About the Trainer

MEMBER OF:

Theresa Hampl, B.S., Certified Pet Dog Trainer

Theresa has been training and caring for dogs for over 20 years. She was lucky enough to grow up in a household full of dogs. She spent most of her childhood weekends at field and hunting trials or at dog shows. It was during these hours watching her parents train and run their dogs at competitions that she became interested in dog training.

Theresa first tried to train a dog when she was about 5 years old, and she hasn't stopped since. Her mother started teaching dog obedience classes at their Gig Harbor, WA home when Theresa was 10. It was then that Theresa first started working by helping to socialize the dogs. As she became older and more experienced, she began to assist and eventually started to teach classes herself.

Theresa also volunteered at the Oregon Humane Society in Portland. There she assisted with animal placement and care. She also volunteered for six years at the Prison Pet Partnership Program at the Washington Correction Center for Women in Gig Harbor, Washington, as a public access and community outreach trainer for the assistance dog training program.

After earning her Bachelor's of Science degree in psychology from Seattle University, Theresa obtained a job working for Paws with a Cause in Grand Rapids, Michigan, one of the largest assistance dog training companies in the United States. While a staff trainer at Paws with a Cause, Theresa handled over 100 dogs in one year. It was an amazing experience, and she learned a great deal while she was there. However, she missed the Pacific Northwest and returned home to Washington state in 1999.

From those early days of observing how dogs were trained, Theresa knew there had to be a better way than what she had seen and learned. She couldn't understand why the trainers she had watched felt they had to use force and punishment to make dogs respond. Choke chains, prong collars and electric shock collars seemed cruel. She loved training dogs, but wanted to find that better way.

Theresa attended her first Positive Reinforcement seminar in 1996, and she was finally shown that dogs could be trained without force or punishment. She has since continued her education by attending many seminars and conferences, learning all she can to help your dog be a Dynamite Dog without cruelty or physical punishment.

In 2005 Theresa became a Certified Pet Dog Trainer through the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers. This process requires recommendations from other trainers, veterinarians, and extensive and grueling examination. She is now one of only 43 Certified Pet Dog Trainers in the state of Washington. She has also been a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers since 1996.

Theresa opened Dynamite Dog on Vashon Island, Washington in January 2001, offering a variety of services for you and your dog throughout the greater Puget Sound area.