About
Dani, owner and sole trainer.
Steady Steps is a solo, mobile training practice based in South Snohomish. I work with puppies, family dogs, and adolescents. Sessions happen at your home and out in the places where life with your dog actually happens.
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, showing dogs through 4H and horses. Dogs have been part of my life ever since. With my own dog I train scent work and agility, and we spend most weekends on a trail or at a campsite.
Most of my work runs on rewards and steady practice. The full reasoning is in the next section. I’m working toward my ATM4K9 and IACP-CDT certifications, and meet regularly with two practicing mentors: one has 30 years in SAR and service-dog work, the other specializes in reactive dogs. Continuing education and keeping up with modern dog training is core to how I work.
I love working with high-energy breeds. Dogs that need a job to feel right in their skin, and the first-time owners who are learning to give them one. Those are the cases that come most alive to me.
I won’t promise a behavior will change by a specific date. Training takes the time it takes. Anyone telling you otherwise is guessing.
The name Steady Steps comes from how dogs actually learn: through repetition, in the places they need to behave. My job is to make those steps clear and work through them with you.
On the methodology
How I actually approach training.
How I work
I start by watching your dog and asking questions, not by picking a method. Once I have a real read on what’s going on, I build a plan. Then we practice it in the places where the behavior actually needs to hold up. The plan changes as the dog changes.
Where positive reinforcement fits
Most of the work runs on rewards. Food, play, the relationship between you and your dog, and good timing. It’s the right starting point for most dogs and most goals, and a lot of dogs never need anything else.
When a case calls for more
Some dogs need more than rewards to make a plan stick. When that’s where we are, I’ll tell you, explain what I want to try, and walk through it with you. You won’t be guessing what I’m doing or why.
My dog Laszlo
Laszlo, my training partner.
Laszlo is a German Shepherd. He’s the dog I work with daily — foundation skills, scent work, hiking, and being calm in busy places.
Living with him reminds me that training mostly happens between sessions. What you do across a regular week matters more than any single hour with a trainer.
Methodology
Dog-led. The plan starts with the dog in front of me, not with a method I picked in advance.
Mentorship
Two practicing local mentors. Regular case supervision and ongoing continuing education.
Focus
Family-dog foundation work. Puppy training. Reactivity. Real-world manners and generalization.
Affiliations
Professional memberships.
I’m a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP), a global community of trainers and behavior professionals committed to ongoing education and standards of practice. The membership gives me access to continuing education, peer review, and a network of trainers I can collaborate with or refer to when a case needs a different specialty than mine.
Start here
Want to meet?
Send me a short message about your dog. I'll respond within one business day. From there we'll set up a 15-minute call.