Meet Dana Moon | Professional Dog Trainer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dana Moon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dana, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
Dog training is an unregulated industry—meaning anyone can become a dog trainer, regardless of experience or education. Many well known training techniques are outdated, inaccurate or just down right inhumane. I am beginning to see a shift in public knowledge as more and more dog guardians are becoming aware of modern techniques that are just as effective, safe and do not come with potential unwanted side effects. Each year, I devote a great amount of my time and money on continued education. Although this is not a requirement, I gladly engage in this practice because new information about canine behavior is coming out all the time. I want to be on the cutting edge of the latest information because the dogs and humans I work with deserve the best.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
House of Moon K9 LLC offers private dog training, boarded training and dog boarding. What makes my company unique is that boarded training and boarding are out of my home and on a very small scale. Some dogs do quite well at a “traditional” boarding facility; I wanted to offer safe, responsible, calm alternative out out of the comfort of a home environment. There are dog trainers all over the country who are currently and are starting to offer this type of care and training option for dogs; it is often referred to as an “enriched boarding experience”. I am excited to see more folks start to offer this type of service. There will always be a need for larger boarding facilities, but I am looking forward to dog guardians having more options for their canine companions.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The Roaring Fork Valley is brimming with outdoor activities that could accommodate novice adventurers all the way to advanced outdoors folks. If I had my best friend visiting (and I had coverage for the pups all day), we would start bright and early at the Snowmass Downhill Bike Park. When the temps cooled down we would ride up Red Hill to get our XC fix, then head to Phat Thai for dinner, followed by a trip to the local hot springs.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
If it were not for my personal dogs, I would not be a dog trainer, nor the trainer I am today. To date, I have four wonderful dogs that are part of my family. I have learned a tremendous amount from being their guardian. My dogs are all rescues; most of them were not “easy” dogs to live with when they came into my life—most had serious behavioral issues that required hundreds of hours of training time and consistency to help them evolve into the confident and happy dogs they are today. My dogs gave me more empathy for my own clients–as I know what a lot of them are going through. Seeing my dogs flourish also gave me more confidence and hope when working with my clients dogs–especially the more serious cases. So, for that reason, a huge shoutout to Abby, Woody, Forrest and Xander!

Website: www.houseofmoonk9academy.com

Instagram: house_of_moon_k9

Image Credits
Mallory Williams