Sarah Richardson, PhD, CPDT-KA, CDBC, CSAT

Certifications

• In early 2002, Dr. Sarah became one of the first in the nation to become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA; Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers), a certification she has renewed every three years since then through active continuing education.

• Additionally, she is one of only a handful of trainers to also be recognized as a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC; International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants), a certification she has held and renewed every two years since 2006.

• Dr. Sarah received a Certificate in Canine Counseling, with Honors, in 2002, from the San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers, widely considered the “Harvard” of dog training.

• In summer 2015, she completed a 3-month, certification program in behavior modification for separation anxiety under Malena DeMartini (who literally “wrote the book” on separation anxiety) and became a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT).

• Additionally, Dr. Sarah is a licensed evaluator for Pet Partners, the nation’s leader in setting standards for animal-assisted therapy.

• She is an AKC certified Canine Good Citizen evaluator.

• She is a Certified Trick Training Instructor with Kyra Sundance’s program Do More With Your Dog.

• She is also a Certified Dog Walker (which means certified for dog pack management) through the nation’s only Dog Walking Academy.

Leading Edge Knowledge

Dr. Sarah has taken behavior courses with the field’s top trainers, including Bob and the late Marian Bailey (the world’s foremost experts in animal training), Jean Donaldson (author of Culture Clash, Dogs Are From Neptune, and Mine!), and many other internationally recognized trainers and behaviorists. She truly loves learning and has completed hundreds of hours of professional seminars so she can bring the most recent knowledge and techniques to her students.

A Trainer’s Trainer

Dr. Sarah leads a skilled, professional staff that is passionate about helping people and dogs develop fun, energetic, and lasting connections. She’s a “trainer’s trainer,” mentoring many aspiring dog trainers and animal professionals as they develop their knowledge and skills. She is an approved mentor-trainer for CATCH (Canine Trainers Academy) and has several dog trainer apprentices working under her at any given time.

Research on the Human-Animal Bond

Besides her involvement with The Canine Connection, Dr. Sarah is also a faculty member at Chico State and a researcher on the human-animal bond. At Chico State, she teaches a class she has developed for all majors entitled "Human-Animal Interactions." This class was recently recognized as one of three new and innovative classes at Chico State. Her research papers have been presented at national and international conferences.

• Efficacy of a remote-controlled positive reinforcement protocol for training dogs to behave at the door (Yin, S, Fernandez, E, Richardson, E, Pagan, S, Snyder D.) Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 2008, Volume 113:123-138.

• Get Clicking! Therapy Pets Help Children Learn about Positive Reinforcement (Sarah Richardson, Sophia Yin, and Yoko Sasaki).  Interactions: The Human-Animal Health Connection, 2005, Volume 23, Number 2.

• Serious Leisure and Animal-Related Volunteerism (Sarah Richardson and Hyoungon Kim). Paper presented at the International Society for Anthrozoology, annual conference, Niagara Falls, New York, July 2005.

• Barking Dogs: A Positive Solution for Reinforcing Quiet (Sophia Yin, Sarah Richardson, and Eduardo Fernandez). Paper presented at the annual American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 2004.

• From Commodity to Companion: Social Construction of the Racing Greyhound (Sarah Richardson). Paper presented at the International Society for Anthrozoology annual conference, London, England, August 2002.

More on Certifications, Seminars, and Education

Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC)
International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, 2006; Recertified 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2024
This is a nationally recognized objective certification program for dog behavior specialists. Certification is based on an expert panel’s review of submitted behavior cases that have been resolved through consultations, recommendations from colleagues and clients, and substantial professional experience in the field of dog behavior consulting. Certification is maintained through approved CEUs and professional involvement.

Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA)
Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, 2002; Recertified in 2005, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2022
This is the only nationally recognized, objective certification program for dog trainers in the U.S.. Certification is conferred on the basis of: experience instructing classes and clients; recommendations from clients, colleagues, and veterinarians; and passing an extensive test of learning theory, animal husbandry, and teaching and training practices. Certification is maintained through approved CEUs.

Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer
Malena DeMartini Separation Anxiety Program, 2015
Created by Malena DeMartini, renowned separation anxiety trainer and author of the book “Treating Separation Anxiety in Dogs,” this three month long internship in separation anxiety treatment immerses participants in the most recent treatment protocols for this troubling disorder.

