Jaimee Wenzel

Co-Founder, Lead Trainer & Behavior Consultant

Hi! I’m Jaimee Wenzel and I’ve been training dogs for about 13 years now. While my love for animals and developing a relationship with them probably started at birth, It wasn’t my goal in life to be a dog trainer. I became a dog trainer because as a young adult I adopted a dog from a local animal shelter who had some behavior issues. So, like most people do when they don’t understand why their dog is behaving a certain way, I signed up for dog training classes. While I knew my dog was smart, something just never clicked for us. He was great and well mannered in the fire house hall where we did the training if i had a bag of cut up hot dogs on me all the time, but put us in the real world and it all seemed to go out the window. 

One day he and I had gotten back from a hike together and I opened the car door to get him out. He leapt out of my car and because I didn’t have anymore hot dogs on me, he wouldn’t come when I called him. As I was attempting to call him back to me, my neighbors across the street came out of their house and my dog saw them and ran to greet them. The word “come” barely left my mouth when he was struck by a car and killed right in front of me. That moment changed my life and my mission. I was angry. I was angry that I had done all the “right things” a dog owner should do- got training, practiced, read the books, walks, hikes, leashes, training tools, treats, paid professionals hundreds of dollars for their help- but none of it saved my dog when I needed it to. I swore that when I adopted my next dog I would find out why normal “training” failed me and I would work hard to make sure that my next dog would be able to live a full safe life. 

From there I have spent my life teaching humans all the things I’ve learned along my journey about dogs and how they think, feel, communicate, and learn. Basically teaching them all the things I wish I had known so I could have kept my boy safe when I needed to. Over the years I have worked with families, animal shelters, and rescue groups to help them have a better relationship with the dogs they love and have the life they always wanted to live together.

Vicki DeMarco

Dog Trainer

Hi! I’m Vicki and I am a dog trainer at the Canine Cooperative. I inherited my love for dogs from my Nana who had a Shih Tzu named Coco. I would push around in my doll’s stroller when I was a toddler. I loved being with her and her dogs. My Nana wasn’t just a dog lover, she was a therapy dog trainer. She would train her dogs and take them to visit people who were in the hospital. It was her passion and I was more than happy to assist her in any way I could. I always dreamed of working with dogs like my Nana and it finally became a reality for me 6 years ago. I saw this little cow looking puppy with a speckled nose at an adoption event. I named her Cleo and we instantly became best friends. I loved Cleo so much and wanted her to come everywhere with me. I knew that a well-trained dog didn’t just happen organically, so I signed us up for our very first training class.

As Cleo matured, she began to show some alarming behavior issues. She was extremely possessive of me and snap at people that would come close to us. Walking down the street was a terrible experience. If she was startled, Cleo would shut down refusing to budge. If another dog appeared, she would lung and bark aggressively until they were out of sight. All those tricks she learned during obedience class were cute in the beginning, but did nothing to help us get through our everyday life.

I was heartbroken. My dreams of being able to take Cleo everywhere were slipping away with every incident. I knew we needed more than just what treats could bribe. I had to try everything, so I reached out to a balanced trainer and the game changed. I saw hope for a better, less stressful life with my dog.  They showed me how to use tools and techniques to communicate better. I learned how to interact with my dog in ways to help us better navigate the world around us. This experience re-ignited the passion for training that I once had when I was a little girl at my Nana’s house. I needed to know and learn more.

I decided to become a certified dog trainer enrolling in Animal Behavior College. It was through this program that I was paired up with Mentor Trainer; Jaimee Wenzel of Applaws Dog Training. She taught me not just about training dogs, but how to teach other people how to train dogs. Since then, I began working at the municipal shelter where I adopted two of my dogs, Ringo & Trek. They have taught me so much about training different personalities of dogs. However, my third dog Dozer has taught me the most. I adopted Dozer from previous clients who were not able to keep him due to his behavioral needs. He is the dog that keeps me on my toes helping me to be able to relate to other owners who are struggling. 

Dog training has brought so much joy into my life. It started with a passion for knowing more about dogs, and has now grown into a passion for sharing what I know and have experienced with other owners who think all hope is lost for them and their dog. I love the life I live with my dogs and my goal is to help other owners reach a dream life of their own.