor studied Animal Sciences at UCONN, and during that time she got her first puppy, a German Shepherd named Samson. Taylor & Samson trained in Schutzhund (now called IPO) and AKC Obedience. On a whim, Taylor took Samson to an agility class and was quickly hooked.

After relocating to Vancouver, Canada at 22 years old, Taylor welcomed two more dogs into her life, two Chihuahua mixes named Finley and Scarlett. She took agility classes with Tara LaBelle in Pitt Meadows, a UKI agility judge and 5-time Canadian Agility World Team member. Taylor also joined up with Certified Dog Behavior Consultant Kris Crestejo, and started learning more about working through behavioral issues under her guidance. This prompted Taylor to start her own dog walking company for dogs with behavioral issues, called Woof Who’s Happy. The business quickly became successful, and Taylor learned so much about working with reactive dogs in big city environments. During this time Taylor also got involved in the sport of Scent Work with Scarlett, who eventually went on to earn titles in several different Scent Work organizations.

Upon moving back to her hometown of Enfield, CT, Taylor brought home her fourth puppy, a Golden Retriever named Chester. Chester was her first serious competition dog, and the pair have gone on to compete and/or title in various sports such as agility, barn hunt, scent work, rally, obedience, and dock diving. In 2021, Taylor welcomed home her fifth puppy, a Whippet named Melody.

Taylor has worked at renowned facility Tails U Win in Manchester, CT for five years, teaching group classes and helping to manage their successful Day Training programs.

Taylor is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers, a graduate of the Dog Training Foundations course through the Karen Pryor Academy, a Canine Good Citizen & Trick Dog Evaluator for the American Kennel Club, and has taken countless courses and seminars, webinars, conferences, and workshops with big names in dog training such as Sue Sternberg, Mike Shikashio, Nando Brown, Dr. Ken Martin, Shade Whitesel, Dr. Susan Friedman, Sarah Stremming, Susan Garrett, and more.

Taylor continues to also attend classes and private lessons with her own dogs, and is passionate about bettering herself as a trainer, always staying as up to date as possible on best practices in the dog training field.