Certified Tricks Trainer
Dog More with Your Dog (with Kyra Sundance), 2014
This certification focuses on teaching and encouraging participation among students in tricks training for fun and to develop the human-canine bond. Certification provides access to internationally known Kyra Sundance’s wonderful, progressive, fun tricks curriculum.

Mentor-Teacher for CATCH Canine Trainers Academy, 2014
This academy for aspiring dog trainers includes online course work and hands-on practical work under the supervision of an experienced mentor-teacher.

Certified Dog Walker
Dog Tec (Veronica Boutelle and Kim Moeller), 2008
This four day intensive seminar on pack management, dog communication and body language, aggression in all its forms, first aid, and many other topics.

Certificate in Canine Counseling, Honors
San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers, 2002 
Directed by Jean Donaldson, author of the widely acclaimed books on behavior, Culture Clash, Dogs are From Neptune, and Mine!, this academy is widely recognized as the “Harvard” of dog training. The Canine Counseling course is an intensive course in canine behavior problems (e.g. aggression, separation anxiety, resource guarding, etc.) and their solutions. The Certificate in Canine Counseling is earned through successful demonstration of behavior diagnosis and modification plans, & written tests.

Apprenticeships / Courses

Apprenticeship in dog training, class instruction, and behavior counseling with 
Dr. Kay Stephens, MS, DVM (Texas), 1998-2001
This apprenticeship provided exposure to a wide range of training contexts and numerous behavior problems and treatment programs, including those with physiological factors and requiring veterinary assessments along with behavioral assessments. Conducted under Dr. Kay Stephens, DVM, who has been working in the area of veterinary behavior for over thirty years.

Instructor of Teenage and Adult Dog Training Classes 
Puppy Love Dog Training, Texas, 1999-2001
Worked with many breeds of dogs and numerous behavior and training situations through group classes, private lessons, and behavior consultations.

Advanced Courses in Operant Conditioning and Clicker Training with Marian and Bob Bailey, widely recognized as the foremost experts in animal learning, operant conditioning, and clicker training, 2000
Marion and Bob Bailey are recognized as the first to bring principles of operant conditioning from the laboratory to the world of animal training. As one of B.F. Skinner’s first graduate students, Marian Bailey worked extensively in developing, testing, and applying these principles, resulting in the practice now known as “clicker training”. This intensive three-week training program focused on theory of operant conditioning and practice of clicker training.

Living and Learning with Animals: The Fundamental Principles and Procedures of Teaching and Learning (LLA), with Susan Friedman, PhD, 2018
Eight-week on-line course "Living and Learning with Animals." LLA Professional is designed to be a first course in behavior analysis for veterinarians, animal trainers, behavior consultants, and other animal professionals. The principles and procedures of behavior analysis are general in nature, that is, they apply to all species and situations. Thus, LLA Professional provides a robust, general foundation for all behavior-change applications, including training, behavior assessment and problem behavior resolution, with a high standard for effective and humane interventions.

Aggression A-Z (with Michael Shikashio)
Online Spring 2019 (five weeks)
Spring 2019

Aggression in Dogs Mentorship - International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants(with Michael Shikashio)
Online
Winter 2019 (five weeks)

Bob Bailey and Friends, Think, Plan, Do!
(with Bob Bailey, Sue Garrett, Simon Prins, Viviane Thedy, Shelly Wood)
Hot Springs, Arkansas, May 2019 (4 days)

Conferences and Seminars

Canine Science Symposium
San Francisco, CA
April 2019 (2 days)

Great Big Dog Behavior Workshop
(with Chris Pachel, DVM)
Eugene, Oregon
May 2018 (2 days)

Immersion Weekend in Canine and Feline Behavioural Medicine
(with Karen Overall, DVM)
Cochrane, Alberta
April 2018 (2 days)

Super Trainer Seminar
(with Kay Laurence)
Marin, California
July 2016 (5 days)

Managing Safe Off-Leash Play: In Day Care, Boarding, Shelters & Multi-Dog Homes
(with Robin Bennett and Susan Briggs)
Chicago, IL
May 2014 (2.5 days)

