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I’ve been working with dogs as a hobby for over 20 years. I grew up training my first dog in both obedience and agility, and I currently have three rescue dogs of my own. I love dogs, cats, and critters of all kinds! Wondering about the name? Gambit was one of my former dogs who has since crossed the rainbow bridge. Whenever she was being naughty, I would jokingly say “dog Gambit!” to her.

We are a dog centered training facility. We teach basic life skills to dogs to help create happy families..

Bernal Beast has been a mainstay in Bernal Heights for over 30 years, offering natural, organic, raw pet foods to the neighborhood and beyond. Since 2020, we’ve run positive reinforcement training classes for your newly-adopted puppies and dogs. All of our trainers are graduates of the acclaimed Academy for Dog Trainers, a rigorous academic program that educates trainers in evidence-based dog behavior, training, and private behavior counseling. We offer a variety of options for your puppy or dog including puppy socials overseen by certified trainers, puppy kindergarten, basic & intermediate manners classes, workshops, and private one-on-one training sessions in and outside the shop.

I was certified as a CPDT-KA and taught basic and intermediate skills in group classes for 17 years. Since the pandemic, I work with dog owners privately. I am a strong believer in the efficacy of positive reinforcement and continuously educate myself to strengthen my understanding of dog behavior. Teaching practicable solutions for impulse control related issues like jumping, excessive barking, leash pulling, etc are just the beginning of helping to create good communication and a strong bond between the dog and their families. Let the fun begin! Connect with me also at www.birgithafermanndogtraining.com

As a force free professional, I apply the same level of gentle, effective care to educating humans as I do to training their dogs. My dog training education (Turid Rugaas, Karen Pryor, Aggressive Dog, Treat/Retreat and many ongoing trainings) and my Masters in Social Work combine to give me a unique perspective on enhancing your relationship with your dog while getting you the changes in their behavior you need.

Ariel has been working with animals since she was a child, and has been professionally training dogs for 5 years. She joined the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) in 2017. She is one of the less than 10 trainers in the US to earn the prestigious title of Professional Canine Trainer (PCT-A) from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. Service dog training is what she is truly passionate about, but she also offers basic training, trick training, and therapy dog training! Ariel has also served in the military (USAF) and volunteered with local fire and EMS departments. She now has her Golden Retriever, Padme, working as a service dog to assist her day to day.

We are a 501(c)(3) Non Profit utilizing Species Appropriate, Restorative, Animal Centered, Holistic Rescue & Training models. We are a welfare based organization. We want to revolutionize rescue in ways unimagined before. Be gone the days of warehousing and human convenience models. Usher in a new era of welfare and resilience. Rescue adoptions can become the Gold Standard of safe, optimistic, resilient, canine community members.