Instructors
Jeannine Jay, MS, CDBC,CCUI, L-FDM-BS, PST
Jeannine has been the owner of Canine Sports Complex, Inc. for the past 15 years. Recently she put together a group of top trainers and behaviorists, under the umbrella of Canine Complex & Friends. She acts as director of the group, as well as the head trainer and Behavior Consultant. Jeannine has a Master’s Degree in Anthropology where she studied nonverbal communication. Jeannine’s interests in working with dogs, have evolved into a passion for working with dogs who have difficulty fitting into the modern human world. She is especially passionate about helping fearful dogs, dogs with high arousal, and dogs with aggression issues with a special interest in primitive, indigenous and street dogs. She is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (with IAABC) as well as a Licensed Family Dog Mediator in both Sheltering and Behavior. She is also one of two Control Unleashed Certified Instructors in the WNY area. And recently she has completed a Predation Substitution Trainer certification.
Jeannine has brought an Ethological approach to dog training to WNY. She is interested in approaching dog training from the perspective of what is most important for a dog to learn, rather than what humans desire dogs to learn. She uses Choice based, Dog Driven methods, paired with an incredible understanding of canine body language to help both human and dog develop their understanding of each other and enhance their relationship. Jeannine has several courses including an Outdoor Walking class, a Three Tiered Puppy Class, a Choice class, a Fearful Dog class and a High Arousal class which are unique to her facility.
Jeannine has owned and trained dogs as diverse as miniature poodles and Akitas. She now owns and breeds Australian Koolies and is involved in preservation of the breed. She continues to expand her education through reading, seminars, and certification programs.
Crystal Gerovac,, BS, ADT, CCUI, L-FDM-T
Thank Dog! Services was founded in 2019, when Crystal Gerovac started to teach classes at Canine Complex & Friends. But she has studied and worked there since early 2016.Crystal’s career didn’t begin in dog mediation or dog training. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth & Environmental Sciences. She is from western New York, but she traveled around and lived in the western United States for several years. Some of her employment included an Interpretive Park Ranger with the National Park Service, a Museum Technician in a paleontology lab, and running a solar energy office as a manager and consultant.
Crystal became extremely interested in dog behavior after she adopted her two Village Dogs with trauma, both rescued from the Dog Meat Trade in South Korea. She started them both in the "Scared Dogs Class" at Canine Sports Complex, where they learned to build confidence through choice and consent. Living with these primitive and traumatized World dogs flung Crystal into the world of “dog training”. Without any force or expectations, she saw her dogs slowly building confidence and the benefits of consent from the dog and allowing her dogs to think! She was hooked. Crystal began assisting and substituting for Jeannine Jay in her Scared and Reactive Dog Classes, and then she became an instructor there. CCF and Thank Dog! Services has helped many adopters and fosters in need of assistance with helping their former meat dogs be more comfortable in their new environment (their home with humans).
After becoming a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor in 2020, she co-presented withJeannine Jay for the first ever Conference Unleashed about how CU pattern games can help dogs with trauma and fear. Crystal earned her certification in L.E.G.S. Applied Ethology Family Dog Mediation from The Dog Door in February 2022. Later that year she became an Accredited Dog Trainer with the IAABC and received her Licensure in Family Dog Mediator in the Training Division. Crystal’s knowledge of L.E.G.S. is reflected in her classes, such as Fearful Dog classes, and Relationship Building, where dogs and humans can work on communicative skills, understanding each other and building their relationship.
Crystal continues her education in dog behavior and ethology with courses in stress, emotions, resiliency, trauma, and fear, among others. She is certified in Canine and Feline CPR & First Aid through Pet Emergency Education. When she isn’t teaching or working with her dogs, she enjoys hiking and singing in a local chorus.
Gina Schlosser, CCTBS
Gina started her love of working with all kinds of animals as a volunteer at the Buffalo Zoo, and then as a zoo apprentice. She would educate the public about the animals in the zoo and talked about wildlife conservation.
Gina also has a fondness for farm animals, she has worked as a stable hand, owned a horse and loves riding.
Gina started volunteering at the Niagara County SPCA, where she learned about dog behavior and got her start in training and socializing dogs. She worked with dogs of all types but mainly scared dogs, deaf dogs, disabled dogs. Her favorite work is with deaf dogs. When her little Border Terrier went deaf she was not able to communicate with him. She developed a relationship and bond like no other when it came to working with deaf dogs at the Shelter. She wants everyone to be able to understand and bond with their deaf dogs.
While training her new Australian Shepherd pup Lexi, she was ready to do agility class with Lexi when she came to Canine Complex and friends and met Jeannine Jay. Jeanine Jay started Gina into the world of dog training, gave her an internship, and soon Gina earned her certificate as a Canine Training and Behavior Specialist (C.C.T.B.S).
Gina still volunteers at the Niagara County SPCA, now working with the cats that have behavior problems and special needs. She is head of the behavioral team for cats and earned her certificate as a Feline Training and Behavior Specialist (C.F.T.B.S).
To this day Gina, still volunteers at the Niagara County SPCA, works with behavioral cats, and works at Canine Complex and Friends to help people understand and train their dogs to form an everlasting bond.
She teaches Puppy Experience and Obedience classes at Canine Complex & Friends.
Dr. Maura Tyrrell
Dr. Maura Tyrrell earned her PhD in the Evolution, Ecology and Behavior Graduate Program from the University at Buffalo SUNY. Her dissertation focused on the social relationships of wild male crested macaques (monkeys) in Sulawesi, Indonesia, in which she studied their dominance relationships, conflict management and coalition patterns.
Dr. Tyrrell currently teaches Animal Learning and Applied Dog Behavior courses at Canisius College, providing hands-on animal training experience for undergraduates in the Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation program. Previously she has taught introductory biology, human biology, introductory physical anthropology, and comparative anatomy and physiology lab at various local colleges. Dr. Tyrrell also volunteers at the SPCA Serving Erie County as senior canine volunteer, often working with the more challenging dogs.
At CCF, Maura is dedicated to helping people build harmonious relationships with their dogs. She educates dog guardians to understand dog body language and communication and how to meet their dog's physical, mental and emotional needs. With force free training techniques and compassionate solutions, she helps humans strengthen their connection with their dog in a fun, relaxed learning environment.