Tricks Training Instructor Training – Do More With Your Dog
(with Kyra Sundance)
Santa Rosa, CA
April 2014 (2 days)

Socialbility versus Aggression in Pet Dogs
(with Susan Sternberg)
Petaluma, CA
February 2014 (2 days)

Dog Walking Academy
Four day intensive seminar on pack management, dog communication and body language, aggression in all its forms, and many other topics; received Certified Dog Walker designation.
(with Veronica Boutelle and Kim Moeller)
Berkeley, CA
June 2008 (4 days)

Different Breeds Have Different Needs: Managing and Training Bullies, Herding Dogs, Terriers and Guard Dogs
(with Trish King)
Novato, CA
April 2008 (1 day)

Dogs Can Dance, Instructor’s Training
(with Judy Gamet)
Sunnyvale, California
December 2007 (1 day)

Shape Your Way out of Aggression A New, Breakthrough Approach
(with Dr. Jesus Rosales-Ruiz and Kellie Snider)
Berkeley, California
August 2007 (2 days)

Fighting Dominance in a Dog Whispering World
(with Jean Donaldson & Ian Dunbar)
Berkeley, California
July 2007 (1 day)

Aggression – Recognition and Management
(with Brenda Aloff)
Novato, California
May 2007 (2 days)

International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, 2nd annual conference
Cleveland, Ohio
April 2007 (3 days)

Get Rational! Evolution, Dog Behavior, and Dog Bites
(with Jean Donaldson and Janis Bradley)
San Francisco, California
April 2007 (2 days)

New Perspectives on Canine Emotion, Behavior and Training
(with Patricia McConnell, PhD and Steve White)
Novato, California
November 2006 (2 days)

How to Teach Classes for Cantankerous Canines
(with Jean Donaldson, Janis Bradley, Gina Phairas and Kim Moeller)
San Francisco, California
October 2006 (2 days)

Canine Freestyle
(with Carolyn Scott)
Martinez, California
October 2006 (2 days)
Click here to see a video of Carolyn Scott practicing her art with her dog Rookie

Canine Development and Aggression (East Meets West)
(with Pia Silvani and Trish King)
Novato, California
April 2006 (2 days)

2nd Annual Behavior Symposium
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
(with Ian Dunbar, PhD, MRCVS, Melissa Bain, DVM, and others)
Davis, California
April 2005 (1 day)

Clicker in Motion
(with Kay Laurence)
Berkeley, California
February 2005 (1 day)

Clicker Expo
(with Karen Pryor, Steve White, Kathy Sdao and others)
Berkeley, California
January 2004 (3 days)

Dog Play, Social Behavior, Biting and Fighting:
Development, Prevention, and Interpretation
(with Ian Dunbar, PhD, MRCVS)
San Francisco, California
October 2003 (2 days)

Training On The Cutting Edge:
Advanced Learning Theory for Top Achievers
(with Pam Reid, PhD, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist)
Novato, California
January 2003 (2 days)

Say Yes! Clicker Agility Camp
(with Sue Garrett)
Alberton, Ontario, Canada
July 2002 (5 days)

Tellington Touch (TTouch) Workshop
Sacramento, California
June 2002  (2 days)

John Rogerson Behavior and Training Seminar
Novato, California
May 2002 (2 days)

Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
March 2002 (4 days)

Pawsitively Incorrect Forum on Aggression
(with Ian Dunbar, DVM, Jean Donaldson, and others)
Novato, California
February 2002 (1 day)

Ted Turner Behavior and Training Seminar
Novato, California
February 2002 (1 day)

Canine Counseling Certification Course (for Professional Trainers)
(with Jean Donaldson)
San Francisco, California
January 2002 (7 days)

Clicker Training Camp: Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced Sessions
(with Marian Bailey, Ph.D. and Bob Bailey)
Hot Springs, Arkansas
July 2000 – Introductory, Intermediate, Advanced sessions (5 days each)

Association of Pet Dog Trainers Annual and Semi-annual Conferences

• Houston, Texas, October 2000 (3 days)

• Greenville, North Carolina, May 2000 (2 days)

• San Diego, California, November 1999 (3 days)