Christine Seibert

Christine’s love of animals and fascination with animal behavior began in childhood, having grown up with Boston Terriers, Siamese cats, and horses. She earned her pet grooming certificate from Artistic Dog Grooming, Cranston, RI and opened a grooming shop in 1980. In just a few short months, her career and love of animals converged to become a life style. Working hands-on with all types of dogs, she developed a ‘knack’ for dealing with behavioral issues using patience and a positive approach. She was especially adept at handling dogs turned away by most groomers, and became known for her ability to work with dogs of varying temperaments.

In the early ‘80s, Chris worked with several well-known obedience trainers, including Patty Ruzzo and Janis DiMello, and attended numerous seminars. She started out teaching classes on week nights and weekends, then sold her grooming business to become a full-time obedience/agility instructor and canine behaviorist in 1994. She obtained instructor certifications from Sue Sternberg’s Dogs of Course training camp in upper state New York (1999 and 2001), and Julie Daniels’s White Mountain Agility school in New Hampshire (2000). She is also certified by AKC as a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator (2006).

She has owned and trained many breeds, including shih-tsu, toy poodle, Pembroke Welsh Corgi, afghan hound, German Shepherd, Belgian Tervuren, and border collie. Chris’s versatility and competition experience make her an exceptionally well-rounded instructor. She has competed in many different venues, including AKC, CKC, APDT, ASCA, CPE, and NADAC, and has earned breed championship and obedience CD, and CDX titles on several dogs. She has also earned titles in Rally, agility, and herding, and has dabbled a bit in tracking.

Since 2002, Chris has volunteered with the Charlestown Animal Shelter evaluating shelter dog temperaments and providing weekly clicker training classes to assist their adoption program. She also conducts therapy dog evaluations and certification classes for the Community College of Rhode Island. Chris has been a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers since 1998.

Christine currently lives with her four tervs, 2 border collies, 3 cats, and 4 pygmy goats in Hope Valley, RI. She can be reached at 401-932-5918 or starreba@cox.net to schedule a private lesson or evaluation.