Lynn Broderick began her career in animal behavior in 1999 at the Erie County SPCA, directing the innovative Animal Behavior & Training Department. While at the SPCA she taught group obedience and puppy classes as well as specializing in solving canine behavior problems, both with dogs who were in homes and those who needed new homes. Lynn also helped develop a wonderful humane education program which taught inner-city teens to train shelter dogs using positive reinforcement (praise and reward) techniques.

After five years, Lynn left the SPCA and started Pet Works Professional Pet Care & Training. She still teaches obedience, both privately and in group classes, counsels owners on how to modify their dog’s problem behaviors, and specializes in working with reactive dogs. Lynn has been a Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers since 1999.

Lynn discovered agility in 2000 when she started classes with her “All-American” Riley. Back then, the only trials in this area that mixed breeds could participate in was NADAC or USDAA, and there were only about three trials a year, all during the summer! In 2004 when she started training with her second All-American, Amber, things had really started to pick up and now she trials monthly in NADAC, CPE, and the occasional USDAA trial. Lynn has put many agility titles on her dogs, including four CPE CATCH titles on Riley, three NADAC Elite titles and a CATCH on Amber, and is working toward Amber’s CPE CATE. Lynn also runs friend’s dogs: a Rottweiler and a Sheltie in CPE, and occasionally a Belgian Malinois in AKC and NADAC. She dabbles in Rally Obedience and Dock Dogs with Amber.

She started teaching agility in 2005, and loves sharing new techniques and handling strategies with her students. Besides teaching the equipment to new agility teams, she enjoys teaching her students to handle fast dogs and learn distance handling, as well as finding ways to motivate dogs who worry and shut down in training and in the ring.

Her philosophy on training dogs is to understand why they do what they do, and to use scientifically proven positive reinforcement techniques and good management to teach new skills or elicit any behavior modifications that are necessary. She believes that learning never ends, and frequently attends seminars and classes as well as keeping current with the latest books and DVD’s.

Lynn enjoys working with and teaching the owners as much as she enjoys the company and training of the animals! She believes that training and living with dogs should be fun and rewarding, and always tries to ensure that both humans and canines are enjoying the training experience.