Originally born in New York City and raised in Palm Bay, Florida, JR has a long history of working with many types of dog breeds. He began working with dogs through fostering and shelter work, oftentimes working with dogs previously believed to be “unworkable.” While originally working as an aversion-style trainer, in 2007 a German shepherd named Renee would change the way JR looked at training forever.
Fear aggressive and people reactive, new foster dog, Renee, wouldn’t respond to “traditional” methods of training prompting JR to re-calibrate the way he looked at dog behavior. Upon further research, JR turned to positive reinforcement training and hasn’t looked back since. Renee became a permanent member of the household, and has learned to relax and enjoy the company of her human companions.
In 2009, JR decided to take this new found skill-set out into the professional arena, founding K9 Control, Inc. (later renamed Dig Deeper Dog Training) and graduating with honors from the Animal Behavior College in California. This led him to Royal Pets Market and Resort in Tampa, FL, where he worked as Director of Pet Training for two years before deciding to focus on working closer with dog owners and their troubled pets.
As JR's expertise and professional reputation grew he was awarded the DogSmith of Greater Tampa Bay. A DogSmith license recognizes JR's abilities and commitment to use training and care methods, techniques and equipment that are humane and meet explicit 'force-free' guidelines. As a DogSmith licensed professional JR has joined the upper echelon of highly qualified pet professionals.
Currently, JR operates as an in-home obedience and behavioral consultant in sunny Tampa, FL, with his wife of 7 years (bless her heart!), two “future” trainers (Isabella and Ayden), and Renee (who is currently helping integrate their newest addition, Digger, into the family). Your pets could not be in better hands.