Revised and Updated Version
Human-Canine Behavior Connection: Building Better Relationships Through Dog Training is a dog training and personal growth book designed to help you and your canine companion expand as individuals and grow together as a team.
During my career, I have been witness to many people learning about themselves and expanding as individuals through the behavior modification process and the relationship with their dog. It’s uncommon for people to think of dog training as an opportunity for personal development; however, the relationship with your dog is the perfect, safe space to start navigating who you are in all relationships.
The book introduces my training and behavior modification approach, Human-Canine Behavior Connection (HCBC).
The approach consists of 4 steps:
STEP 1: Training the Pet Parent
• Understanding your dog's behavior and their relationship to the world.
• Understanding what your dog is communicating.
STEP 2: Training the Dog
• Implementing management strategies to support your dog’s behavior.
• Introducing training & behavior modification techniques.
STEP 3: Enhancing the Relationship
• Understanding your response to your dog's behavior
• Introducing relationship-building principles to enhance your training and connection.
STEP 4: Enhancing Yourself
• Learning who you are in all relationships.
• Using the behavior modification process and relationship building principles to grow as a person.
Our relationship with our canine companions can be a window into how we relate to the world around us. I hope you gain this awareness through the pages of this book.
Marissa Martino, CTC, CPDT-KA began her career working with canine companions after attending the Academy for Dog Trainers in 2007. There she learned science based training techniques focused on positive reinforcement ultimately strengthening the relationship between the dog and his owner. Upon graduation from the Academy for Dog Trainers in 2007, Marissa began working at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley as their Training & Behavior Coordinator.
During her time at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, Marissa was given the responsibility of co-creating a behavior modification program for shelter dogs. She developed programs for dogs that exhibited fear, resource guarding, dog aggression, body handling sensitivities and separation anxiety. After several years working in Colorado, Marissa moved to California and landed the Director of Behavior and Training position at the East Bay SPCA. During her time there she implemented behavior modification programs for the shelter dogs and cats as well as nine successful volunteer programs.
The programs were recognized in Animal Sheltering magazine. In 2014, she presented at the Humane Society of United States annual conference on developing volunteer programs to enrich the lives of shelter dogs as well as establishing a positive culture for volunteers. Marissa is currently working for the Dumb Friends League as their Behavior Manager in Denver, Colorado managing eight staff members and many different behavior modification and enrichment programs for the shelter cats and dogs. In addition to all her work with shelter animals, Marissa has been working with private clients in the Boulder/Denver area as well as San Francisco, CA for many years.
She specializes in fear, fear aggression, reactivity and anxiety based behaviors. Marissa walks each client and their dog through a 10 step process in order to modify both parties’ behavior. She promises to deliver efficient training skills for the client and their dog while also providing the client with tools that can expand their personal potential. In order to enhance her existing communication gifts and support the human half of the leash, Marissa attended classes at the Coaching Training Institute where she learned many unique and compassionate coaching techniques that she utilizes in the work with her human clients. This is the approach that sets Marissa Martino apart from any other dog trainer.
